Thanks for downloading GMapHD for Windows! We hope you get many hours of enjoyment using this Windows edition of our premier moving map app (also available on Android, iPad and Mac).
GMapHD has been designed for Microsoft Windows (Win 10 or later) and can connect to MSFS, P3D, FSX, FS2004, X-Plane or Aerofly FS 2, locally on another machine (remote connection to macOS editions of X-Plane or Aerofly FS 2 also supported).
On launching GMapHD for the first time it will load the map in the San Francisco area, a tribute to our friends in Silicon Valley where many of the technologies used in the app come from. If you want the map to load where you last left it there is an option under Preferences that saves your last position and loads it again the next time you launch GMapHD.
Included aero chart and navaid data:
The latest version of GMapHD for Windows (see Version History) is always available here:
The FSWidgets Network Pack has the support files to connect to your simulator. Also see the Network Options heading in the Preferences section for more details.
Download the FSWidgets Network Pack and install it as described in the Readme file:
GMapHD is a standalone application and so requires no installation as such. Just drag and drop the GMapHD.exe file to a folder of your choice, for example:
C:\Users\[User]\Documents\FSWidgetsTo run GMapHD, double-click the GMapHD.exe file, create a shortcut on the desktop or pin it to the taskbar.
Click the Preferences (cog-shaped) toolbar icon. The Registration button (lower left) opens a panel where you can enter your email, then copy and paste (do not type) your registration key. To unlock the KSFO (San Francisco) area limitation you will need to refresh the map.
To connect or disconnect the moving map, click the aircraft-shaped icon on the far left side of the tool bar.
There is a hotkey that will perform this function too (see the Keyboard Shortcuts section). You can also choose to auto connect to the sim (see the Preferences section).
The zoom level can be adjusted by using the Zoom In/Out icons on the tool bar. You can also control the Zoom level using three other mouse options which are described in the Preferences section. There are also two hotkeys that zoom in/out, see the Keyboard Shortcuts section.
The Navaid Data option is a feature which provides access to a Cloud Based world-wide navaid database. Being Cloud Based means there are no big files to download, the data is stored on our servers and delivered as requested by the map and your selected Navaid Data options.
This feature allows you to display airport, ILS, VOR, NDB and Fix data on the map. All icons can be clicked on to display a popup info window with the related data like frequencies, runway lengths and more. Each layer can be toggled on or off as desired.
To display the associated data, click on an icon from the menu. To hide the info window click the in the top right corner, or click on the map anywhere outside the info window.
The airport info window can contain a lot of information, especially at large airports with many runways and the data is split into sections (Runways, ILS/Localizer and Frequencies). Click on the green down arrow or anywhere along the line (e.g. Runways) to expand or fold that section.
GMapHD comes with several Base Map styles such as Roads, Light, Dark, Satellite and more. To load a different Base Map type click the world-shaped icon on the toolbar and select from one of the options.
GMapHD also bundles a large collection of Cloud Based aeronautical charts.
To load a different chart type click the layer-shaped icon on the toolbar and select from one of the options.
The Aero Charts are implemented as overlays, they are rendered on top of the Base Maps. This means that if you fly out of an Aero Chart coverage area you can simply keep on flying with the Base Map.
The Weather Data option provides world-wide coverage of most Metar and TAF weather stations plus other realtime weather observations or forecasts displayed directly on the map, as well as access to US Nexrad (Next Gen Radar) data.
The Metar/TAF feature displays icons on the map which can be clicked on to display a popup info window with the applicable data for that station (Metar, TAF or both).
To display the associated data, click on an icon. To hide the info window click the in the top right corner, or click on the map anywhere outside the info window.
The US Nexrad (Next-Gen Radar) data is provided by a network of Doppler Radars spanning the entire US continent and depicts real-time precipitation.
The World-wide weather overlays are provided by Open Weather Map, an open-source weather data provider and various types of weather data are available:
GMapHD supports displaying native flight plan formats from the three most popular simulators on the market, it reads:
If GMapHD does not recognize a flight plan created by a 3rd-party app (not the sim) in FSX, FS2004 or X-Plane format we recommend sending us the file, we would be happy to take a look at it for you. Send it to support@fswidgets.com and we will do our best to add support for that plan format.
