If you have to contact Laminar Research customer support, we will only require the last eight digits of your digital download product key you do not need to send your full digital download product key to anyone, including Laminar Research. Just like credit cards, you should not share your digital download product key with anyone else. A Digital Download Product Key Is Like a Credit Card NumberĪ digital download product key is like a credit card number the code itself authorizes you to get X-Plane, and each user has a different digital download product key code.ĭigital download product keys do not have passwords associated with them like a credit card number, if someone else has your digital download product key, that user has access to your copy of X-Plane. The code consists of numbers and capital letters the letters i and o and the numbers 0 and 1 are never used, to avoid confusion. When you buy a digital copy of X-Plane from Laminar Research or another company, you receive a 24-digit code (your digital download product key). About Digital Download Product KeysĪn X-Plane Digital Download product is a long, unique series of numbers and letters that identifies your copy of X-Plane, allows you to download X-Plane directly to your computer over the internet, and allows you to run X-Plane without a DVD. X-Plane will continue to request DVD 1 approximately once a week, and you can add and remove scenery from your DVDs at any time using the X-Plane installer. At any point where X-Plane requests an X-Plane Digital Download code, you can simply insert X-Plane DVD 1 and proceed. If you already own X-Plane on DVD, then the digital copy of X-Plane will not affect how you use X-Plane in any way. 4 Using X-Plane With a Digital Download Product Key.3 Installing X-Plane Using a Digital Download Product Key.2.6 Only the Latest Version of X-Plane Is Available Digitally.2.5 A Digital Copy of X-Plane Is Not A Backup.2.4 Do Not Download the Product Repeatedly.2.2 The Digital Download Version of X-Plane Requires an Internet Connection to Run.2.1 A Digital Download Product Key Is Like a Credit Card Number.I originally used one for playing flight sims in my laptop on business trips, but now keep an XB1 controller on hand on my primary rig too - I find controlling the aircraft on the ground in both XP10 and 11 to be so unrealistic that I prefer not to use flight controls at all once I touch down lol.
Now they're not as good as a joystick obviously, but with a bit of configuration you can get a very usable setup that's much better than keyboard and mouse. If you have an Xbox 360 or Xbox one controller they work out of the box too (I'd image other controllers also work.
Of course you'll still use the keyboard and mouse as Draco says - you basically have to build a home cockpit to get beyond that - but it becomes quite natural pretty quickly! Don't worry about how expensive they can get, a Logitech 3D Pro is sufficient for anyone starting out and they've been around like 15 years, so they're $35 new, can be got for less than $10 used - well worth it.
It really is worth getting even a cheap one if you get into the game (if you don't already have it, go to and download the demo). I used keyboard and mouse only on PC up until sometime during MSFS 98, when I got a cheapo joystick and never looked back. You can do it, but it becomes increasingly annoying over time when you want basic flying to become easier so you can focus on other things. Basically planes primary flight controls and so many other systems are analogue, that it's a bit tricky to do everything with just the two axis of the mouse and one of the scroll wheel.
You ddfinitely can fly with keyboard and mouse, like all flight sims before this, but it isn't recommended.