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On a computer, open Google Earth on the web, choose Explore Earth, then open Tools > Flight simulator. The browser simulator starts in an abstract Map view; switch the basemap to Satellite if you want satellite imagery and terrain. Use Page Up and Page Down for thrust, the arrow keys for pitch and banking, and click inside the simulation to switch between mouse-guided and keyboard control.
The web simulator is an experimental, desktop-only feature intended for casual exploration. It is not available in the Google Earth mobile app and is not a substitute for flight training. The separate desktop Google Earth application has different startup choices, aircraft, and optional joystick support, so its workflow is covered in a clearly labeled section below.
Open the current Google Earth flight simulator on the web
Google’s current browser documentation labels the feature Experimental (pre-GA). It runs in a desktop web browser rather than on a phone or tablet. The exact opening path is:
- On a computer, open Google Earth on the web.
- Click Explore Earth on the landing screen.
- Open Tools in the top menu.
- Select Flight simulator.
The simulator initially loads an abstract map. That is normal and does not mean imagery failed. To see the photographic surface and terrain, open the basemap control and change Map to Satellite. Satellite tiles, terrain and 3D buildings stream as you fly, so the scene can take a moment to fill in.
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What you need
- A desktop or laptop computer with a supported modern browser and an internet connection.
- A keyboard for the documented thrust and flight controls, or a mouse for mouse-guided control.
- No separate simulator software, aircraft download or external controller is required for the web version.
Google describes the browser physics as simplified for casual exploration rather than high-fidelity aerodynamic training. Treat the feature as an interactive way to look around the globe, not as an instrument for learning real-world piloting procedures. At extreme speeds or on a slow connection, imagery and 3D buildings may temporarily lag behind the aircraft.
Web simulator controls at a glance
| Action | Keyboard or mouse action |
|---|---|
| Increase thrust | Press Page Up, or click the on-screen thrust indicator. |
| Decrease thrust | Press Page Down, or click the on-screen thrust indicator. |
| Pitch down (dive) | Press the Down Arrow. |
| Pitch up (climb) | Press the Up Arrow. |
| Bank left | Press the Left Arrow. |
| Bank right | Press the Right Arrow. |
| Switch between mouse-guided and keyboard control | Click inside the simulation. |
Page Up/Page Down change thrust; they do not directly point the nose up or down. The arrow keys change attitude: the vertical pair controls pitch and the horizontal pair controls bank. If your keyboard has a compact layout, use its function-layer equivalents for Page Up and Page Down, or use the on-screen thrust indicator.
A beginner’s first flight
The simulator has a small control set, but abrupt inputs can make the aircraft difficult to keep over the terrain. Start with short, deliberate inputs and watch how the aircraft responds before adding another command.
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After opening the simulator, switch the basemap from Map to Satellite when you want recognizable ground features. Give the imagery a few seconds to stream before attempting a fast pass over a city or mountain range. A temporary patch of low-detail terrain is generally a loading delay, not a crash.
2. Activate the desired input mode
Click inside the simulation. This switches between mouse-guided and keyboard control. When keyboard control is active, keep the pointer in the simulator and use the documented keys. If the aircraft does not respond, click inside the scene once and try a single arrow-key press again; the browser may still have focus in a menu, address bar or another page element.
3. Add a little thrust
Press Page Up briefly, or click the thrust indicator. Continue in small increments rather than holding the key indefinitely. To slow down later, press Page Down or click the indicator’s decrease control.
4. Make small attitude corrections
Use Up Arrow for a climb and Down Arrow for a dive. Use Left Arrow and Right Arrow to bank. A practical way to learn the response is to make one short correction, release the key, observe the new flight path and then make the next correction. The controls are intentionally simple, so there is no need to combine several keys immediately.
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5. Follow a visible landmark
With Satellite selected, choose a coastline, river, runway or city block and make gentle heading changes toward it. Keep the aircraft at a comfortable altitude while the imagery loads. If you descend toward terrain, reduce the size and duration of your inputs rather than attempting a sharp last-second turn.
How thrust, pitch and bank work together in this interface
It helps to separate the three kinds of input. Thrust controls how much power you are applying; pitch changes whether the nose points generally up or down; bank changes whether the aircraft leans left or right. The web documentation gives each function its own key pair, so diagnose an unwanted movement by asking which control you last used instead of pressing every key at once.
