Back up FSX settings, flights and add-ons safely with the exact folders to copy, Steam Edition caveats, common mistakes and reliable restore steps.
To back up FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, close the simulator and copy its installation and add-on folders, the FSX folders under Roaming AppData and ProgramData, and the Flight Simulator X Files folder in Documents. Also save external scenery, installers and licence details. Preserve the original folder structure so absolute paths can be rebuilt.
Which FSX folders should I back up?
A complete FSX backup covers the simulator folder, per-user configuration, shared configuration, saved flights and every external add-on location. Copying only the main FSX directory misses controls, the scenery library and files stored under your Windows profile.
| Data | Typical location | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Main FSX folder | Boxed FSX is commonly under Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X; Steam Edition is normally under Steam\steamapps\common\FSX | SimObjects, Addon Scenery, Effects, Gauges, Modules, Missions, sounds and modified simulator files |
| Per-user settings | %APPDATA%\Microsoft\FSX or %APPDATA%\Microsoft\FSX-SE | FSX.cfg, dll.xml, exe.xml, controller assignments and other profile data |
| Shared settings | %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\FSX or %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\FSX-SE | The active scenery.cfg and other machine-wide configuration |
| Saved flights | The Flight Simulator X Files folder under Documents | Saved flights, weather attached to saves, flight plans, the logbook and related personal files |
| External add-ons | Any folders selected when scenery, aircraft or utilities were installed | Scenery libraries and add-on data kept outside the simulator directory |
Paste %APPDATA% or %PROGRAMDATA% into File Explorer's address bar to open those hidden locations. If FSX.cfg remains difficult to locate, our FSX configuration-file finder can identify and open the active file.
FSX: Steam Edition may use folders ending in FSX-SE when it coexists with boxed FSX, but some installations use the ordinary FSX name. Check both rather than assuming the suffix identifies the active profile. Documents may also be redirected into OneDrive, so use the actual folder opened by FSX when loading or saving a flight.
How do I create a complete FSX backup?
- Close every related program. Exit FSX, Steam Edition, weather engines, traffic tools and add-on managers so configuration files are not being rewritten during the copy.
- Record the active paths. Note the main FSX directory, the locations listed in the Scenery Library and any additional
SimObjectPathsentries inFSX.cfg. Keep drive letters and full paths in a text file inside the backup. - Copy the main simulator folder. If storage permits, archive the entire FSX directory. This captures manually installed aircraft, gauges, effects, modules, scenery and modifications to stock files.
- Copy the Windows profile data. Back up the relevant folders under Roaming AppData, ProgramData and Documents. Copy the enclosing folders, not merely an isolated
FSX.cfg, because controls, module entries, rewards and saved-flight companion files are stored separately. - Find redirected legacy files. Older installers can place files under
%LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStorewhen Windows blocks writes to Program Files. If a corresponding FSX directory exists there, archive it for inspection and later merge its contents carefully. - Save a rebuild kit. Keep original add-on installers, updates, freeware archives, repaint packages, serial numbers and licence records. Complex products often cannot be restored by copying their installed folders alone.
- Verify the backup. Open the archive, inspect several files and compare its size with the source. Store at least one copy on a different physical drive; a second folder on the same failing disk is not adequate protection.
Local AppData can contain add-on preferences and temporary FSX data, so inspect it for folders named after installed products. Shader caches and scenery indexes normally do not need restoring because FSX can rebuild them; retaining a copy is harmless, but replacing clean caches can reintroduce the fault that prompted a reinstall.
Can I copy the entire FSX folder to another computer?
Copying the whole FSX folder is useful as an archive, but it is not a reliable installation method for every add-on. Simple freeware aircraft, repaints, effects and conventional scenery often transfer correctly, while complex aircraft, weather programs, modules and payware scenery may depend on installers, registry entries, supporting components or activation.
For a new computer, install the matching FSX edition first and run it once before restoring personal files. Boxed installations should have the same Acceleration or service-pack state as the backed-up system. Our new-PC reinstall and restore workflow covers the wider installation order.
Moving from boxed FSX to FSX: Steam Edition is not a byte-for-byte restoration. Review which FSX add-ons can be carried into Steam Edition, then reinstall products that use edition-specific modules or installers.
How do I restore an FSX backup safely?
- Install and initialise FSX. Install the correct edition, launch it once to create fresh profile folders, then close it.
- Restore saved flights first. Copy the backed-up Documents folder contents into the new Flight Simulator X Files folder.
- Reinstall complex add-ons. Use their original installers and activation process. Afterwards, restore personal liveries, aircraft configurations and presets over those clean installations where appropriate.
- Restore manual add-ons in groups. Copy aircraft, scenery, gauges, effects and modules in small batches, testing FSX between batches. This makes a faulty or incomplete add-on much easier to identify.
- Merge configuration files selectively. On unchanged hardware, the old settings may be copied directly. On a new computer, let FSX create a fresh
FSX.cfg, then reproduce required settings and compare the old file rather than replacing it blindly. Old display settings and controller identifiers can cause trouble on different hardware. - Rebuild scenery registrations. Copying scenery files does not necessarily add them to the Scenery Library. Correct changed drive letters and follow the normal FSX scenery registration procedure for entries that are missing.
- Check module paths. Entries in
dll.xmlandexe.xmlcan contain absolute paths. Remove or correct entries for programs that have not yet been installed.
Do not overwrite a clean installation with old stock executables or every cached file without a reason. Let the boxed installer or Steam provide the simulator's core files, then restore the material that cannot be recreated automatically.
Why are settings, flights or add-ons missing after restoration?
- The wrong profile folder was restored: check both
FSXandFSX-SEunder AppData and ProgramData, particularly after changing editions. - Documents was redirected: the active Flight Simulator X Files folder may be under OneDrive or another Windows profile rather than the path used on the old computer.
- Scenery paths changed: edit or recreate library entries when an external drive has a different letter or folder name.
- VirtualStore files were missed: an aircraft or gauge may have been partly installed in the protected Program Files tree and partly under
VirtualStore. - An installer dependency is absent: reinstall add-ons that use modules, supporting libraries, services or activation instead of repeatedly copying their visible folders.
- A saved flight depends on missing content: restore its aircraft, panel and scenery before loading it, or expect FSX to substitute an available aircraft and report missing components.
- Old configuration entries cause a crash: temporarily rename
dll.xmlandexe.xml, confirm that FSX starts, then restore module entries one at a time.