StrataWx Quick Start.

A short checklist. If you already own a StrataWx license and have MSFS installed, you have everything.

The installer is a single signed file. It detects your Community folder, copies in the in-sim panel, and sets up the desktop app in one pass. Your sim does not need to be open while it runs.

Licensing lives in the StrataSim Manager, a small companion app the StrataWx installer sets up for you. Activate there once, and the app unlocks.

Start the app, start the sim, and StrataWx does the rest. There is no SimConnect wiring and no weather preset to add by hand.

The handful of things worth knowing, and the fix for each.

The panel reads OFFLINE, or shows no data

The panel talks to the desktop engine, so OFFLINE means the app is not running. Launch StrataWx and leave it open, then load a flight; the panel connects when the app is up.

STANDBY instead means the app is running but there is no aircraft or preset yet. Load a flight and give it a few seconds to start injecting.

The StrataWx panel is missing from the toolbar

Either the panel went to a Community folder the sim is not reading, or MSFS was already open when it was copied in. MSFS only loads Community add-ons at startup.

Confirm the right Community folder (the app's Settings can re-point it, and StrataWx moves the panel for you), then fully restart MSFS and open the panel from the toolbar.

The two simulators keep separate Community folders and get separate panel builds, so on the previous generation check the 2020 folder specifically. MSFS 2020 live weather sets out where it lives and why the restart there is always a full one.

After an update the weather looks stale, or a banner says to restart MSFS

The in-sim panel loads only at sim start and does not ride the auto-updater, so if the sim was open during an app update it keeps running the old panel. The app shows an amber "restart MSFS to load the latest panel" banner when it notices.

Restart MSFS so the fresh panel loads. If it persists, close MSFS, relaunch the desktop app so it re-copies the panel, then start the sim again.

The temperature looks wrong, or too cold, in an imperial cockpit

A unit-detection fix ships on the current build line. Make sure you are up to date; if you are on the Stable channel and still see it, switch to Beta under Settings, Updates, Release channel to get the fix now. Then use "Upload logs to support" and tell us your MSFS temperature and pressure unit settings so we can close out any remaining edge case.

Switching channel is always reversible from the same place. In the rare case a test build leaves the app unable to open at all, so you cannot reach Settings, delete %APPDATA%\@stratawx\ui\channel.json first, then reinstall from the Download page. That resets you to Stable.

Weather keeps changing or fights the sim

That is the sign of a second live-weather engine running alongside StrataWx. Run only one: if another live-weather add-on is running (Active Sky FS, or any other injector), turn it off so the two do not fight over the sim's weather.

Stutters, freezes, or unexpected behaviour on a long flight

The current build line smooths how often weather is applied and steadies the winds on descent, which is what a clean long flight depends on. Several of those stability fixes land on Beta first, so if you are on Stable and still hit this, switch to Beta under Settings, Updates, Release channel to get them now.

You can move back to Stable in the same place whenever you like. If a test build ever leaves the app unable to open, so Settings is out of reach, delete %APPDATA%\@stratawx\ui\channel.json first, then reinstall from the Download page to get back to Stable.

If anything odd remains, use "Upload logs to support" right after it happens, so we can see exactly what the engine did.

An update stalls or errors

The updater times out a stuck check or download and retries on its own, and it checks again every few hours. If it keeps failing, make sure your connection and firewall can reach download.stratawxfs.com, then relaunch the app. Every download is checksum-verified, and the updater never downgrades.

You never chase a download. StrataWx keeps itself current, and updates are free for as long as you own it.

On launch, and every few hours after, the app checks the update feed, fetches the signed installer, verifies its checksum, and applies it in place. It never downgrades, so you always move forward. There is nothing to click, and no version to hunt down. If a release ever turns out bad, we correct it by publishing a new build, which reaches everyone on that channel automatically. You can also switch channels under Settings, Updates, Release channel, which moves you onto that channel's current build. Pick it while the Software updates row is not showing Downloading: switch mid-download and the choice is saved but nothing moves, so wait for that row to settle and pick again.

If something is off, the fastest route sends us exactly what we need to help.

Upload logs to support, the fastest fix

In the app, open Settings, Support and click "Upload logs" on the "Send logs to support" row. One click gathers your recent logs, strips your license key, email and Windows account name, and sends them to us. You get a reference number to quote. Offline, it saves the bundle locally with a "Show file" link so you can send it later.

The support form

Open Support for a ticket that reaches a person. It helps to say which sim you fly (2024 or 2020), your aircraft and airport, the sim time, and whether the desktop app was running.

The community

There is a StrataWx community on Discord where the team and other pilots talk through issues and what is shipping next. Join at stratawxfs.com/discord.

Ready to get started? Download the StrataSim Manager, which installs StrataWx, or head back to the overview to see everything it does.