Pink GSX Pro passengers mean MSFS cannot load their textures. Repair GSX files, rebuild its Community link and identify conflicting passenger mods.
Pink or magenta GSX Pro passengers mean Microsoft Flight Simulator has loaded the passenger model but cannot find or read one or more of its texture files. Repair GSX through the FSDT Installer, rebuild its Community-folder link, remove conflicting passenger repaints, and check security software; reinstall only if those steps fail.
Why do GSX Pro passengers turn pink?
Microsoft Flight Simulator displays bright pink or magenta when a model's material refers to a texture that is missing, damaged or unavailable at the expected path. Because the passenger geometry is visible, GSX is running well enough to create the model; it is the texture dependency that has failed.
The usual causes are an interrupted GSX update, a stale link in the Community folder, security software blocking part of the installation, duplicate GSX packages, or an incompatible passenger texture replacement. Aircraft profiles control positioning and doors, but they do not normally turn passenger models pink.
For the simulator-wide version of this problem, our diagnosis of pink and missing MSFS textures explains the same fallback colour and other package-level causes.
Which fault does the symptom point to?
The extent of the pink models usually shows whether GSX itself is damaged or another add-on is overriding only part of it.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Best first action |
|---|---|---|
| Every GSX passenger is pink at every airport | Incomplete GSX files or a broken package link | Update GSX and rebuild its simulator link |
| Only certain passenger models are pink | One texture set is missing or has been replaced | Remove passenger repaints, then repair GSX |
| The fault began after installing a passenger or texture mod | Incompatible override or outdated replacement files | Move that mod out of Community |
| Scenery, aircraft or jetways are also pink | A wider MSFS package or add-on conflict | Test with other third-party packages removed |
| The GSX menu and passengers never appear | Couatl or GSX has not started | Use our GSX and Couatl startup checks |
How do I fix pink GSX Pro passengers?
The safest fix is to repair the GSX installation first, then isolate overrides before considering a complete reinstall.
- Close Microsoft Flight Simulator and Couatl. Check that neither remains active in the background before updating or changing package links. Running the simulator during an update can leave files locked or only partly replaced.
- Update and verify GSX. Open the FSDT Installer and run the available update or file-check operation for GSX Pro. Let it finish so missing passenger models and textures can be downloaded again.
- Rebuild the Community-folder link. Confirm that the installer points to the Microsoft Flight Simulator edition and package location you actually use. This is especially important when MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 are both installed, or when the packages folder has been moved to another drive. Use the installer to recreate the link rather than copying GSX folders manually; our GSX installation and Community-link setup covers the correct arrangement.
- Remove passenger texture overrides and duplicate packages. Move GSX passenger repaints, model replacements and old GSX folders completely outside
Community. Merely renaming a folder while leaving it there is not a reliable exclusion test because MSFS may still index it. - Check security software. Review quarantine records for files associated with GSX, Couatl or the installer. Restore only files from the legitimate GSX installation, allow the installer and its package directories, then run the update again. Do not leave antivirus protection disabled permanently.
- Test with default content. Start MSFS at a default airport using an aircraft that GSX normally supports, with unrelated third-party packages still removed. Request boarding and observe several passenger models. If the textures now work, restore other add-ons in batches until the conflicting package is identified.
- Reinstall GSX if repair does not work. Remove it through its installer, clear the obsolete simulator link, and install a fresh copy. Follow our safe GSX Pro reinstall procedure rather than deleting assorted folders and risking a mixture of old and new files.
Should I clear the rolling cache or reinstall MSFS?
Clearing the rolling cache is not a primary fix because GSX passenger textures are local add-on assets, not streamed world imagery. Changing graphics quality or reinstalling a display driver also cannot recreate missing texture files.
A complete Microsoft Flight Simulator reinstall is rarely justified for this fault. If a clean GSX installation works with other add-ons removed, the simulator itself is sound and the cause is an override or duplicate package. If passengers become visible but are misplaced, floating or absent from the cabin, troubleshoot the aircraft profile and cabin compatibility separately; that is no longer a texture problem.