Fix aircraft not showing in X-Plane 11 by checking the Aircraft folder, extracted .acf file, version compatibility, filters and Log.txt errors.
Installed aircraft usually fail to appear in X-Plane 11 because the download is still compressed, was copied outside X-Plane 11/Aircraft, contains only a livery, or has no X-Plane 11-compatible .acf file. Extract the complete package beneath Aircraft, restart X-Plane, then clear the aircraft chooser’s search and category filters.
Where should add-on aircraft be installed?
X-Plane 11 detects an add-on aircraft when a readable, compatible .acf file sits somewhere below the Aircraft folder in the active simulator installation.
A clean custom installation might look like this:
X-Plane 11/Aircraft/Custom Aircraft/Example Aircraft/Example.acfX-Plane 11/Aircraft/Custom Aircraft/Example Aircraft/objects/X-Plane 11/Aircraft/Custom Aircraft/Example Aircraft/plugins/X-Plane 11/Aircraft/Custom Aircraft/Example Aircraft/liveries/
The exact names vary by add-on. A category folder such as Custom Aircraft is acceptable because X-Plane scans folders beneath Aircraft. Keep the aircraft’s own folder intact, however; moving only the .acf file breaks its references to objects, sounds, instruments and plug-ins.
Do not install aircraft in Custom Scenery, Resources/plugins or your operating system’s Downloads folder. We also recommend keeping third-party models outside the folder containing Laminar Research aircraft so simulator updates cannot be confused with add-on maintenance.
How do I make X-Plane 11 rescan installed aircraft?
The reliable way to force a rescan is to place the fully extracted package in the active Aircraft folder and restart X-Plane 11.
- Close X-Plane 11. Installing while the aircraft chooser is open may leave its existing list unchanged.
- Confirm the active installation. Multiple X-Plane copies are common. Launch and quit the simulator, then find the root folder whose
Log.txtmodification time has just changed. - Extract the download. X-Plane cannot load an aircraft directly from a
.zip,.7zor.rararchive. - Find the real aircraft folder. Search the extracted package for at least one
.acffile. If there is no.acf, the download may be a repaint rather than a complete aircraft. In that case, install the required base model and follow our X-Plane livery installation steps. - Copy the complete folder. Place the folder containing the
.acfand its supporting directories beneathX-Plane 11/Aircraft. - Restart and clear filters. Open the aircraft chooser, erase any search text and select the broadest category or all-aircraft view. For an older model, enable the chooser option for aircraft from earlier X-Plane versions if that option is available.
Why is the .acf file present but the aircraft still missing?
A visible .acf may still be excluded because it belongs to another X-Plane generation, is not a genuine aircraft file, or is hidden by chooser filters.
| Package type | Expected result in X-Plane 11 | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| X-Plane 11 aircraft | Should appear after correct extraction and a restart | Check the active installation, folder location and chooser filters |
| X-Plane 10 or older aircraft | May be hidden or produce compatibility warnings | Show aircraft from older versions and prefer an updated X-Plane 11 edition |
| X-Plane 12-only aircraft | Not a supported X-Plane 11 aircraft | Obtain a release specifically made for X-Plane 11; Plane Maker is not a backward converter |
| Livery or repaint | Will not create a separate aircraft entry | Install it inside the correct base aircraft’s liveries folder |
Also check that the file really ends in .acf. Operating systems can hide extensions, leaving files with names such as aircraft.acf.txt. Do not rename an unrelated file to .acf; a valid aircraft definition must have been supplied by the developer.
If the archive is incomplete or intended for a different simulator generation, replace it with a package explicitly marked for X-Plane 11. Our X-Plane aircraft and add-on library identifies the relevant simulator version on each download page.
What does a blank aircraft icon mean?
A blank or generic thumbnail means X-Plane has found the aircraft, so this is normally an icon problem rather than an installation failure.
Try loading the aircraft and use X-Plane 11’s built-in aircraft icon generation function. Missing icons do not prevent a valid .acf from loading. By contrast, an aircraft that loads with dead displays or an unresponsive cockpit usually has a missing or blocked systems plug-in; that is a separate fault from the model not appearing in the chooser.
How can Log.txt identify the fault?
Log.txt can distinguish an aircraft-format or plug-in failure from a simple folder mistake once X-Plane attempts to read the package.
After trying to select or load the aircraft, quit X-Plane and open Log.txt in the active X-Plane 11 folder. Search for the aircraft folder name, its .acf filename and nearby error lines. Messages about an unsupported aircraft format point to a version mismatch; missing object or plug-in messages indicate an incomplete package or damaged extraction.
Log.txt does not necessarily list every aircraft that was scanned successfully. If the model is never mentioned and never appears in the chooser, return to the active-installation, archive and .acf checks first.