How do I use the EFB in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
Open the Electronic Flight Bag from the cockpit tablet or the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 toolbar, select Flight Planner, enter the departure and destination, runways, procedures and cruise altitude, then calculate the route. Review weather, fuel and payload, and send the plan to the avionics. The EFB does not complete the aircraft’s FMS setup automatically.
What the MSFS 2024 EFB actually does
The universal EFB is a planning and reference tool shared across Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, not an autopilot or a substitute for the aircraft’s flight management system. It can prepare and display information, but the avionics must still contain the correct route and active leg.
Some aircraft show the simulator EFB on a physical cockpit tablet. Complex airliners and add-ons may also have a separate aircraft-specific tablet for loading, ground services and performance calculations. Those two tablets do not necessarily exchange data.
| EFB area | What to use it for | What still needs checking |
|---|---|---|
| Flight Planner | Create or import a route, procedures and cruise altitude | The route and active leg displayed by the aircraft avionics |
| Map and weather | Review the route, airports and available weather information | Runway suitability, procedure restrictions and aircraft capability |
| Fuel and payload | Set loading where the aircraft supports EFB integration | Centre of gravity and operating limits |
| Performance | Calculate take-off or landing data for supported aircraft | Flap setting, trim, V-speeds and entries required in the FMS |
How do I open the EFB?
Click the tablet in the cockpit or open the EFB panel from the simulator toolbar. If neither is convenient, search the control assignments for EFB and bind its open or toggle action; the exact button depends on your keyboard, controller or cockpit hardware.
If an aircraft has more than one tablet, identify which one contains the simulator-wide Flight Planner. The aircraft-specific tablet normally handles functions unique to that model and may be the only place where its fuel, payload or performance data can be transferred correctly.
How do I create and send an EFB flight plan?
- Choose the starting position. Select the correct airport stand, gate or runway before loading the flight. Building a route in the cockpit does not move the aircraft, and selecting a runway in the route is not the same as choosing a cold-and-dark parking position.
- Enter the departure and destination. Choose VFR or IFR as appropriate, then add a direct route, airways or waypoints. Set a realistic cruise altitude for the aircraft and direction of flight.
- Select the procedures. Add the departure, arrival and approach, including runway transitions where required. Check that each procedure matches the intended runway and that the route has not inserted the airport or the same waypoint twice.
- Inspect the complete route. Follow the waypoint sequence on the map and look for sharp reversals, gaps, unexpected vectors or a procedure that returns towards the airport. Review the destination weather before committing to an approach.
- Set fuel and payload. Enter the planned loading, apply it to the aircraft if that option is supported, and confirm that the centre of gravity remains within limits.
- Calculate performance. Where performance data is available, use the final runway, aircraft weight, wind, temperature, pressure and runway condition. Changing the payload or runway afterwards can invalidate the result.
- Transfer and verify the plan. Send the route to the aircraft avionics and, if using built-in ATC, file it with ATC using the separate EFB control. Open the aircraft’s flight-plan page and confirm the procedures, waypoint order and active leg before departure.
Our detailed EFB and World Map route-planning workflow covers route types, procedures and cruise-altitude selection without repeating the full process here.
If you already have an operational flight plan, follow our SimBrief import and account-linking instructions. An imported route still needs checking because procedure choices and waypoint interpretation can differ between the planner and an aircraft’s avionics.
Why will the EFB flight plan not load into the avionics?
Most transfer failures happen because the EFB and the aircraft FMS hold separate copies of the route. Editing one does not guarantee that the other updates automatically.
- The route was edited after transfer: send it again, then verify the avionics rather than relying on the EFB map.
- An old route remains loaded: while still on the ground, clear the stale avionics plan and perform one fresh transfer. Do not repeatedly send the route without checking what each attempt added.
- Only the endpoints appear: the aircraft may accept the origin and destination but not the airways or procedures. Enter the missing SID, STAR, approach or waypoints through the FMS.
- The avionics are not ready: power and initialise them as required by that aircraft, then repeat the transfer. Some custom aircraft accept plans only through their own tablet or FMS import function.
- The procedure is missing or different: planner and aircraft navigation data can disagree. Select a procedure available in both systems or enter a route using common fixes.
- Clicks and fields do not respond: release any active text field, restore cockpit focus and check the control binding. Our cockpit focus and avionics input fixes cover this specific failure.
Airliners often need additional setup even after a successful transfer. The route may be present while cost index, cruise level, winds, take-off speeds and performance pages remain incomplete. Our A320 setup sequence shows how the EFB, MCDU and aircraft performance workflow fit together.
Can the EFB calculate fuel, payload and take-off performance?
The EFB can manage loading and calculate performance when the selected aircraft exposes the necessary data, but support varies by aircraft. For a complex add-on with its own tablet, use that aircraft-specific system as the authority for loading and performance unless its operating instructions say otherwise.
Set payload and fuel before calculating take-off data. Then confirm the runway, wind, temperature, pressure, runway condition and flap configuration. V-speeds, take-off trim and FMS performance entries may still need to be copied or confirmed manually.
Can I use the EFB during a flight?
The EFB remains useful in flight for checking the route, position, airport information and available weather data. It can also help prepare a diversion, but changing the EFB route alone will not necessarily change what the autopilot follows.
For an in-flight reroute, amend the aircraft’s FMS carefully, verify the new active leg and update built-in ATC separately if necessary. Never assume that the magenta line on the EFB is commanding the aircraft; the autopilot follows the active flight plan in the avionics.