Sometimes the real world comes calling, and that’s a dangerous proposition while playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. After all, just a few wrong moves can send your craft tumbling toward the earth. Your plane will crash, and your flight will end. Fortunately, it’s possible to pause Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 using a very specific (and rather obvious) key on your keyboard.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 | How to pause
You can pause Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 by pressing the Pause key on your keyboard. It’s the key to the right of Print Screen and Scroll Lock, sometimes labeled Pause/Break. This will completely freeze the game, allowing you to look around or take screenshots without worry of crashing.
Normally, pausing a game is accomplished by pressing either Escape or Start. In the case of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, these keys instead open the menu. It’s not really a pause at all, since your plane will continue on its course, with or without your help. In those cases, it’s best to know how to use autopilot.
Thankfully, Active Pause freezes the action and stops your craft mid-flight. It’s effectively the Flight Simulator 2020 photo mode, since it allows you to move the camera about, take in the sights, or handle any real-world issues that may arise. Once Active Pause has been toggled on, you’ll be able to adjust various settings through the Camera menu at the top of the screen.
With Active Pause on, you can also use the Insert key (sometimes labeled INS) to toggle the drone camera mode. This is the best way to take screenshots without any on-screen clutter. Once you’re finished moving around or taking any screenshots, press Insert again to go back to the default view.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to turn on Active Pause using an Xbox One controller. To do that, you’ll need to use a keyboard. Otherwise, pausing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is as simple as pressing the Pause key on your keyboard.
