How do I install or update GSX Pro in MSFS?

To install or update GSX Pro in Microsoft Flight Simulator, close the simulator and Couatl, open the latest FSDT Universal Installer, select MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024, then install GSX or run its update check. Confirm that the GSX package links point to the active Community folder before launching the simulator.

GSX Pro requires Windows PC because it uses the external Couatl engine. It cannot be installed on Xbox or PlayStation, and it is not updated through the simulator's Content Manager.

How do I install GSX Pro in MSFS 2020 or 2024?

Use the FSDT Universal Installer rather than copying GSX files into the Community folder manually.

1. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator and Couatl. Check the Windows notification area and quit Couatl if it is still running. Leaving either process open can prevent files from being replaced.
2. Run the latest FSDT Universal Installer. Obtain it through the source associated with your GSX Pro purchase and allow any Windows permission prompt. Let the installer maintain its own Addon Manager location.
3. Select the correct simulator. Choose MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 in the installer. If both are installed, treat them as separate targets because each has its own Community folder and package links.
4. Check the Community location. The installer normally detects it, but custom package locations and old simulator installations can confuse detection. The active location is recorded as InstalledPackagesPath near the end of the simulator's UserCfg.opt file.
5. Install GSX Pro. Select GSX Pro and use the install control. The installer downloads the managed files and creates Community-folder links for GSX Pro and its supporting packages, including World of Jetways where applicable.
6. Activate the licence. Use the installer's activation option and the credentials or activation information supplied with the purchase. Our detailed licence activation and repair procedure covers rejected keys and installations that remain in trial mode.
7. Configure third-party airports. Use the GSX configuration tool to exclude airports whose scenery already supplies custom jetways. Otherwise, replacement and scenery jetways may appear together.
8. Start the simulator and test at a gate. Load a supported aircraft at a parking stand, wait for Couatl to initialise and open GSX from the simulator toolbar.

A mistake we see constantly is moving the linked GSX folders by hand. The main installation is managed outside Community, while the folders visible in Community act as links. Moving or replacing them can break updates without producing an obvious error.

How do I update GSX Pro safely?

Update GSX Pro through the FSDT Universal Installer with Microsoft Flight Simulator and Couatl fully closed.

1. Quit the simulator and Couatl. Use Task Manager if a Couatl process remains after its notification-area icon has disappeared.
2. Open the Universal Installer. Allow the installer itself to update if it offers to do so.
3. Choose the simulator target. Select MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 and verify that the detected Community folder belongs to that installation.
4. Run the GSX update check. Use the update or check control shown for installed products; its label can change between installer builds. Wait until all downloads and file checks finish.
5. Repeat for another simulator if needed. Updating the MSFS 2020 target does not guarantee that the MSFS 2024 links and configuration have also been repaired.
6. Launch MSFS only after completion. Test the toolbar panel and one ground service before restoring extra profiles or changing airport settings.

Do not uninstall GSX before every update. A normal update check preserves the installation and is usually the right choice. Use the installer's repair or relink function when files are missing, the Community folder has moved, or a simulator update has invalidated the links.

Aircraft and airport profiles are separate from the core programme. Updating GSX does not necessarily correct a misplaced or incompatible profile; use the correct Virtuali profile folders and loading checks when only one aircraft or airport behaves incorrectly.

How can I tell whether GSX Pro installed correctly?

A working installation has valid GSX package links in the active Community folder, a running Couatl engine and a GSX icon in the in-simulator toolbar.

• The installer: GSX Pro is shown as installed or up to date for the simulator you intend to run.
• The Community folder: GSX-related package links are present in the path used by that simulator, not an abandoned default folder.
• Windows: Couatl starts without being blocked or quarantined by security software.
• The simulator: The GSX toolbar panel opens and recognises an aircraft parked at a suitable stand.

Incorrect door positions, vehicle paths or parking coordinates usually indicate an aircraft or airport profile problem rather than a failed GSX installation.

Why is GSX Pro missing or broken after an update?

The usual causes are an outdated Couatl component, a Community link pointing at the wrong simulator, security software blocking an updated executable, or an incompatible profile.

• No toolbar icon: Compare the installer's Community path with InstalledPackagesPath, then run its repair or relink operation.
• The panel opens but services never start: Close any stale Couatl process, run the installer update check and restart Windows before testing again.
• Files download repeatedly: Check available storage, write permissions and Windows security history. Restore or permit a blocked GSX component only after confirming it belongs to the legitimate installation.
• Only one airport is wrong: Disable its custom profile temporarily and check the airport exclusion settings. Duplicate jetways are usually a configuration conflict.
• MSFS 2024 stopped recognising GSX: Re-select MSFS 2024 in the installer and repair its package links. Our post-update checks for GSX Pro in MSFS 2024 cover missing panels, Couatl failures and profile conflicts in more detail.

A full reinstall should be the last step. Updating the installer, confirming the active Community path and repairing its managed links fixes most GSX Pro installation and update failures without removing profiles or airport exclusions.