Discover the best free liveries for Microsoft Flight Simulator, with top airliner, GA and bush picks plus MSFS 2020/2024 compatibility checks.
The best free liveries for Microsoft Flight Simulator include the Southwest Airlines A320neo repaint, Cessna 152 N95508, ADI Kitfox colour pack and A330-900neo Mega Pack. Pick for the exact aircraft package and simulator version you own, not merely the aeroplane name: a skin for another developer’s model usually will not appear.
Our best free MSFS livery picks
For most PC simmers, these four cover airline, general-aviation, bush and wide-body flying without paying for a repaint.
| Livery | Best for | Why we recommend it | Compatibility check |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-resolution Southwest repaint for the default A320neo | Short-haul airline flying | A recognisable real-world scheme and a straightforward single-aircraft download. | Use it only with the A320neo model specified by the package. Default, FlyByWire and iniBuilds A320 variants do not share liveries automatically. |
| Detailed Cessna 152 N95508 repaint | General aviation and training flights | A restrained, real-world-inspired registration that suits local circuits and cross-country flying. | The default Cessna 152 must be installed and available in the simulator edition being used. |
| ADI Kitfox Speedster Series 7 colour pack | Bush and back-country flying | Four colour schemes cover both wheel and bush-wheel variants, giving more variety than a single repaint. | The supported Kitfox base aircraft and correct undercarriage variant are required. |
| Free A330-900neo package with eight 4K airline liveries | Wide-body operations | It combines a freeware aircraft with eight real-world schemes, so it offers more than an ordinary texture-only download. | Treat it as a complete aircraft add-on rather than a livery for every other A330 model. |
Which free MSFS livery should you choose?
Choose the repaint that matches your exact installed aircraft before choosing based on colour scheme or airline.
- For an easy first livery: use the Cessna 152 repaint because it targets a familiar default light aircraft and has no fleet of subvariants to untangle.
- For airline routes: choose Southwest if you use the specified default A320neo; choose the A330 package when you want a separate wide-body aircraft and several liveries in one download.
- For bush flying: the Kitfox pack makes sense only if you already have the required base aircraft. Check whether you fly the wheel or bush-wheel version.
- For realism: favour accurate registrations, logos, door markings and engine details over texture resolution alone. A large texture is not necessarily an accurate repaint.
- For a smaller installation: select a single repaint. Aircraft mega packs occupy more storage and may add their own cockpit, systems and dependencies.
A mistake we see constantly is matching only the name painted on the aircraft. An Asobo A320neo livery, for example, is not automatically compatible with a FlyByWire or iniBuilds A320 because each is a separate aircraft package with its own texture structure.
Will MSFS 2020 liveries work in MSFS 2024?
Some MSFS 2020 liveries work in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but cross-version compatibility is not guaranteed.
The livery needs a compatible copy of the same underlying aircraft, along with package identifiers, model definitions and texture assignments that MSFS 2024 can read. An aircraft may have the same public name in both simulators while being a different package internally. If a download states only MSFS 2020 support, treat it as a 2020 package until compatibility is confirmed.
The reverse assumption is equally risky: an MSFS 2024 livery may depend on an aircraft or configuration that does not exist in MSFS 2020. The broad label “MSFS” does not prove support for both generations.
How do you install free liveries in Microsoft Flight Simulator?
On PC, extract the archive and copy the actual package folder into the active Community folder; do not place the unopened archive or an unnecessary outer folder there. Our step-by-step Community-folder installation guide explains how to find the correct location and verify the aircraft variant.
- Extract the download. Conventional packages normally contain files such as
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsoninside the package folder. - Copy the package folder. Use the Community folder associated with the installation and package-library location that the simulator actually loads.
- Restart the simulator. Then select the intended aircraft and inspect its available liveries or variants.
These downloadable Community packages are intended for PC. Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 players cannot manually copy web downloads into a Community folder; console users must use compatible liveries distributed through the simulator’s own content system. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has no PlayStation version, while PlayStation support applies to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Why is a downloaded livery not appearing?
A missing livery is usually caused by the wrong aircraft variant, excessive folder nesting, a missing base aircraft or a simulator-version mismatch.
- Confirm the aircraft developer and variant. Match the exact model named by the download, including engine, undercarriage and passenger or cargo variants where relevant.
- Inspect the folder depth. If the package files sit inside two identically named folders, move the inner package folder directly into
Community. - Check the dependency. A repaint does not install the aircraft unless the download explicitly says it is a complete aircraft package.
- Remove duplicate copies. Keep one version of the livery package while testing; older copies with the same package identity can conflict.
- Verify simulator support. If the livery was created for MSFS 2020 and fails in MSFS 2024, do not rename folders or edit configuration files blindly. Use a version confirmed for that aircraft instead.