Install and use GSX profiles in Prepar3D with the correct folders, AFCAD matching, cache refresh steps, aircraft setup and fixes for failed profiles.
To install a GSX airport profile in Prepar3D, close the simulator, extract the downloaded archive, and copy its profile .ini file into %APPDATA%\Virtuali\GSX. Start Prepar3D at the matching airport and scenery version, let GSX rebuild its airport cache if requested, then open the GSX menu to request services.
Which type of GSX profile do you have?
Most Prepar3D downloads described as GSX profiles are airport customisations, but aircraft configurations use a different file and folder.
- Airport profile: Usually an
.inifile defining stand positions, marshallers, vehicle locations, stopping points and pushback routes. - Aircraft profile: Usually a
gsx.cfgfile defining doors, cargo holds, passenger exits and service connection points. - GSX Pro profile: Intended for Microsoft Flight Simulator and not interchangeable with Prepar3D GSX profiles.
An airport profile must match the exact scenery edition and active airport BGL, often called the AFCAD even when it was created with a newer airport-design tool. A profile made for default scenery may not align with an add-on airport, while a profile for one release of an airport can fail after that scenery is updated.
The profile does not install the airport itself. If the airport is absent from the scenery library, v5 users should first check the steps for installing and registering Prepar3D v5 scenery correctly.
How to install a GSX airport profile
- Verify GSX before adding the profile. Load Prepar3D at the airport, park at a stand and confirm that GSX appears under the simulator's Add-ons menu. A profile cannot repair a missing or failed GSX installation.
- Identify the active airport file. Open the GSX airport-position customisation screen and note which airport BGL it has detected. This matters when multiple scenery packages contain data for the same ICAO code.
- Close Prepar3D. Do not replace a profile while GSX or its Couatl process is writing customisation data.
- Extract the download. Open the archive and read any included instructions. The
.inifile must be extracted; leaving it inside the ZIP will not work. - Check the AFCAD reference. If the profile contains an
afcad_pathentry under its general settings, confirm that it identifies your active airport BGL. Some shared profiles retain the author's absolute drive path and require that value to be changed to the equivalent file on your PC. - Copy the profile. Press the Windows key and R, enter
%APPDATA%\Virtuali\GSX, and place the.inifile directly in that folder unless its instructions specify a supplied subfolder structure. Keep a backup before replacing an existing profile, and do not rename the file without a specific instruction to do so. - Reload GSX. Start Prepar3D at the airport. If the new data is not detected, use the Couatl or GSX command in the Add-ons menu to restart Couatl and rebuild the airport cache; wording varies between GSX builds.
- Request a service. Open the GSX menu, commonly assigned to
Ctrl+F12, select the stand or service and follow the aircraft-state prompts. Boarding, catering, refuelling and pushback may require the parking brake, engines, doors or ground power to be in a particular state.
How do I check or edit the loaded profile?
GSX loads the relevant airport profile automatically; there is normally no profile-selection screen before each flight. Open the airport-position customisation tool and inspect a stand that the profile is known to modify. Named pushback routes, corrected stopping positions or customised vehicle locations show that its data is active.
You can adjust an individual stand through the same customisation tool and save the changes. Back up the downloaded .ini first because saving may alter or replace it. These adjustments are tied to the active airport data, so they can require reworking after a scenery update changes parking coordinates, stand names or the airport BGL.
Why is my GSX profile not working?
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| GSX or Couatl is missing from the Add-ons menu | This is a core GSX installation or communication problem, not a profile fault. Restart Couatl, repair the compatible GSX installation and review Prepar3D SimConnect setup and troubleshooting. |
| GSX still uses default stand data | The file may still be zipped, inside an extra nested folder, renamed incorrectly or associated with another AFCAD path. Confirm the profile location and compare its airport reference with the BGL GSX has detected. |
| The airport or parking positions are not detected | Prepar3D may be loading a duplicate or lower-priority airport BGL. Disable conflicting airport files, confirm the intended scenery is registered, then rebuild the GSX airport cache. |
| Vehicles, marshallers or stopping points are displaced | The profile probably targets another scenery edition, airport update or elevation. Use a matching profile or correct the affected positions with the GSX customisation tool. |
| Only some stands are customised | This can be intentional. Profile authors often configure terminal gates while leaving remote stands to GSX's default airport data. |
| A previously working profile stopped loading | An airport or GSX update may have changed the active BGL or its identity. Recheck the detected airport file, refresh the cache and update the profile's AFCAD reference where required. |
Do not assume that a profile made for one Prepar3D generation will work with another. The .ini data may remain usable when the airport geometry and BGL are unchanged, but the GSX installation itself, scenery package and profile must all support the Prepar3D version being run.
Where do GSX aircraft profiles go?
Aircraft profiles do not belong in the airport-profile folder. User aircraft configurations are normally stored beneath %APPDATA%\Virtuali\Airplanes, using the aircraft-specific subfolder supplied by the profile package. A developer-provided gsx.cfg may instead be installed with the aircraft's own files.
If the download supplies only gsx.cfg and does not identify its subfolder, load the exact aircraft variant in Prepar3D, open the GSX aircraft customisation tool and save a small test change. GSX will create the appropriate user folder; close the simulator, back up the generated file and replace it with the downloaded configuration.
The aircraft and its livery variant must already load correctly before GSX can position stairs, loaders and catering vehicles. Our guide to installing a Prepar3D add-on aircraft correctly covers that prerequisite. If equipment approaches the wrong door after the airport profile loads, the aircraft configuration—not the airport profile—is the part to inspect.