The Taranis can be directly connected via it's mini USB port on the back of the transmitter to a computer.
When doing this it is important that the Taranis is switched on via it's main power switch on the front of the transmitter BEFORE plugging the cable into the back of the Taranis.
This will usually make the Taranis connect as a USB joystick device.
On Windows you should check you see a Frsky Taranis Joystick device in "Devices and Printers" in your control panel.
On OSX you can check for the same thing in the "System Information" app under Hardware / USB.
If you have followed the above and you don't see a joystick but a mass storage device instead - Long press on the Menu button on the Taranis, scroll down to USB mode and select USB Joystick as the connection method.
If after doing the above see nothing or you are still seeing a mass storage device then there is either something wrong with your Taranis and you should seek help from FrSky - or more likely the USB cable you are using is not working correctly. We see a lot of tickets for faulty USB cables, so always try another cable before contacting us.
On Windows please make sure you calibrate your device in Windows before trying to connect it to the simulator.
The following two videos are normally all that is required to solve any connectivity issues once the Taranis has connected as a USB joystick device.
Windows calibration - https://youtu.be/YrxjWH_Ywns
Transmitter setup - https://youtu.be/tiqfw9Fhhpk
If you find that everything works except the throttle then please see this article: