How do I adjust FS2004 cockpit panel size and position?

To adjust a 2D cockpit panel in FS2004, back up the aircraft’s panel.cfg, then edit the relevant [WindowXX] section. Use window_size to set the panel’s screen width and height and window_pos to set its upper-left position. Do not change size_mm merely to make the panel look larger.

Where is the FS2004 panel configuration file?

The active configuration is normally in the aircraft’s panel folder under the main FS2004 Aircraft directory. Our explanation of finding the correct panel folder and panel.cfg file covers the standard location, panel variants and aliased panels.

Make a backup before editing. If the aircraft uses folders such as panel.1, check which variant its aircraft.cfg selects. A short panel.cfg containing an alias= entry means the aircraft is borrowing another aircraft’s panel, so the referenced configuration is the one controlling the layout.

On Windows installations protected by access controls, the editor may appear to save the file without changing the installed copy. Edit a copy elsewhere, then place it back with the required administrator permission. For a newly downloaded cockpit, follow the safe replacement-panel installation procedure before altering its dimensions.

Which panel.cfg settings control panel size and position?

FS2004 provides separate settings for the panel’s displayed window and its internal design coordinates.

For example, these lines create a window occupying 80% of the simulator width and 50% of its height, beginning 10% from the left and halfway down the screen:

• window_size=0.800,0.500
• window_pos=0.100,0.500

The example is illustrative rather than a universal main-panel layout. Keep the horizontal position plus width at or below 1.000, and do the same for the vertical position plus height, if the whole panel must remain visible. Use full stops for decimal values and commas between the two coordinates.

The numbered position anchors form a three-by-three grid: 0–2 are the top row, 3–5 the centre row and 6–8 the bottom row, with left, centre and right positions in each row. For predictable troubleshooting, use either this coarse anchor or an explicit window_pos rather than relying on conflicting placement entries.

How do I make and test the adjustment?

Small changes followed by a full panel reload are safer than rewriting several settings at once.

1. Identify the correct window. In [Window Titles], find the title of the main panel or pop-up and note its matching number, such as Window00.
2. Back up panel.cfg. Keep an untouched copy outside the aircraft folder.
3. Set the displayed size. Add or adjust window_size in that window’s section. Change the two values gradually to avoid severe stretching.
4. Set the location. Add or adjust window_pos, remembering that its coordinates describe the window’s upper-left corner.
5. Save as plain text. Do not let the editor add a different filename extension.
6. Reload the panel. Select another aircraft and return, or restart FS2004 if the old layout remains cached.
7. Fine-tune one setting at a time. This makes it clear whether a size or position change caused any clipping.

Some undocked panel windows can also be dragged or resized with the mouse in windowed mode. That is useful for a temporary desktop arrangement, but editing panel.cfg gives a repeatable layout when the aircraft is loaded again.

Why did resizing the panel stretch or misalign the gauges?

Stretching usually occurs because the new window proportions do not match the original panel, while misaligned gauges often indicate that size_mm was changed.

Keep the original size_mm when resizing the complete panel. It defines the coordinate system used by the background image and every gauge entry. Changing it alone alters the relationship between those elements rather than simply enlarging the finished panel.

When using window_size, adjust width and height together until round instruments remain round. Equal decimal values do not necessarily produce equal pixel dimensions on a widescreen display because each value is relative to a different screen dimension. If the panel already uses window_size_ratio successfully, changing that single value in small steps is usually the cleaner choice for proportional scaling.

How do I move or resize one instrument?

Individual instruments are controlled by their gaugeNN= entries, not by the window placement settings.

A typical line follows the form gauge00=GaugeFile!GaugeName, 240,60,120,40. The first two numbers are the gauge’s horizontal and vertical position from the panel’s upper-left corner; the next two are its width and height. These numbers use the size_mm coordinate grid rather than screen percentages.

Leave the gauge file and gauge name unchanged. Some gauges include extra parameters after the dimensions, so preserve those values when moving the instrument. Altering or deleting them can change the gauge’s behaviour.

Why is the panel missing after editing panel.cfg?

A panel that vanishes after an edit is commonly off-screen, assigned impossible dimensions or being read from a different panel folder.

• Restore the backup first to confirm that the edit caused the problem.
• Check that window_pos and window_size use commas correctly and contain sensible decimal values.
• Make sure the position plus the corresponding size does not place the whole window beyond the right or bottom edge.
• Confirm that you edited the [WindowXX] named in [Window Titles].
• Check for a selected panel variant or an alias= entry.
• Do not change a pop-up’s normal visible=0 setting merely because it opens only when commanded.

If restoring the original placement does not bring it back, work through the other causes in our FS2004 missing instrument-panel checks.

Does this resize the virtual cockpit?

No. The [WindowXX], window_size and window_pos settings control 2D panel windows, not the three-dimensional virtual cockpit model.

[VCockpitXX] sections can define where gauges are drawn on virtual-cockpit textures, but they cannot move or resize the modelled dashboard itself. If the virtual cockpit merely appears too close, low or off-centre, adjust the cockpit viewpoint or aircraft eyepoint rather than the 2D panel settings.