For a simple sightseeing pass, first use Page Up to establish forward movement. Then make a brief Up Arrow or Down Arrow adjustment if you need to change altitude. Use one horizontal arrow to turn toward a landmark, release it, and look at the new view. Page Down is useful when the ground is approaching too quickly or scenery is still loading. This is a way to organize the available controls, not a substitute for real piloting instruction.
What happens after a crash
If the aircraft directly hits terrain, the web simulator pauses and displays a crash state. Click You crashed! Restart. Google’s web implementation restores the aircraft at a safe, playable altitude and coordinates so you can continue without reopening Earth or repeating the setup.
A terrain collision is different from a momentary imagery delay. If the scene is simply filling in, wait for streaming to catch up. If the crash message is visible, use the restart control; pressing flight keys will not resume the paused simulation.
Exit the simulator and return to Earth
To leave the flight view, click the back arrow in the simulator’s upper-left corner. This returns you to the normal Earth map rather than closing your browser tab. You can then continue ordinary map exploration or reopen the simulator through Tools > Flight simulator.
Web versus the desktop Google Earth simulator
Do not mix the browser instructions with Google’s older desktop workflow. The desktop Help page documents a separately installed Google Earth application for Mac, Windows or Linux. Its menu wording, aircraft selection and input options differ from the experimental web feature.
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| Feature | Google Earth on the web | Installed desktop Google Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Desktop web only; not supported on mobile devices or in the mobile app. | Requires Google Earth installed on Mac, Windows or Linux. |
| Opening path | Explore Earth > Tools > Flight simulator. | Tools > Enter Flight Simulator or the platform shortcut documented by Google Earth Help. |
| Aircraft choices | The web documentation does not list a choice of aircraft. | Choose an SR22 or an F-16. |
| Starting location | Starts from the browser simulator’s current web experience. | Start from Current View or select a listed airport. |
| Inputs | Keyboard controls, on-screen thrust control and a mouse-guided mode switched by clicking in the simulation. | Mouse and keyboard controls, with optional joystick support. |
| Purpose and physics | Experimental and designed for casual exploration with simplified physics. | Desktop Help supplies additional HUD, takeoff, pause and exit guidance. |
The desktop instructions are documented in Google Earth Help’s Fly around the world article. Google’s browser-specific details, including the experimental label and web control table, are in Fly around the world (Experimental), which Google lists as last updated September 28, 2026 (UTC).
Using the desktop simulator
Use this section only if you installed the desktop application. It is not an alternative menu path inside the browser version.
Launch and choose an aircraft
- Open Google Earth on Mac, Windows or Linux.
- Open Tools and choose Enter Flight Simulator, or use the desktop shortcut shown in Google Earth Help for your platform.
- Select either the SR22 or the F-16.
- Choose Current View or select an airport from the available list.
- Start the flight and use the HUD to monitor the information displayed by the desktop simulator.
The desktop Help page also describes optional joystick support. A joystick is therefore a desktop option, not a requirement for the web simulator. If you are following the browser steps in this article, adding a joystick will not change the web feature’s documented controls.
Desktop control differences
Desktop Help says Page Up increases thrust. Mouse movement or the arrow keys help steer, and the page recommends small corrections. Press Space to pause the desktop flight. Use the desktop shortcut or menu command documented by Google Earth Help to exit. These pause and exit details should not be assumed to exist with the same labels in the browser simulator, whose documented exit control is the upper-left back arrow.
Cost and equipment: what is actually required?
The browser flight simulator is a built-in Google Earth feature. There is no separate simulator purchase, aircraft download, subscription, replacement part or required accessory in the documented web workflow. A computer, keyboard or mouse, and an internet connection are enough to try it.
A joystick can make sense only for someone using the installed desktop application, where Google documents joystick support as optional. It is not a requirement for the web version and is not a guaranteed fix for browser focus problems. Buying one solely to use the browser simulator would add hardware without adding a documented web control mode.
Troubleshoot controls that do not work
The Flight simulator option is missing
- Confirm that you opened Google Earth on the web on a computer and clicked Explore Earth first.
- Open the top-menu Tools menu; the browser entry is named Flight simulator.
- If you are in the mobile app or a mobile browser, switch to a desktop or laptop. Google does not support the web simulator on mobile devices.
- Remember that the installed desktop program has a different entry, Tools > Enter Flight Simulator.
Arrow keys or Page Up do nothing
- Click once inside the simulation to give the flight view focus and switch input mode.
- Press one key briefly, such as Up Arrow, and watch for a pitch change.
- If you are using a compact keyboard, locate its Page Up/Page Down functions, often behind an Fn layer, or use the on-screen thrust indicator.
- Close any open menu or dialog that may be capturing keyboard input, then click back in the flight scene.
The aircraft turns too sharply or becomes unstable
Release the arrow key after a short input and observe the result before correcting again. The web simulator is a simplified casual-exploration experience, not a model of full aerodynamic behavior, so real-aircraft control expectations do not map directly to it. Reduce thrust with Page Down if you are covering ground too quickly to make visual corrections.
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The ground is blurry or buildings are missing
Check that the basemap is set to Satellite rather than Map, then allow time for imagery and 3D buildings to stream. Extreme speed and limited bandwidth can produce temporary loading delays. Slow the aircraft with Page Down while waiting for the scene to resolve.
The aircraft stopped after touching a mountain or ground
Look for the paused crash screen and click You crashed! Restart. The web simulator places the aircraft at a safe altitude and coordinates. If no crash message appears, the issue may be an unresponsive input focus or a loading delay; click inside the simulation and test a single control.
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What the simulator can—and cannot—teach
Google’s official characterization is direct: “The flight simulator is designed for casual exploration rather than high-fidelity aerodynamic training.” It is useful for seeing geographic features from an aircraft-like viewpoint, practicing the relationship between thrust, pitch and bank in a simple interface, and exploring places that are difficult to inspect from the ground.
It should not be used to learn real aircraft procedures, estimate performance, practice navigation for an actual flight or infer that the SR22 and F-16 desktop models behave like their real counterparts. The browser version’s experimental status, simplified physics and streamed scenery all limit how closely its behavior represents real aviation.
Quick reference checklist
- Use a computer, not the Google Earth mobile app.
- Open Explore Earth > Tools > Flight simulator.
- Change Map to Satellite for imagery and terrain.
- Click inside the simulator to switch between mouse-guided and keyboard control.
- Use Page Up/Page Down for thrust.
- Use Up/Down for pitch and Left/Right for banking.
- After a terrain collision, click You crashed! Restart.
- Click the upper-left back arrow to return to the normal Earth map.
- For aircraft choices, airport starts or joystick support, use the separate desktop application workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Google Earth’s flight simulator on my phone or tablet?
No. Google documents the current browser simulator for desktop web use and does not support it on mobile devices or in the Google Earth mobile app. Use a computer and open Google Earth on the web.
Why do I see a plain map instead of satellite imagery?
The simulator initially uses the abstract Map basemap. Open the basemap control and change Map to Satellite. Imagery, terrain and 3D buildings stream while you fly, so details can take time to appear.
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Which key makes the aircraft go faster?
Press Page Up to increase thrust. Press Page Down to decrease thrust. The arrow keys control pitch and bank; they do not replace the thrust controls.
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How do I switch from keyboard to mouse control?
Click inside the simulation. Clicking in the flight scene switches between mouse-guided and keyboard control. If keys appear inactive, click once in the scene to restore focus and test one brief key press.
What should I do when I crash into terrain?
The web simulator pauses and shows a crash state. Click You crashed! Restart. It restores the aircraft at a safe, playable altitude and coordinates.
Is a joystick required, and does the web version support one?
No joystick is required for the web simulator, which documents keyboard, mouse and an on-screen thrust control. Google’s separate desktop simulator offers optional joystick support.
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Can I choose an SR22, an F-16 or an airport in the browser version?
Those choices belong to the installed desktop Google Earth workflow. Desktop Help documents the SR22 and F-16 plus starts from Current View or a listed airport; the browser instructions do not list those choices.
Is this simulator suitable for learning to fly?
No. Google describes it as designed for casual exploration rather than high-fidelity aerodynamic training. Its physics are simplified, and streamed scenery can lag, so it should not be used to learn real aircraft procedures or performance.
The Bottom Line
Use a computer to open Explore Earth > Tools > Flight simulator. Switch Map to Satellite, click in the scene to activate your preferred control mode, use Page Up/Page Down for thrust and the arrow keys for pitch and bank. If terrain collision pauses the flight, choose You crashed! Restart. Aircraft selection, airport starts and joystick support belong to the separately installed desktop version.
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