How do I set up Microsoft Flight Simulator PC controls?

To set up Microsoft Flight Simulator PC controls, connect every device before launch, confirm Windows detects it, then create a separate custom profile for each keyboard, gamepad, joystick, throttle or pedal unit. Bind analogue flight axes first, remove duplicate assignments, tune dead zones, save the profiles and test them on the ground.

This process applies to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 on PC. Their control screens and profile handling differ, but both require you to select the correct physical device, assign actions to that device and verify which preset is active.

Which Microsoft Flight Simulator PC controls do I need?

A joystick or gamepad is the practical minimum for smooth manual flight, while a keyboard and mouse remain useful for cockpit systems, views and menu commands.

Keyboard-only flying works, but each key press commands a fixed change rather than proportional movement. Select the Keyboard device in the Controls screen to search or change an assignment; for the original 2020 preset, our MSFS 2020 default-key reference lists the main flight, throttle, flap, gear and brake commands.

Set up flight simulator PC controls step by step

The safest setup method is to configure one device and one function at a time, starting with Windows detection and ending with a ground test.

1. Connect every controller before launching the simulator. Keep a joystick, throttle and pedals in consistent USB ports where possible. Press the Windows key and R, enter joy.cpl, then open each controller's properties to check its buttons and full axis travel.
2. Fix Windows-level problems first. If an axis jitters, fails to reach an endpoint or the device disconnects in joy.cpl, simulator sensitivity settings will not repair it. Reconnect the hardware, try another stable USB connection and use its calibration utility where applicable.
3. Open the simulator's Controls screen. It is found under the main Options or Settings area, depending on the MSFS version. Select the actual device being edited; the keyboard, gamepad, stick, throttle and pedals have separate entries.
4. Create a custom preset or profile. Duplicate a working default where that option is offered, rather than clearing it immediately. Use names that identify both the hardware and purpose, such as GA Yoke, Twin Throttle or Airliner Pedals.
5. Show all available commands. A new or blank profile can make the control list appear empty when it is filtered to assigned actions. Change the filter to show all commands, then search by an action name such as Elevator Axis.
6. Bind the analogue axes first. Assign pitch, roll, yaw, throttle and toe brakes. Use the full action ending in Axis, not separate increase, decrease, left or right commands.
7. Add essential buttons and switches. Prioritise elevator trim, wheel brakes, parking brake, flaps, landing gear, autopilot disconnect and a view-recentre control. Leave infrequently used cockpit functions on the keyboard or mouse.
8. Remove duplicate assignments. Search by input or filter the list to assigned actions. Delete unintended pitch, roll, yaw, throttle and brake mappings from unused gamepads, mini-sticks or automatically generated presets.
9. Save and test the setup. Use the apply or save control displayed by your version, then load a simple aircraft on the ground. Check the animated cockpit controls, external control surfaces, throttle range, rudder direction and both toe brakes before take-off.

If you need the control-screen process in more detail, our full axis-and-profile walkthrough for MSFS 2020 and 2024 covers device selection, input scanning, conflicts and testing.

How do I set up a Logitech X56 in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

A Logitech X56 should be configured as separate stick and throttle devices because each half has its own USB connection and simulator profile.

• Check both units individually in joy.cpl. Older hardware may carry Saitek branding, but it still needs to appear and respond correctly in Windows before MSFS can use it.
• Bind pitch and roll to the stick. Use its twist axis for rudder only when separate pedals are not fitted; otherwise clear the twist-rudder assignment.
• Bind the main throttle lever or levers to generic or engine-specific throttle axes according to the aircraft you fly.
• Centre the mini-stick and rotaries before using input scanning. A noisy rotary can be detected instead of the button or lever you intended to assign.
• Clear unused mini-stick and rotary axes if they cause camera drift or unwanted cockpit movement.
• Do not assume the X56 mode selector automatically creates extra MSFS control layers. Its behaviour depends on the hardware programming and does not replace separate simulator profiles.

If both units work in Windows but the assignments are unclear, follow our device-by-device HOTAS setup method.

What controls should I bind first?

Bind the primary flight and power axes first, then the controls needed during take-off, approach and landing.

Action names can vary slightly between Microsoft Flight Simulator versions and aircraft. The key distinction is between an Axis action, which accepts proportional movement, and increase, decrease or toggle actions intended for buttons.

A mistake we see constantly is binding a throttle lever to Throttle Increase and Throttle Decrease. That produces stepped or repeated movement instead of matching the physical lever. Replace those commands with the appropriate throttle axis.

Match switch behaviour as well. A momentary push-button can use a toggle command, but a latching two-position switch works better with separate on and off actions when those actions are available. Otherwise the physical switch and cockpit switch can fall out of sync.

Sensitivity, dead zones and response curves

Start with a linear response and no more dead zone than the hardware needs to remain still at its physical centre.

• Joystick or yoke: keep pitch and roll close to linear. Soften the response around the centre only if small hand movements make the aircraft difficult to hold accurately.
• Gamepad: use a gentler centre response because thumb sticks have little physical travel. Add a small dead zone if the aircraft drifts when the stick is released.
• Rudder pedals: add only enough central dead zone to stop rudder flicker. A large dead zone makes taxiing and crosswind corrections abrupt.
• Toe brakes: reverse an axis that reads full braking when released. A response curve is not the correct fix for backward movement.
• Throttle: confirm that the cockpit lever reaches both ends. Use an endpoint or extremity adjustment only after checking Windows calibration and the assigned action.

Watch the simulator's input graph while moving each axis slowly. Movement while the controller is untouched indicates drift, electrical noise or another assigned device; a dead zone can hide slight centre noise, but it cannot resolve a duplicate binding.

Airliners and other complex aircraft may include their own throttle-detent calibration. First make sure MSFS receives the full axis range, then complete the aircraft's calibration process if one is provided.

Profiles for different devices and aircraft

Every physical controller needs the correct active profile, while separate aircraft profiles are useful only when their control requirements genuinely differ.

Begin with a general-purpose profile for each device. Duplicate it for a twin-engine aircraft, an airliner with throttle detents or a helicopter rather than rebuilding every assignment from an empty profile.

• Single-engine aeroplane: one throttle axis, with propeller and mixture axes when the hardware provides them.
• Multi-engine aeroplane: numbered throttle, propeller and mixture axes for independently controlled engines.
• Airliner: a dedicated throttle profile when the aircraft uses detents, reverser ranges or aircraft-specific calibration.
• Helicopter: cyclic, collective and anti-torque controls rather than an aeroplane throttle profile.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 do not present presets identically. In either version, changing the joystick profile does not guarantee that the throttle and pedal profiles changed with it. Select each device in turn and verify its active preset before flight.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 uses a revised control and profile interface, so confirm that you have edited the intended device and saved the intended preset. Our MSFS 2024 mapping and profile-saving walkthrough explains the process without assuming that one profile covers every controller.

Why are my controls reversed or moving by themselves?

Reversed or uncommanded movement usually comes from an inverted axis, duplicate binding, drifting controller, incorrect active profile or piloting assistance that is still controlling the aircraft.

Disable piloting assistance or AI control temporarily while diagnosing unexplained inputs. Change one assignment at a time and repeat the ground test; replacing an entire profile at once often recreates the same conflict without revealing its source.