Although you can select Flight Simulator options from the game shell (the screen that you see when you start Flight Simulator), most of the same options are available on the menu bar while you're flying.

To display/hide the menu bar Press the ALT key.

Flight Simulator has six in-game menus: Flights, Aircraft, World, Options, Views, and Help. Keyboard shortcuts are displayed next to some commands on each menu. Some simple menu items are explained completely below; more complex features are explained fully in linked articles.

Note: Many dialog boxes accessed from the menus include Help buttons. Clicking the Help button opens a Learning Center article about the feature you're accessing.

The Flights Menu

Menu item	Use this to...
Load	Load saved flight. For more information, see All About Flights.
Reset	Reset the current flight to its starting location.
Save	Save the current flight at its current location with current conditions. For more information, see All About Flights.
Flight Planner	Opens the Flight Planner. For more information, see Using the Flight Planner.
Navigation Log	View the Navigation Log (when you've created a flight plan). For more information, see Using the Flight Planner. The Nav Log is also displayed on the kneeboard.
End Flight	End the flight without exiting Flight Simulator.
Exit	Exit Flight Simulator.

The Aircraft Menu

Menu item	Use this to...
Select Aircraft	Select a different aircraft. For more information about selecting an aircraft, see Selecting an Aircraft.
Kneeboard	Display the kneeboard. For more information, see Using the Kneeboard.
Visual Flight Path	Turn on the Visual Flight Path. For more information, see Using the Visual Flight Path.
Fuel and Payload	View or change the fuel levels in the currently-selected airplane. For more information, see Fueling an Aircraft.
Smoke System	Enable or disable the colored smoke (for the Extra 300S aerobatic airplane).
Realism Settings	View or change realism settings. For more information, see Setting Realism.
System Failures	Set up instrument and system failures. For more information, see Setting Up Failures.

The World Menu

Menu item	Use this to...
Time & Season	Change the time and season. For more information, see Time and Season.
Go to Airport	Change location to a specific airport. For more information, see Changing Your Aircraft's Location.
Map	Open the Map. For more information, see Using the Map.
Weather	Make changes to the weather. For more information, see Introduction to Flight Simulator Weather.
Scenery Library	Open the Scenery Library dialog box. For more information, see Using the Scenery Library.

The Options Menu

Menu item	Use this to...
Pause	Pause Flight Simulator.
Simulation Rate	Choose a simulation rate. For more information, see Time Compression and Simulation Rate.
Instant Replay	Instantly replays the last few moments of a flight. For more information, see Instant Replay.
Flight Video	Record a video of your flight. For more information, see Flight Videos.
Flight Analysis	See an analysis of your flight. For more, see Flight Analysis.
Sound	Turn all sounds on or off. For more information, see Sound.
Settings	Choose options on the Settings submenu. Set traffic, display, sound, international, and general options.

The Views Menu

Menu item	Use this to...
Full Screen	Switch between full-screen and windowed mode. You can also press ALT+ENTER to toggle between full-screen and windowed modes.
Air Traffic Control	Open or close the ATC window. For more information, see Air Traffic Control.
Instrument Panel	Display various cockpit panels. For more information, see Using Views.
New View	Open another view window. For more information, see Using Views.
View Mode	Choose which view is displayed in the currently selected window. You can also change views by right-clicking a window and selecting from the shortcut menu. For more information, see Using Views.
Undock View	Undock a panel or window in order to drag it anywhere on your desktop or to another monitor. For more information, see Using Views.
Close View	Close the currently selected view.
Window Titles	Display the title of the currently-selected view in the window.
Axis Indicator	Choose an reference indicator to use when the panel is hidden.
Top-down Orientation	Choose which way the top-down view is oriented (north, south, east, or west).
Window list	The bottom of the Views menu lists currently open windows and panels. Click an item in the list to select that window as the primary view.

The Help Menu

Menu item	Use this to...
Learning Center	Display the Learning Center in a window.
Flight Simulator on the Web	Display an overview of the Flight Simulator Web site, with a link.
Flight Simulator Partners	Display page of our partners' information, along with links to their Web sites.
Troubleshooting	Read articles to help find solutions to problems.
About Microsoft Flight Simulator	Display your product registration and version number. You can also view the credits and the end-user license agreement.