Learn how to pop out instrument panels in X-Plane 12, move them to a second monitor, and fix missing click spots or off-screen windows.
To pop out an instrument panel in X-Plane 12, click the supported display in the 3D cockpit to open its 2D popup, then select the window or overlapping-squares icon in the popup’s corner. It becomes a separate operating-system window that you can resize or drag to another monitor.
How to pop out an instrument in X-Plane 12
A supported panel needs to be opened as a 2D popup before it can become a separate desktop window.
- Power the aircraft’s avionics. Turn on the battery, avionics bus and relevant display controls. An unpowered PFD, MFD or GPS may open as a black window.
- Use the 3D cockpit view. Move the pointer over the instrument’s screen or designated click spot. The pointer may change when X-Plane recognises a popup manipulator.
- Click the display area. For a G1000, click the PFD or MFD screen rather than a bezel knob. This normally opens a larger 2D version inside the main X-Plane window.
- Select the external-window icon. Look near the popup’s top-right corner for a window symbol, commonly shown as two overlapping rectangles. Custom aircraft may use a different control.
- Move and resize the window. Drag the external window onto the required monitor and resize it by its edge or corner.
- Close or return it when finished. Use the popup’s close or window-mode control. Some aircraft also let you click the original cockpit display again.
The default G1000 is a common use case; our guide to operating the X-Plane 12 G1000 covers its PFD, MFD and flight-planning functions after the displays are open.
What is the difference between a popup and a pop-out?
A popup remains inside X-Plane’s main window, while a pop-out is an independent operating-system window.
| Display mode | Best use | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| In-sim popup | Enlarging an instrument on one monitor | Cannot normally be dragged beyond the main X-Plane window |
| External pop-out | Moving a PFD, MFD or GPS to another screen | May cost more performance and depends on aircraft support |
A mistake we see constantly is trying to drag the initial popup directly onto a second monitor. First select its external-window icon; otherwise, X-Plane keeps it confined to the simulator window.
How do I move a panel to a second monitor?
The second monitor must be configured as an extended desktop rather than a mirrored copy of the primary display.
- Arrange the monitors correctly in the operating system so their virtual positions match their physical positions.
- Open the instrument and change it into an external window.
- Drag it across the desktop boundary, then resize it to fit the panel screen.
- If it disappears behind a full-screen simulator window, try X-Plane in windowed mode and reopen the panel.
For full outside views, cockpit views and dedicated display roles, use our X-Plane 12 multi-monitor configuration instructions. Those display assignments are separate from dragging an instrument pop-out onto another screen. Anyone building a fixed instrument display should also account for screen dimensions, bezels and control placement when planning screens and controls for a home cockpit.
Why will an instrument panel not pop out?
Most failures come from unsupported aircraft click spots, an unpowered avionics bus, or a popup that has not yet been changed into an external window.
- Nothing happens when clicked: the aircraft may not provide a 2D version of that instrument. Try a default X-Plane aircraft to determine whether the issue belongs to the simulator or the add-on.
- The window is black: check the battery, generators, avionics master, display brightness and any aircraft-specific startup requirements.
- The popup cannot leave X-Plane: look for the overlapping-squares control. Some custom panels support an internal popup but not an external operating-system window.
- The panel opens off-screen: this often follows a monitor-layout change. Restore the previous display arrangement temporarily or use the operating system’s window-move command to recover it.
- The pointer and controls do not line up: mismatched display scaling is a common cause. Match the monitors’ scaling where practical, confirm their arrangement and restart X-Plane after changing display settings.
- A custom display freezes or flickers: reload the aircraft and test without conflicting plugins. If default Laminar Research instruments work, the fault is likely aircraft- or plugin-specific rather than a general X-Plane display problem.
Can every X-Plane instrument be popped out?
No; X-Plane 12 can only pop out instruments for which the aircraft supplies a 2D display or suitable window.
Glass-cockpit screens, GPS units, FMCs and some radio panels are common candidates. Individual analogue gauges and an aircraft’s complete 3D panel usually cannot be extracted automatically. Custom aircraft may provide their own click spots, commands or plugin windows, so check the aircraft’s documentation if the normal screen click does nothing.
Will X-Plane remember panel positions?
Position saving and keyboard-shortcut support depend on the aircraft and the type of window it creates.
Native and custom panels may remember their size and location, but a changed monitor arrangement can invalidate the saved coordinates. To assign a shortcut, open X-Plane’s keyboard settings and search for the instrument name plus terms such as popup or popout. Only commands exposed by X-Plane or the aircraft will appear.
Each active display requires additional drawing work. If frame rate drops, close duplicate panels, reduce the number of external windows and avoid driving panel screens at unnecessarily high resolutions.