Show the FSX GPS on a second monitor in fullscreen: undock and move the panel, then fix black, missing or off-screen GPS windows.
In FSX and FSX: Steam Edition, extend the Windows desktop, switch FSX to windowed mode, open the GPS, right-click it and select Undock Window, then drag it to monitor two. Press Alt+Enter to restore fullscreen. If the GPS blanks or disappears, use a maximised FSX window instead.
How do I move the FSX GPS to a second monitor?
The dependable method is to position an undocked GPS while FSX is windowed, then return the main simulator view to fullscreen.
- Extend the Windows desktop. In Windows display settings, choose Extend these displays, not Duplicate, and arrange the monitor icons to match their physical positions. Our second-monitor configuration guide for flight simulators covers the Windows setup in more detail.
- Load the aircraft in windowed mode. Start the flight, wait for the cockpit to finish loading and press
Alt+Enterif FSX is fullscreen. Keep the main FSX window on the display intended for the outside view. - Open the GPS panel. Use
Views > Instrument Panel > GPS.Shift+3opens it in many stock aircraft, but panel numbers vary between aircraft. See our explanation of opening and operating the FSX GPS if the menu or shortcut is unfamiliar. - Undock the GPS. Right-click inside the pop-up panel and select Undock Window. If a custom gauge captures right-clicks, try the panel edge or an unused area around the gauge.
- Drag it to monitor two. Move the new window by its title bar and resize it using the edges. Avoid stretching it far beyond its original aspect ratio, which can leave large black margins around the instrument.
- Restore fullscreen. Click the main FSX view so it has keyboard focus, then press
Alt+Enter. The main view should fill its display while the GPS remains visible and interactive on the second monitor.
FSX has no separate “GPS output monitor” setting. The second-screen display is simply the normal GPS pop-up converted into an independent Windows panel.
Why does the FSX GPS disappear or turn black in fullscreen?
A missing, frozen or black GPS usually indicates an off-screen panel position, a display-scaling conflict or a limitation in FSX fullscreen rendering.
- Return to windowed mode first. Press
Alt+Enter, use the Instrument Panel menu to close and reopen the GPS, then undock it again. - Check for an off-screen window. Changing monitor order, resolution or scaling can leave FSX using coordinates outside the visible desktop. Follow our steps for recovering missing or off-screen FSX panels if reopening it does not work.
- Confirm that Windows is using Extend. Duplicate mode mirrors one desktop and provides nowhere separate to place the GPS.
- Match display scaling temporarily. Different scaling percentages on the two monitors can confuse this older simulator. Set both displays to the same scaling value, restart FSX and arrange the panel again.
- Keep both monitors on the same graphics processor where practical. A monitor attached to the motherboard while another uses a dedicated graphics card can produce blank or frozen undocked panels. Laptop hybrid-graphics switching can cause similar behaviour.
- Test without DirectX 10 Preview. If that FSX option is enabled, disable it and restart the simulator, especially when the fault affects an older add-on gauge.
- Compare with a stock aircraft. If the standard FSX GPS works on monitor two but an add-on aircraft's display does not, the custom gauge or panel definition is the likely cause rather than the monitor arrangement.
Black space around a correctly drawn GPS is not necessarily a rendering failure; it can simply be unused panel area. The fault is present when the instrument face itself is blank, frozen or absent.
Should I use fullscreen or a maximised FSX window?
Use FSX fullscreen only when the undocked GPS remains stable; choose a maximised window when entering fullscreen makes the second-screen panel fail.
| Display mode | Best choice when | Likely drawback |
|---|---|---|
| FSX fullscreen | The outside view and undocked GPS both remain visible after Alt+Enter | Alt-tabbing, mixed scaling and some graphics configurations can disrupt the GPS window |
| Maximised windowed mode | The GPS becomes black, moves or disappears in fullscreen | The menu bar, border or Windows taskbar may remain visible |
Maximised windowed mode is usually the better compromise on troublesome multi-monitor systems. It keeps both panels inside the normal Windows desktop and makes them easier to recover or reposition. If fullscreen also opens on the wrong monitor or refuses to switch correctly, use our FSX fullscreen fixes for modern Windows systems.
Can FSX remember the GPS position on monitor two?
FSX can retain an open pop-up panel and its position with a saved flight, although this is less consistent with some add-on aircraft.
Arrange the GPS, save the flight and load that saved flight as your starting point. Treat the saved position as tied to the existing desktop layout: changing monitor order, resolution, orientation or Windows scaling may require you to position and save the GPS again.
What if the aircraft GPS cannot be undocked?
An aircraft must provide a separate pop-up GPS or navigation panel before FSX can move it to another monitor.
A GPS, CDU or multifunction display modelled only as part of the virtual cockpit cannot normally be detached by itself. Check Views > Instrument Panel for a pop-up version; if none exists, the standard undocking method will not work, and the aircraft would need a compatible panel modification or replacement gauge.