Microsoft Flight Simulator and Lockheed Martin Prepar3D

Tacview has been tested and validated with the following editions of Flight Simulator:

• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (both retail & Steam editions)

• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (both retail & Steam editions)

• Microsoft Flight Simulator X (both retail & Steam editions)

• Lockheed Martin Prepar3D (v1 to v4)

• VRS TacPack & Superbug

To use Tacview with the above simulators, first, make sure you have downloaded and installed the latest version of Tacview. This will install MSFS2ACMI.exe and FSX2ACMI.exe on your computer.

• Use MSFS2ACMI.exe for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, and FSX2ACMI.exe for all other versions, including Microsoft Flight Simulator X and Lockheed Martin Prepar3D.

• Launch MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe from the Windows Start menu or search box. As long as it is running, all Flight Simulator flights will be recorded automatically.

MSFS - Launch MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe

To stop recording, close MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe, or the simulator.

MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe will automatically start a new recording when a major change is detected (such as a time or mission change).

All flight recordings are stored in:

%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Tacview

You can click the corresponding hyperlink in MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe to open this folder:

MSFS - ACMI Files Hyperlink

The recording folder can be changed by going to Options → ACMI Files Recording Folder..

MSFS - Recording Folder

Real-Time Telemetry

Real-time telemetry is available with Tacview Advanced when using any version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, including FSX, Prepar3D, and MSFS. See the Real-Time Telemetry documentation.

Make sure you have launched C:\Program Files (x86)\Tacview\MSFS2ACMI.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Tacview\FSX2ACMI.exe before attempting real-time telemetry (or any flight recording)

SimConnect

Like many universal add-ons, FSX2ACMI.exe requires Microsoft Flight Simulator SimConnect to be properly installed in order to access telemetry data.

If SimConnect is not installed, you will receive the following pop-up:

SimConnect not installed

If you are using Prepar3D, you must manually install SimConnect by running:

C:\Program Files\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4\redist\Interface\FSX-SP2-XPACK\retail\lib\SimConnect.msi

If for some reason SimConnect is not installed with FSX, you should find its installer SimConnect.msi in a subfolder of FSX such as:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\FSX\SDK\Core UtilitiesKit\SimConnect SDK\LegacyInterfaces\FSX-XPACK\

Network Flights

MSFS2ACMI.exe and FSX2ACMI.exe do not differentiate between local and remote objects. Tacview displays everything exported by MSFS or FSX at a given time, which may or may not include other pilots.

Add-Ons (i.e. TacPack)

You can use MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe with any add-on.

When used with TacPack, two recordings will be created: one from TacPack and one from MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe.

The Tacview recorder usually provides better results, as it always supports the latest Tacview features such as advanced telemetry.

Terrain Elevation & Textures

To add terrain elevation files and textures, see [Customization].(../../customization/customization.md)

Can MSFS2ACMI.exe or FSX2ACMI.exe slow down my computer?

No. On modern systems, CPU usage is typically around 1% while recording. This was tested on a 2012 PC running FSX at maximum quality with 100% AI air and ground traffic (400–800 moving objects).

Running MSFS2ACMI.exe on a Remote Machine

Follow these steps to run MSFS2ACMI.exe on a different computer.

1. On the computer running Microsoft Flight Simulator

Ensure Flight Simulator is authorized in the firewall.

Locate the MSFS configuration directory, for example:

%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

Add the configuration file SimConnect.xml

Customize the file to use your preferred port and protocol, and set Scope = Global where applicable.

To verify connectivity, start a flight and run:

netstat -an -p tcp | findstr "0.0.0.0"

Confirm that your chosen port appears.

2. On the remote computer running Tacview and MSFS2ACMI.exe

Place the configuration file SimConnect.cfg next to MSFS2ACMI.exe:

Edit the file to use the host computer’s IP address and selected port.

3. Debugging

On the MSFS machine, add SimConnect.ini to:

%LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\

A debug console will appear whenever SimConnect starts.

You can also enable Developer Mode, then open Tools → SimConnect Inspector to view active connections.

More resources

SimConnect SDK documentation