Flight plan waypoint icons can also be clicked on to display the associated waypoint information.
To load a flight plan click on the Plans toolbar icon.
Then select Load Flight Plan from the menu. A standard Windows dialog will open to select the flight plan file.
Select the file and click the Open button.
If the map is not connected the plan will load and automatically zoom to the bounds of the flight plan. If connected the plan will still load but of course it will not be visible unless you are flying in the vicinity of the flight plan.
To clear a loaded flight plan click on the Plans toolbar icon, then select Clear Flight Plan.
If you wish to have a compass rose overlay on the Map click the Compass toolbar icon.
Click the HUD toolbar icon if you would like to display the HUD (Heads-Up Display), a semi-transparent panel with a readout of the current position data (Lat, Lon, Hdg, Altitude and Ground Speed).
If you need to refresh the map for any reason, this option allows you to reload the map data from the server. This function will completely refresh the map and return it to the previous saved settings or to the default, depending on what option you have selected under Preferences.
GMapHD has various keyboard shortcuts, as outlined in the following table:
| Shortcut | Function |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + Shift + z | Hide/Show |
| Ctrl + Shift + c | Connect/Disconnect |
| Ctrl + Shift + i | Zoom In |
| Ctrl + Shift + o | Zoom Out |
| Ctrl + Shift + a | Auto Zoom On/Off |
| Ctrl + Shift + p | Load Flight Plan |
| Ctrl + Shift + k | Clear Flight Plan |
| Ctrl + Shift + r | Reload Map |
| F1 | Open this Manual |
| F2 | Open Preferences Panel |
Clicking the Prefs button brings up a Preferences panel with the following options:
The FSWidgets Network Pack will automatically display the Simulator IP Address and the Port Number.
Please enter those two pieces of information into this Network Options section.
Download the FSWidgets Network Pack and install it as described in the Readme file:
Enable the Auto-Connect feature when you wish to automatically connect to the sim after the map has loaded. The default delay is 1 second, you can increase that up to 300 seconds (5 min).
If you want to have GMapHD load the previous Base Map type you used and the last known Lat/Lon location and zoom level you can select this option.
Select this option if you would like to be able to double click on the map to zoom in.
This option allows zooming in and out using the mouse scroll wheel.
Check this option if you would like to be able to select an area on the map by using Shift, click and drag.
Use a helicopter icon for the moving map instead of the fixed wing aircraft icon.
This option manages the map zoom levels based on the plane's altitude. Generally, the lower the plane is the more the map zooms in. If the option is turned on it will only be active when the map is connected, and is triggered as follows:
| Atitude (ft) | Zoom Level |
|---|---|
| < 5000 | 11 |
| 5000 to 10000 | 10 |
| 10000 to 20000 | 9 |
| 20000 to 30000 | 8 |
| > 30000 | 7 |
Option to saves the last used GMapHD window position and size when quitting the app.
Keeps the GMapHD window on top of the sim and all other windows.
This option allows you to select your preferred flight plans folder.
This option allows you preload a standard or favourite flight plan, if found. If you have a flight plan you fly often, or if you have planning software that writes to the same filename, you can point this option to that file.
This button opens the Registration panel. Enter your email, then copy and paste (do not type) your registration key. To unlock the KSFO (San Francisco) area limitation you will need to refresh the map or restart the app.
