How do I change the screen resolution in FS2004?

In FS2004 (FS9), open Settings, select Display, then open the Hardware tab. Choose your monitor's mode from Full screen resolution and confirm the change. This controls full-screen mode; in windowed mode, resize the FS2004 window while Windows retains its desktop resolution instead.

How do I select a resolution in FS2004?

Use FS2004's Hardware display page to change the resolution used in full-screen mode.

1. Open Display settings. From the opening screen, select Settings and then Display. During a flight, use Options > Settings > Display.
2. Select the Hardware tab. This contains the graphics device and full-screen display controls.
3. Choose Full screen resolution. Select the required width, height and colour depth from the list.
4. Use 32-bit colour. Modes usually end in a colour-depth value; choose the entry ending in x32 on a modern display.
5. Confirm the change. If FS2004 is windowed, press Alt+Enter to switch to full-screen mode and check the result.

Resolution is only one part of the display setup. Our guide to balancing FS2004 graphics settings and performance covers frame-rate limits, filtering and other options on the same page.

Which FS2004 resolution should I choose?

For most systems, select the monitor's native resolution with 32-bit colour because it produces the sharpest image.

• Native resolution: Best for image clarity and virtual-cockpit instruments when FS2004 offers the mode.
• Lower resolution with the same aspect ratio: Useful when the graphics card struggles or fixed-size panel text is too small, although monitor scaling can make the picture softer.
• Older 4:3 resolution: Consider this when a legacy 2D cockpit does not fit a widescreen display correctly. Configure the graphics driver or monitor to preserve the aspect ratio if you want to avoid stretching.

If you are unsure what the native value means or when lowering it helps, see our explanation of choosing a suitable flight-simulator resolution. Changing resolution does not change the cockpit zoom level, so correct an overly close or distant view with FS2004's view and zoom controls instead.

Why does the resolution setting do nothing in windowed mode?

FS2004's Full screen resolution option does not set the Windows desktop resolution or the size of a normal application window.

In windowed mode, drag the window borders or maximise the window. The desktop stays at the resolution selected in Windows. Pressing Alt+Enter toggles between windowed and full-screen modes; maximising a window is not the same as entering exclusive full screen.

If switching modes produces a blank display, an incorrectly sized image or repeated minimising, use our FS2004 full-screen compatibility fixes for Windows 10 and 11.

Why is my monitor resolution missing from FS2004?

A missing resolution usually means Windows or the graphics driver did not report that display mode to FS2004.

• Check that Windows has identified the monitor correctly and offers its native resolution.
• Switch FS2004 to full-screen mode; the resolution control may be unavailable or have no visible effect while windowed.
• If the Hardware tab offers more than one graphics device, select the device connected to the intended monitor.
• Install the appropriate graphics driver rather than relying on a generic Windows display driver.
• For an unsupported ultrawide mode, use FS2004 windowed at the native desktop resolution rather than forcing a mode that the simulator has not detected.

Forcing an unlisted value does not make the monitor support it and can leave FS2004 opening to a black screen.

How do I recover from a black screen or reverting resolution?

Return to windowed mode first, then reset FS2004's display configuration only if necessary.

1. Press Alt+Enter. This often returns FS2004 to a usable window so that a supported resolution can be selected.
2. Exit FS2004. If it remains unresponsive, close it before changing any configuration files.
3. Open the configuration folder. Enter %APPDATA%\Microsoft\FS9 in File Explorer's address bar.
4. Back up fs9.cfg. Rename it to fs9.cfg.bak; do not edit a similarly named file in the FS2004 installation folder.
5. Restart FS2004. It will create a fresh configuration file with safe defaults, after which the resolution can be selected again.

Rebuilding fs9.cfg resets many personalised simulator settings, so use it as a last resort. If only the resolution keeps reverting, check that fs9.cfg is not marked read-only before replacing it.