Set up a Logitech yoke and throttle quadrant in MSFS with correct axis bindings, calibration and fixes for reversed or duplicate controls.
Connect the Logitech yoke by USB and, if supplied with the yoke, connect the throttle quadrant to its rear socket first. In Microsoft Flight Simulator’s Controls settings, create a custom profile, bind the yoke to Ailerons Axis and Elevator Axis, assign each lever to an analogue engine axis, then remove duplicate bindings.
This procedure applies to the Logitech G Flight Yoke System and the older Saitek-branded equivalent in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 on Windows PC. The standard PC yoke is not natively compatible with the Xbox or PlayStation versions of the simulator.
How to connect and configure the Logitech yoke
- Connect the throttle quadrant correctly. The quadrant supplied with the yoke uses the round socket on the back of the yoke rather than a separate USB port. Connect it before plugging in the yoke’s USB cable. Despite its appearance, this connector must not go into a computer’s keyboard or mouse socket. A standalone USB quadrant connects directly to the PC instead.
- Check the hardware in Windows. Press Windows key and R, enter
joy.cpl, select the Logitech or Saitek device and open its properties. Move the yoke and all three levers; each axis should travel smoothly through its full range. Buttons should illuminate when pressed. - Open the simulator’s Controls settings. Select the yoke device and create or duplicate a profile rather than altering a useful default preset. Set the filter to show all controls, or use input detection if that option is available. The interface differs between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024, but the required assignments are the same.
- Bind the flight-control axes. Move the yoke left and right while assigning
Ailerons Axis, then push and pull it forElevator Axis. Choose the analogue Axis command, not separate left, right, up or down commands. - Assign the quadrant levers. Bind the black, blue and red levers according to the aircraft type. A quadrant connected through the yoke may appear under the yoke’s device entry rather than as a separate controller.
- Clear conflicting assignments. Search each device for aileron, elevator and throttle bindings. Remove unwanted axes from gamepads, joysticks or duplicate presets, but leave keyboard commands in place unless they cause a specific problem.
- Test in a simple aircraft. Load a parking stand with the engine off, display the cockpit controls and move every axis through its full travel. Confirm that the virtual yoke and engine controls move in the correct direction before attempting a flight.
If pedals, a gamepad or several USB devices are being combined with the yoke, our complete PC control-profile workflow explains how to organise and test the separate devices.
Which Logitech yoke axes should I bind?
The yoke requires two analogue axis assignments; most other controls are personal choices. These are sensible starting bindings:
| Physical control | MSFS assignment | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Yoke left and right | Ailerons Axis | Binding Aileron Left and Aileron Right as buttons |
| Yoke forward and back | Elevator Axis | Using Elevator Up and Elevator Down |
| Black lever | Throttle Axis or an engine-specific throttle axis | Binding Increase Throttle and Decrease Throttle |
| Blue lever | Propeller Axis | Expecting it to work in aircraft without a propeller control |
| Red lever | Mixture Axis | Testing it in a turbine aircraft |
| POV hat | Cockpit view directions | Assigning it to flight-control axes |
| Rocker switch | Elevator Trim Up and Down | Reversing the nose-up and nose-down directions |
Where both a normal throttle axis and a 0 to 100% version are offered, use the 0-to-100% assignment for a basic quadrant without a physical reverse range. Aircraft with configurable detents or reverse thrust may need their own cockpit or EFB calibration.
How should I assign the three throttle levers?
The best quadrant layout depends on whether separate engine control matters more than propeller and mixture control.
| Aircraft type | Recommended three-lever layout |
|---|---|
| Single-engine piston | Throttle, propeller and mixture |
| Multi-engine piston with one quadrant | Global throttle, global propeller and global mixture so each lever controls all engines |
| Twin-engine jet | Throttle 1 and Throttle 2, with the spare lever optionally assigned to spoilers if the aircraft supports an analogue spoiler axis |
| Four-engine aircraft | One global throttle lever, or additional hardware for independent engine control |
Do not assign one three-lever quadrant to throttle, propeller and mixture and also expect independent control of two piston engines. That requires six engine levers or a compromise using global axes. Our analogue throttle-assignment guide covers engine-specific axes, reversed travel and the difference between axis and button commands.
What sensitivity settings should I use?
Start with the default response curves and change only the setting that addresses an observed problem. The Logitech yoke has less roll travel than a real aircraft control column, so modestly reducing sensitivity around the centre can make hand-flying less abrupt, but the axis should still reach full output at both ends.
- Add only enough dead zone to stop centre jitter or unwanted movement.
- Use the reverse axis option when an input moves in the wrong direction.
- Adjust the extremity settings only if the input graph cannot reach its full endpoint.
- Do not use a large dead zone to mask a poor Windows calibration; it creates a noticeable control gap around the centre.
If the yoke does not centre, a lever stops short or an axis jumps, follow our Windows and MSFS controller calibration checks before changing multiple sensitivity values.
Why is the Logitech yoke or quadrant not working?
| Symptom | Likely fix |
|---|---|
| The yoke is absent from MSFS | Confirm that Windows detects it in joy.cpl, reconnect it directly to a PC USB port and restart the simulator after the device is recognised. |
| The quadrant has no separate device tile | This is normal when the supplied quadrant is connected through the yoke. Look for its axes under the yoke device. |
| A lever acts only as full power or idle | Remove the digital Increase or Decrease command and bind the physical lever to an analogue Axis command. |
| An axis moves backwards | Enable Reverse Axis for that assignment rather than swapping unrelated commands. |
| Controls jump or fight the pilot | Clear duplicate axes from another controller and check that assistance features are not applying control inputs. |
| The setup works in one aircraft but not another | Confirm that the intended device and aircraft profile is active. Also check that the aircraft actually has the control being tested. |
| The quadrant shows no movement anywhere | Disconnect the yoke USB cable, reseat the quadrant’s round connector firmly, then reconnect the yoke. |
Windows normally recognises the yoke as a game controller without profile software. Logitech software may still be needed if Windows does not expose the device correctly, but simulator assignments should be made inside MSFS rather than through keyboard macros.
A mistake we see constantly is repairing one conflict while leaving several unwanted default assignments elsewhere. If the preset has become difficult to audit, it is faster to clear the conflicting controller bindings and rebuild a clean profile with only the required axes and buttons.