All of the Microsoft (FSX or later) and P3D series of simulators have a facility that allows you to launch apps and services via the EXE.xml file. To get the sim to launch GMapHD, paste the following lines to the bottom of the file, just above the last line (</SimBase.Document>):
<Launch.Addon>
<Name>FSWidgets GMapHD</Name>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<Path>C:\Users\[User]\Documents\FSWidgets\GMapHD.exe</Path>
<CommandLine></CommandLine>
</Launch.Addon>The above applies you have the GMapHD app in this path (if not, adjust it):
C:\Users\[User]\Documents\FSWidgets\GMapHD.exeIf you do not have a copy of the EXE.xml file, copy the entire text below and save it as EXE.xml (make sure your Windows Explorer options are not set to hide file extensions):
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="Windows-1252"?>
<SimBase.Document Type="Launch" version="1,0">
<Descr>Launch</Descr>
<Filename>exe.xml</Filename>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<Launch.ManualLoad>False</Launch.ManualLoad>
<Launch.Addon>
<Name>FSWidgets GMapHD</Name>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<Path>C:\Users\[User]\Documents\FSWidgets\GMapHD.exe</Path>
<CommandLine></CommandLine>
</Launch.Addon>
</SimBase.Document> Depending on the sim you have, the folder location for the EXE.xml file is here:
FSX - Original Edition:
C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSXFSX - Steam Edition (no FSX present):
C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSXFSX - Steam Edition (FSX present):
C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX-SEPrepar3D:
C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v? (where ? = major version)MSFS - Store Edition:
C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCacheMSFS - Steam Edition:
C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight SimulatorMSFS - DVD Edition:
C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimDisc_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCacheMSFS - Alpha Version:
C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.KHAlpha_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCacheIf you need assistence with this please Contact Us, we are here to help.
No. As mentioned on the product page GMapHD comes with a special bundle of our portable standalone Cloud Based products, for use only within this app.
If you need portable Aero Charts or Nav Data (i.e. for use in one or more of our other products that support Cloud Based data) please see our list of Cloud Based products.
This app is a Cloud Based product (delivered from the Internet) and so no massive data downloads are required. This means it relies on data from multiple sources, many are premium and paid-for, some are free or public. Due to the fluid nature of the Internet, occasionally we may have to update, replace or remove data sources if they become unavailable, or if the cost of providing them is no longer viable. The opposite is also true, so at other times we may update the data with newer sources.
While zero-configuration networking is possible, it requires additional software to be installed on the users system. GMapHD is designed to work with major flight simulators (MSFS, P3D, FSX, FS2004, X-Plane and Aerofly FS 2) across several operating systems (Windows & Mac OS X), without reliance on third-party drivers or frameworks.
That being the case we find the most fool-proof method is for the users to simply enter the IP Address and Port Number displayed in the Network Pack. As long as both pieces of information are entered correctly, and there are no router or firewall rules to block local networking then a connection will occur.
We very rarely get any requests for assistance on this, however if you are unsure and need a hand please Contact Us, we are here to help.
Added Auto Connect: Auto connect to the sim after a delay (default = 1 sec), when the map has fully loaded.
Added Auto Zoom: Option to manage zoom levels based on altitude. See the Preferences section for details.
Added Auto Load Flight Plan: Option to allow preloading a standard or favourite flight plan, if found.
Added Keyboard Shortcuts: See the Keyboard Shortcuts section.
Fixed HUD Zeros: A bug fix for the HUD info sometimes displaying only zeros under some circumstances.
Added XP11 Plans: Support for loading the new X-Plane 11 format FMS plan files.
Added Aerofly FS 2 Support: We are very happy to announce that Aerofly FS 2 now has official support for FSWidgets apps, baked right in! Please see the FSWidgets website for details on how to enable this support.
Improved - Updated Interface: More modern Windows 10 style user interface.
Added New Aero Charts: We have added big collection of 21 new aero charts:
Added New Base Maps: We have re-organised this menu and added a new set of world-wide base maps. Some of the new maps (Road series) are retina-enabled so users of devices with a retina screen will notice the maps are very sharp. In this department there is actually a slight reduction in the total number, but we have consolidated the collection into a more useful list by removing the ones that our customers were just not using much anymore, based on the stats over the past year.
Added Map Scale: This one was slipped in via the mapping engine but the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed a little box in the bottom left hand corner that displays the map scale as 1:500,000 or 1:250,000 and so on. We include it for no other reason than it's cool to have and to know when your map display is at the same zoom level as the WAC (1:1,000,000), Sectional (1:500,000) or TAC (1:250,000) scale.
Improved - Mapping Engine
Added Initial release