Show the FSX GPS on a second monitor in fullscreen, with exact undocking steps and fixes for black, missing or misplaced GPS windows.
In FSX and FSX: Steam Edition, switch to windowed mode, open the GPS, right-click its panel and choose Undock Window, then drag it to the extended second display. Press Alt+Enter to return to fullscreen. If the GPS vanishes or turns black, use a maximised window instead of exclusive fullscreen.
How do I move the FSX GPS to a second monitor?
The reliable method is to arrange the undocked GPS while FSX is windowed, then enter fullscreen after it is positioned.
- Extend the Windows desktop: In Windows display settings, select Extend these displays, not Duplicate. Arrange the monitor icons to match their physical positions. Our flight simulator second-monitor setup advice covers the wider Windows and hardware configuration.
- Start FSX and load the aircraft: Wait until the cockpit has loaded before opening any pop-up panels.
- Switch to windowed mode: Press
Alt+Enter. If that does not produce the expected mode, check the complete FSX windowed and fullscreen procedure. - Open the GPS: Choose
Views > Instrument Panel > GPS.Shift+3opens it in many stock aircraft, but add-on aircraft may assign another key or panel number. - Undock the panel: Right-click inside the GPS pop-up and select Undock Window. A movable window frame should appear.
- Move and resize it: Drag the undocked GPS onto the second monitor and size it using the window edges. Leave it undocked.
- Return to fullscreen: Click the main FSX view and press
Alt+Enter. The primary view should fill its monitor while the GPS remains visible and clickable on the other display.
Position the GPS before returning to fullscreen. Moving or resizing an undocked panel is much less dependable after FSX takes exclusive control of the displays.
Why does the GPS disappear or turn black in fullscreen?
A missing or black GPS usually means FSX lost the undocked window position or cannot render it correctly through the selected fullscreen configuration.
- Return to windowed mode first. Press
Alt+Enter, reopen the GPS and undock it again. Monitor-order and scaling changes can leave the panel beyond the visible desktop. - Confirm that Windows uses Extend. Duplicate mode does not provide a separate desktop area for the GPS.
- Open the GPS through the menu. If the shortcut does nothing, the aircraft may use a different panel assignment. If several pop-up panels are absent, use our checks for recovering missing FSX GPS and radio windows.
- Try matching display scaling. FSX is an older application and mixed Windows scaling values can produce incorrect panel coordinates. Temporarily use the same scaling on both monitors, then restart FSX.
- Keep both displays on the same graphics adapter where practical. Mixed-adapter and laptop hybrid-graphics arrangements can cause black or frozen undocked windows.
- Use maximised windowed mode. This is the most dependable fallback when the GPS works in a window but fails whenever exclusive fullscreen is enabled.
Black space surrounding a correctly rendered GPS on the second monitor is not necessarily a fault. The problem is when the GPS face itself is blank, frozen or missing.
Should I use fullscreen or a maximised FSX window?
Use exclusive fullscreen when both displays render properly; choose a maximised window when the secondary GPS blanks, moves or disappears.
| Display mode | Choose it when | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusive fullscreen | The main view and undocked GPS remain stable after pressing Alt+Enter | Alt-tabbing, mixed scaling or some graphics configurations can disrupt the second window |
| Maximised windowed | The GPS becomes black or disappears in fullscreen | A border, menu bar or taskbar may remain visible |
We recommend maximised windowed mode rather than repeatedly changing graphics settings when that alone fixes the panel. It still lets the GPS occupy the second monitor and usually makes repositioning easier.
Can FSX remember the GPS position?
FSX can store pop-up panel states and positions with a saved flight, although add-on aircraft do not always honour them consistently.
After arranging the GPS, save the flight and load that saved flight as your starting point. If you change monitor order, resolution or Windows scaling later, expect to position and save the panel again.
What if the aircraft has no detachable GPS window?
An aircraft must provide a separate pop-up GPS panel before FSX can undock it.
A GPS or multifunction display modelled only inside the virtual cockpit cannot normally be pulled onto another monitor. Check the aircraft's instrument-panel menu and documentation for a pop-up version; if none exists, displaying it separately requires a compatible replacement or edited panel rather than the standard undocking procedure.