Fix “SimBrief username not set”, missing ID, no briefing and “can’t read aircraft type” errors in GSX Pro for MSFS 2024.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator, “SimBrief username is not set; check the GSX Options page” means GSX Pro has no saved SimBrief account identifier. “Can’t read aircraft type” is different: GSX reached the generated briefing but could not use its aircraft data. Fix the GSX account field only for the username error.
Which SimBrief ID does GSX Pro need in MSFS 2024?
GSX Pro for MSFS 2024 uses a field labelled SimBrief Username, but that field accepts either your exact SimBrief username or your numeric SimBrief Pilot ID.
On the PC version of MSFS 2024, open the top toolbar and follow GSX → Settings → GSX Options → SimBrief Username. GSX Pro and its external Couatl component are PC add-ons, so this menu path does not apply to console editions.
Enter one identifier only:
- SimBrief username: the username shown in your SimBrief account details.
- SimBrief Pilot ID: the numeric account identifier, sometimes called a User ID by aircraft integrations. Enter the digits without a label or prefix.
Do not enter an email address, Microsoft or Xbox account name, aircraft callsign, flight number or a number copied from the OFP. If a copied value produces User not found, delete it and type the username or Pilot ID manually to remove hidden spaces.
Save the setting, close GSX Options and reopen it to confirm that the value remained stored. Restart Couatl after changing it. If the field is blank again after reopening GSX or restarting the simulator, the fault is with saving the GSX setting rather than with the SimBrief briefing.
What does each GSX SimBrief error mean?
The wording tells you whether GSX has failed before account lookup, after finding the account or while interpreting the briefing.
| Error or search wording | Next action | What confirms the fix |
|---|---|---|
| SimBrief username not set; check the GSX Options page | Enter a username or numeric Pilot ID in GSX Options and save it | The missing-setting message disappears and GSX starts the account lookup |
| GSX SimBrief username missing | Reopen SimBrief Username, re-enter the identifier and verify that it remains saved | The value is still present after reopening GSX and restarting Couatl |
| User not found | Correct the username or Pilot ID; remove email addresses, misspellings and spaces | GSX recognises the account and advances to the briefing lookup |
| No briefing found | Generate a new OFP under the same account configured in GSX | GSX finds the new flight rather than reporting no briefing |
| Can’t read aircraft type | Inspect the generated OFP’s aircraft type and the loaded GSX aircraft profile | GSX accepts the OFP without the aircraft-type error, or the same test works with a supported default aircraft |
How do I fix “SimBrief username not set” or “user not found”?
Correct and save the identifier in GSX first; regenerating the route cannot repair an empty or invalid account field.
Open the GSX Options page. Follow the MSFS 2024 toolbar path above and enter either the exact username or the numeric Pilot ID in
SimBrief Username.Confirm that GSX saved it. Close and reopen the page. If the entry remains visible, GSX has stored the account setting.
Generate an operational flight plan. Use SimBrief’s generate action after completing the route and aircraft selection. Saving or editing a dispatch page is not the same as generating an OFP, and loading a route into the MSFS World Map does not create one.
Restart Couatl. Use the GSX restart control. If the changed setting is still not recognised, close Microsoft Flight Simulator fully and relaunch it so that the external helper also restarts.
Investigate the connection only if the lookup fails or times out. Check that firewall, antivirus or VPN filtering is not blocking Couatl. Create a suitable permission rather than leaving security software disabled.
If GSX recognises the user but says No briefing found, stop changing the account field. Confirm that the latest OFP was generated under that same account and that its generation time follows your last route or aircraft change.
GSX/SimBrief can’t read aircraft type
“Can’t read aircraft type” means GSX reached the SimBrief briefing but could not obtain usable aircraft information from it; it is not normally a missing-username error.
Verify that a complete OFP exists. Open the latest generated briefing and confirm that it contains the finished flight details. If you only have an editable dispatch form, generate the flight before testing GSX again.
Inspect the selected SimBrief aircraft. Check the aircraft or airframe summary and its ICAO type code. It should describe the variant loaded in MSFS, not a previous flight or a superficially similar model. If the aircraft entry is blank, obsolete or based on a questionable custom airframe, select a standard matching airframe and generate a new OFP.
Check the corresponding GSX aircraft profile. Load the intended aircraft, open GSX’s aircraft configuration controls and verify that GSX identifies the exact installed package and variant. Where alternative profiles are supplied, select the matching one; update an outdated profile rather than using one intended for another variant. Our aircraft-specific GSX checks for the Fenix A320 and PMDG 777 explain how to isolate profile and integration faults.
Run a controlled default-aircraft test. Choose an included aircraft that GSX recognises, select its standard SimBrief airframe and generate a new OFP. If that works, leave the global SimBrief ID alone: the original OFP aircraft data or GSX profile is the relevant difference.
Capture the Couatl log before escalating. Enable Couatl logging through the troubleshooting control supplied with GSX, restart Couatl, reproduce the error once and retain the resulting log. Record the exact error and time, OFP flight number and generation time, SimBrief ICAO type, installed aircraft package and variant, selected GSX profile, and whether the default-aircraft test passed.
Send those details to FSDT support if an updated GSX and Couatl installation still cannot parse a freshly generated briefing. Do not include a SimBrief password, authentication token or other account credentials. A log containing the retrieval and parsing attempt is far more useful than a screenshot of the final message alone.
Does the MSFS 2024 EFB SimBrief login configure GSX?
No. The MSFS 2024 EFB, individual aircraft EFBs and GSX Pro keep separate SimBrief credentials or account authorisation where their integrations require them.
A successful login or import in one interface proves only that interface is connected. An aircraft EFB might request a Pilot ID, the MSFS EFB may use account authorisation, and GSX still requires its own saved entry under SimBrief Username. Use the same SimBrief account in each place if you expect them to retrieve the same OFP.
Our guide to confirming and importing a generated SimBrief plan in the MSFS 2024 EFB can help verify that the intended account has a completed OFP. A successful EFB import does not, by itself, confirm that GSX has the correct identifier or aircraft profile.
What should I check after an MSFS 2024 or GSX update?
After an update, check the GSX and Couatl components, the saved account field and a newly generated OFP in that order.
Exit the simulator and update GSX Pro. Use the supplied installer or updater so that GSX and Couatl are updated together. If package links or components appear missing, follow our GSX Pro update and installation checks.
Verify the saved identifier. Start MSFS 2024, open
GSX Optionsand confirm thatSimBrief Usernamestill contains the intended username or Pilot ID.Generate a new OFP. Select the correct account and aircraft type, then complete the generate action. Do not rely on an ungenerated route left open before the update.
Restart Couatl. Do this after saving the account field or changing an aircraft profile so the helper reloads the configuration.
Test a recognised default aircraft and airport. If this clean test succeeds, investigate the original aircraft profile or briefing rather than the global GSX account setting.
Check Couatl if every aircraft fails. A missing toolbar response, repeated time-out or absent helper process is broader than a SimBrief ID error. Use our Couatl, firewall and GSX start-up troubleshooting to isolate that failure.
Reinstalling GSX does not correct a wrong account identifier or malformed aircraft data in an OFP. Use the installer’s repair or installation checks when they identify a missing package or Couatl component; otherwise, follow the error message to the account, briefing or aircraft-profile stage.