Set up Navigraph in MSFS 2020: install Hub, navdata, Simlink and Charts, connect the moving map, import routes and fix setup faults.
To set up Navigraph in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, install Navigraph Hub and Simlink, use Hub to add the MSFS navdata and optional in-game Charts panel, then sign in to Charts. Start Simlink before flying for moving-map position, and load your planned route using the method your aircraft supports.
This complete setup applies to MSFS 2020 on Windows PC. An appropriate Navigraph subscription is required for its paid charts and navdata features.
What do I need to install?
The complete Navigraph setup consists of several separate components, and each performs a different job.
| Component | Purpose | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Navigraph Hub | Installs and updates MSFS and supported aircraft navdata, plus optional simulator panels. | Yes for navdata and the in-game panel |
| Simlink | Sends the live aircraft position from MSFS to Charts running outside the simulator. | Only for external moving-map tracking |
| Navigraph Charts | Provides route planning, airport charts and the moving map. | Yes for chart use |
| Charts In-Game Panel | Displays Navigraph Charts through the MSFS toolbar. | Optional |
| Aircraft integration | Displays charts or imports routes through supported cockpit avionics or an EFB. | Aircraft-dependent |
A common mistake we see is treating Simlink as a flight-plan importer. It only supplies simulator position data; it does not load a route into the World Map, FMS or EFB.
How do I connect Navigraph to MSFS 2020?
Install the MSFS package through Hub, run Simlink, and authorise any aircraft integration separately.
- Download Hub and Simlink: Obtain both applications through your Navigraph account and sign in. Close MSFS before installing or changing navdata packages.
- Select the correct simulator: In Navigraph Hub, find Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and verify that Hub has detected the active installation. If MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 are both installed, make sure you are changing the 2020 target.
- Install the simulator navdata: Install or update the MSFS navdata package shown in Hub. Aircraft with their own database may appear as separate Hub targets and need an additional package. Our guide to keeping MSFS and aircraft navdata aligned explains that distinction.
- Add the in-game panel if wanted: Install the Charts In-Game Panel through Hub. It should appear in the simulator toolbar after MSFS has been restarted.
- Run Simlink: Start Simlink and sign in, then launch MSFS and load fully into an aircraft. Launch order is not critical, but Simlink must be running while you fly.
- Open Charts: Sign in with the same account and select the moving-map aircraft symbol. Once MSFS is in a loaded flight, Charts should show your live position.
- Authorise cockpit integration: If the aircraft has a Navigraph page in its EFB or avionics, follow its account-authorisation prompt. This login is separate from Simlink and may need to be repeated after aircraft updates or account changes.
How do I import a Navigraph flight plan?
The correct route-import method depends on whether you need MSFS ATC to understand the plan or want the most accurate route in a sophisticated aircraft FMS.
| Method | Choose it when | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|
Load a .pln file through the World Map | You want the simulator's flight planner and ATC to know the route. | Procedures or individual legs may not transfer exactly as planned. |
| Use the aircraft's route import or uplink | The aircraft has its own FMS, EFB or flight-plan integration. | MSFS ATC may not know about a route loaded only into the aircraft. |
| Enter the route manually | The aircraft has no compatible importer or you want to verify every leg. | It takes longer and requires checking discontinuities. |
For a World Map route, export a compatible .pln file, load it before starting the flight, and compare the departure, arrival and runway with the aircraft's avionics. We cover the full process for loading and checking routes in the MSFS World Map.
Avoid importing one route into the World Map and then blindly loading a second version into the FMS. Aircraft that synchronise with the simulator can acquire changed procedures, duplicate legs or route discontinuities.
Why is the Navigraph moving map not connecting?
Simlink usually fails because MSFS is not yet in a loaded flight, the account session has expired, or security software is blocking the connection.
- Confirm that Simlink is running and signed in to the same account used by Charts.
- Load into the cockpit rather than leaving MSFS on the main menu or World Map.
- Restart Simlink and Charts after changing account credentials.
- Run MSFS and Simlink at the same Windows permission level.
- Allow Simlink through the firewall and test without a VPN or restrictive security rule.
- Update or reinstall Simlink if its MSFS connection component is missing or damaged.
If the aircraft still does not appear, follow our focused checks for diagnosing Simlink permissions, connectors and firewall problems.
Why is the in-game Charts panel missing?
A missing panel normally means MSFS was not restarted, Hub detected the wrong Packages location, or Community add-ons have been disabled.
- Exit MSFS completely, reinstall or verify the panel in Hub, then restart the simulator.
- Check that Hub is targeting the active MSFS 2020 installation, especially after moving the Packages folder or changing between Microsoft Store and Steam installations.
- If MSFS started in Safe Mode after a crash, load it normally so Community packages are enabled.
- Open the toolbar settings and confirm that the Navigraph panel has not simply been hidden.
Why do the runways or procedures not match?
Route differences usually occur because Charts, MSFS and the aircraft are using different AIRAC cycles.
Update every relevant Hub target and check the cycle shown by the aircraft's FMS. The base MSFS package does not necessarily update an add-on aircraft that maintains its own database.
Navdata also cannot replace physical airport scenery. A database may contain a renamed runway or revised procedure while an older airport model still displays the previous markings and layout.
Can I use this Navigraph setup on Xbox?
The full Hub, Simlink and in-game panel setup is not available for MSFS 2020 on Xbox because the console cannot install Windows connector applications or Community packages.
Xbox users can use Charts separately on another device as a planning reference. A particular aircraft may provide its own built-in account integration, but PC installation instructions and external Simlink tracking do not apply to the console.