Is there a short guide explaining the MSFS 2020 control sensitivity settings?

Sensitivity in MSFS: what each slider actually does (and how to set it sanely)

Yeah, the sensitivity page in MSFS is confusing because it mixes a few different ideas (response curve, deadzone, and a couple of “filters”) on one screen, and the sim doesn’t really explain it.

Below is the “short guide” version I use when helping folks get a yoke/joystick/rudder feeling right.

1) Sensitivity +/- (the response curve)
This is the big one. It changes how much control input the sim applies for a given amount of stick/yoke movement.

• Negative sensitivity = softer around center, more precise for small corrections (you move the stick a bit, the airplane reacts less at first). This is usually what people want for hand-flying and landing.
• Positive sensitivity = more aggressive around center (small movement gives a bigger reaction). This can feel twitchy unless your hardware has a long throw.

Practical tip: if you’re “chasing” the airplane and overcorrecting, go more negative. If it feels sluggish and you’re moving a lot just to get a response, go less negative / slightly positive.

2) Dead Zone
This is how much movement around center the sim ignores.

• Use this only to mask noisy hardware (where the axis “jitters” even when you’re not touching it).
• Too much dead zone makes you constantly “break out” of center and then overcorrect.

Rule of thumb: set it as low as you can while still getting a steady center (no twitching in the cockpit control surfaces).

3) Neutral (center shift)
This shifts where MSFS thinks the center of the axis is.

• Normally this should stay at 0.
• Only change it if your device is mechanically off-center and you can’t fix it via calibration.

4) Extremity Dead Zone
This reduces/limits the last bit of travel near the ends.

• Think of it as “I don’t want full deflection even when I hit the stop.”
• Usually leave at 0 unless you’re hitting full aileron/elevator/rudder too easily and it’s causing unrealistic snap inputs (common on short-throw sticks).

5) Reactivity
This is basically a smoothing/filtering of how quickly the input is allowed to change.

• Lower reactivity = more smoothing (less twitch), but can feel delayed/“mushy.”
• Higher reactivity = more immediate response (more “raw”).

If you’re getting tiny oscillations on final, try a bit less reactivity (more smoothing). If it feels like the airplane is responding a beat late, increase it.

A simple “don’t fight the sim” setup process
Do this per axis (pitch, roll, yaw), one at a time:

1. Start with Dead Zone=0, Neutral=0, Extremity Dead Zone=0, and put Reactivity somewhere mid/high so it doesn’t feel laggy.
2. Load a simple GA plane you know (C172 is fine) in calm weather (no gusts), and hand-fly straight and level.
3. If it’s twitchy/overcorrecting: make Sensitivity more negative in small steps.
4. If it jitters when hands-off: add just enough Dead Zone to stop the jitter.
5. If you’re constantly “bumping” full deflection (especially rudder): add a touch of Extremity Dead Zone.
6. Only after that, if you still see tiny wobbles: reduce Reactivity slightly.

A couple quick questions so I can tailor numbers to your setup

• What controller are you using (yoke/joystick/gamepad) and which axes are giving you trouble (pitch/roll/yaw)?
• Which aircraft are you mainly flying (GA, airliners, something twitchy like a light taildragger)?
• Are you seeing physical jitter in the sensitivity page/axis indicator when you’re not touching the controls?