Set up Navigraph Simlink in MSFS 2024 for live aircraft position, with clear installation steps and fixes for connection and moving-map faults.
To set up Navigraph Simlink in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, install Simlink on the same PC, sign in to your Navigraph account, start Simlink and MSFS 2024, then load fully into a flight. Open Navigraph Charts and enable aircraft position; Simlink should detect the simulator through SimConnect automatically.
What does Navigraph Simlink do in MSFS 2024?
Navigraph Simlink sends your aircraft's live position, altitude and heading from MSFS 2024 to Navigraph Charts. This provides the moving aircraft symbol in Charts on the simulator PC, a second computer or a tablet signed into the same account.
Simlink does not install navigation data, place files in the Community folder or import a flight plan. Those jobs use other parts of the Navigraph system; our explanation of how Charts, Simlink, Hub and navdata fit together clarifies which component handles each task.
This setup applies to the PC edition of MSFS 2024. Simlink cannot be installed on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro; chart access on those platforms depends on supported in-simulator or aircraft integrations.
How do I install and connect Navigraph Simlink?
- Close MSFS 2024. Installing or updating Simlink while the simulator is closed avoids locked components and leaves a clean SimConnect session for the first launch.
- Install or update Simlink. Sign in to Navigraph Hub on the simulator PC and install the available Simlink package. If it is already present, apply any offered update rather than keeping an older installation from MSFS 2020.
- Launch Simlink. Open it from Windows and complete the browser-based Navigraph sign-in. Simlink normally continues running in the Windows notification area after its main window closes.
- Start MSFS 2024. No simulator IP address, port number or Community-folder path is normally required because Simlink connects locally through SimConnect.
- Load into a flight. Wait until the aircraft is in the cockpit at an airport or airborne. The main menu and aircraft-selection screens do not provide the live flight data Simlink needs.
- Open Navigraph Charts. Sign in with the same Navigraph account used by Simlink, open the map and enable the aircraft-position or moving-map control.
- Confirm the connection. The aircraft symbol should appear at your location and update as the aircraft moves. Charts may run on another device, but Simlink must remain running on the MSFS 2024 PC.
The launch order is not normally critical. If Simlink was opened before the simulator and does not detect the loaded flight, quit it fully from its notification-area menu and reopen it.
Does Simlink go in the MSFS 2024 Community folder?
No. Simlink is a separate Windows application and normally reads MSFS 2024 through SimConnect, so browsing to the Community folder or copying a legacy plug-in there is unnecessary.
Simlink is required for the external Charts moving map, not for every Navigraph feature. Navigation-data packages are managed separately, while the MSFS 2024 EFB and supported aircraft chart integrations can have their own account authorisation. If the simulator's EFB displays no charts despite Simlink working, use our MSFS 2024 EFB chart-loading checks instead of repeatedly reinstalling Simlink.
Why is Simlink not detecting MSFS 2024?
Most Simlink detection failures come from testing at the MSFS menu, running an outdated Simlink build, using different Navigraph accounts or blocking the application with Windows security software.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No simulator or flight detected | MSFS is still at a menu, or Simlink has retained a stale session | Load fully into the cockpit, quit Simlink from the notification area and restart it |
| Simlink connects but no aircraft appears | The aircraft-position layer is disabled, or Charts uses another account | Enable the moving-map control and verify that both applications use the same account |
| MSFS 2020 works but MSFS 2024 does not | An older Simlink installation is still in use | Update Simlink through Navigraph Hub and restart Windows if the old background process remains loaded |
| Connection drops or never completes | Security software is blocking Simlink, or MSFS and Simlink use different privilege levels | Allow Simlink through the trusted security configuration and run both applications normally rather than elevating only one as administrator |
| Sign-in succeeds in the browser but not in Simlink | The authentication hand-off or saved session has failed | Sign out, close Simlink completely, reopen it and repeat the browser authorisation |
A random legacy SimConnect download is rarely the right first fix for MSFS 2024. Update Simlink, load a live flight and check account and security settings first. Our detailed Simlink connection diagnostic covers the remaining permission, SimConnect and firewall checks.
Can I use Navigraph Charts on a tablet or second PC?
Yes. Keep Simlink running on the Windows PC that runs MSFS 2024, then open Charts on the other device with the same Navigraph account. The live position is relayed through the account, so the tablet or second computer does not need its own Simlink installation or a direct connection to the simulator PC.