Set up OpenXR for Microsoft Flight Simulator VR, choose the right headset runtime, enter VR mode, and fix headset detection problems.
To set up OpenXR for Microsoft Flight Simulator VR, install and start your headset software, make its OpenXR runtime active, connect the headset, then launch MSFS in 2D and switch to VR mode. Use only one active runtime; choosing SteamVR, Meta Quest Link or another vendor runtime incorrectly is a common cause of detection failures.
What does OpenXR setup actually mean?
OpenXR setup means selecting the Windows runtime that translates Microsoft Flight Simulator's VR output for your headset. MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 already support OpenXR natively, so there is normally no generic OpenXR package to install inside the simulator.
Several runtimes can be installed on one PC, but only one is registered as active when MSFS starts. Changing the runtime while the simulator is open usually has no effect until MSFS is restarted.
This procedure applies to the PC editions. Xbox does not provide an MSFS VR path, while MSFS 2024 on PlayStation 5 uses platform-managed PSVR2 support delivered through a free update in 2026 rather than Windows OpenXR.
Which OpenXR runtime should I use?
Choose the runtime belonging to the connection method actually carrying the VR session, not necessarily the company that made the headset.
| Headset or connection | Active OpenXR runtime | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Quest through wired Link or Air Link | Meta Quest Link | Set it as active in the Meta desktop application's OpenXR settings. |
| Meta Quest through Virtual Desktop | VDXR or SteamVR | Use the same option selected in the Virtual Desktop Streamer; do not mix the two routes. |
| Valve Index or a headset normally driven by SteamVR | SteamVR | Use SteamVR's OpenXR settings to make it the active runtime. |
| Pimax, Varjo or another headset with its own supported runtime | Manufacturer's OpenXR runtime | Select it through the headset's control software. |
| Windows Mixed Reality headset | Microsoft's WMR OpenXR runtime | This only works on Windows installations that still include Windows Mixed Reality. |
Quest users should keep the connection method and runtime matched. We have separate instructions for configuring Quest 3 Link, Air Link or Virtual Desktop and for setting up the equivalent Quest 2 connection.
How do I configure OpenXR for MSFS?
Set the runtime before launching Microsoft Flight Simulator because the simulator reads the active OpenXR registration during start-up.
- Install the headset software. Update the headset's PC application, drivers and firmware. You do not need OpenComposite or another translation layer because MSFS uses OpenXR directly.
- Establish the VR connection. Connect the cable, enter Quest Link, start Virtual Desktop or launch the relevant headset environment. Confirm that the headset can display its own PC VR interface before opening MSFS.
- Make the correct runtime active. Meta's application provides a button similar to
Set Meta Quest Link as active OpenXR Runtime. SteamVR has an equivalent option in its OpenXR settings. Other headsets place this control in their vendor software. - Launch MSFS in desktop mode. Start MSFS only after the headset session is running. Buying MSFS through Steam does not force you to use SteamVR; the active OpenXR runtime still controls the VR route.
- Switch to VR. Load the main menu or a flight, then use the assigned VR toggle.
Ctrl+Tabis the common default PC shortcut, but MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 control profiles can differ, so search the control assignments for the VR toggle if it does nothing. - Re-centre the cockpit view. Use the assigned reset or re-centre VR command once seated in your normal flying position. Bind this command somewhere accessible because it is also needed after removing the headset or changing seats.
Why is Microsoft Flight Simulator not finding OpenXR?
If MSFS stays in 2D, reports no headset or opens a black VR view, first verify that the intended runtime is active and restart the simulator.
- Wrong active runtime: SteamVR may have claimed OpenXR after an update even though you use Quest Link, or the reverse. Re-select the required runtime and restart every VR application.
- Runtime changed too late: Close MSFS completely before switching runtimes. Returning to its main menu is not enough.
- Headset not in PC VR mode: A connected or charging headset is not necessarily running a PC VR session. Enter Link, Air Link, Virtual Desktop or the vendor environment first.
- Competing connection paths: Do not start SteamVR automatically when using Meta's direct runtime or VDXR unless you deliberately selected SteamVR.
- Optional API layer conflict: Disable OpenXR Toolkit, overlays and other API layers while troubleshooting. Add them back individually only after native VR works.
- Missing Windows Mixed Reality support: Windows 11 24H2 removed WMR. Headsets such as the HP Reverb cannot use their native WMR OpenXR route on that Windows release.
- Unassigned control: Check the active keyboard or controller profile for a VR toggle binding, especially after moving from MSFS 2020 to MSFS 2024.
If the runtime is selected but the simulator still cannot see the device, follow our headset detection checks for MSFS 2020 and 2024.
Do I need OpenXR Toolkit, OpenXR Tools or SteamVR?
No additional utility is required for native MSFS VR; you need only a working headset connection and one active OpenXR runtime.
- OpenXR Toolkit is an optional API layer, not a runtime. Leave it disabled during initial setup because an incompatible layer can cause crashes or a blank view.
- OpenXR Tools for Windows Mixed Reality is intended for the legacy WMR route. It does not make a Quest or SteamVR headset work.
- SteamVR is required only when it is your chosen runtime or your connection depends on it. It is unnecessary overhead when Meta Quest Link or VDXR is providing the direct OpenXR path.
What should I adjust after OpenXR works?
Once the cockpit view is stable, tune performance inside the simulator before introducing optional OpenXR layers. Start with a conservative VR graphics preset, then adjust render scaling and terrain or object detail one setting at a time.
Headset resolution and the simulator's render scale compound each other: raising both sharply increases GPU workload, while reducing both can make instruments unreadable. Our MSFS 2024 VR optimisation settings cover that balancing process without confusing performance tuning with runtime setup.