Hi everyone. After my own personal struggle with this topic I am gonna comment with a hopeful solution for this issue.
Problem: I sometimes use an extra screen for my popouts, but when that screen is not connected I lost my popouts and could not find them anymore. I could see a white flash in the avionics that I popped out indicating that it was working, but nowhere could I find the screen.
My solution:
I know this is gonna sound crazy and it is so counter intuitive but confirmed by more people that it does work also for them. I could also reproduce this issue and solution so it seems to work every time.
- First I start my FS2020 in windowed mode
- I just start in the airplane that has the avionics with the problems (e.g. Asobo C172 G1000)
- I click RALT + left mouse on the PFD and MFD
- normally you should get a white flash in the virtual cockpit that indicates the window popped out
- I then go into the windows 11 display settings (desktop settings I mean, not the settings in FS2020)
- I place my display in portrait instead of landscape (this makes it rotate 90 degrees)
- Don’t ask me why but somewhere you should come accross your popout screens now. Sometimes they are minimized in the left bottom corner of the simulator window so make sure to check that.
- Now the struggle starts because of course your mouse is completely counter intuitive now but no worries, take your time for this. Don’t rush into it.
- Now drag your PFD and MFD popout to the visual center of the display
- Very important KEEP THEM OPEN
- Put your display back in landscape (in Windows 11 settings again)
- Now you should be able to reposition your popouts to where you want them but carefull, still KEEP THEM OPEN
- Once they are in a satisfying position comes a very crucial step. Nobody seems to be able to answer this but it seems that state saving of those popouts happens in this step following step
- With your popouts still open and in desired location. Go to the main screen of the simulator. I think it is with the escape / return to main menu command.
You will see the simulatior going back to the main dashboard and closing down the popouts all on its own. - Now quit to desktop with the menu command. DO NOT use the red X, do it the proper way.
- Just restart your sim and restart your flight with the same aircraft
- If you now RALT + left mouse click on the PFD and MFD avionics you should see them where you left off
- If not, now is the moment you can start crying hahaha.
Recap, it seems that you have to leave the sim with your popouts OPEN where you next time want them to reappaer. Going to the main dashboard seems to trigger the state saving of ANY popout of ANY plane.
Good luck.
Let us know how it went for you personally.
Besides, you now learned that you shouldn’t take anything for granted, like a mouse that works in the direction you are use to hahahha.
Cheers.