Compare the best freeware weather mods and tools for MSFS, including Live Weather, training presets, installation, limits and platform support.
The best freeware weather options for Microsoft Flight Simulator are the built-in Live Weather for real-world flying, Custom Weather for rapid scenario design, and the MSFS Weather Presets Pack for repeatable fog, snow, storm, wind and soaring practice. Presets are the strongest downloadable choice; they do not replace the simulator’s weather engine.
Best free MSFS weather options compared
For most simmers, Live Weather is best for an ordinary flight, while a preset pack is better when you need to repeat the same weather exercise.
| Option | Best use | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| MSFS Weather Presets Pack | Fog, snow, storms, wind, de-icing and soaring scenarios | PC package; simulator-version compatibility must be checked |
| Built-in Live Weather | Flying in conditions based on real-world weather data | Conditions can change and cannot be precisely reproduced |
| Built-in Custom Weather | Setting exact cloud, wind, pressure and precipitation conditions | It is manually created rather than real-world live weather |
Why is the Weather Presets Pack the best downloadable mod?
The free MSFS weather scenario pack is our leading downloadable choice because it provides ready-made conditions for fog, mist, snow, thunderstorms, strong wind, de-icing and soaring.
Its main advantage is repeatability. Live Weather may change between two approaches, but a fixed preset lets you practise the same crosswind landing, low-visibility circuit or icing scenario again. That makes presets particularly useful for training, aircraft comparisons and screenshots.
A preset does not produce a new forecast model or improve the underlying cloud simulation. It supplies predefined values to Microsoft Flight Simulator’s existing weather system.
Do free weather mods improve Live Weather?
Ordinary weather preset packs do not enhance or merge with Live Weather; the simulator treats live, preset and manually customised conditions as different operating modes.
Live Weather is the sensible free choice for realistic route flying because it follows changing real-world conditions. Select a preset when repeatability matters, or use Custom Weather when you need a specific wind direction, cloud base or visibility. Our explanation of Live Weather, presets and custom weather covers how those modes differ.
External weather injectors are more vulnerable to simulator updates than simple preset files. Before installing one, confirm that its documentation explicitly supports your edition and build of MSFS; compatibility claims for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 should not be assumed to include MSFS 2024.
How do I install an MSFS weather preset pack?
On PC, most packaged freeware presets install through the Community folder like other Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons.
- Download and extract the archive. Do not place the compressed archive itself in the Community folder.
- Find the actual package folder. In a standard MSFS package, files such as
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonshould be near the top of that folder. Copying an extra outer folder is a common mistake. - Copy it into the active Community folder. The location varies with simulator edition and installation method. Do not put freeware packages inside the Official content folder.
- Restart Microsoft Flight Simulator. Packages added while the simulator is running may not be detected.
- Open the weather controls before or during a suitable free flight. Switch away from Live Weather, then select the installed preset. Exact labels and screen positions differ between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.
Why is my weather preset not showing?
A missing preset is usually caused by the folder structure, the wrong Community folder or a locked weather mode.
- Check for nested folders: open the installed folder and make sure the package is not buried inside another identically named directory.
- Confirm the active Community folder: multiple MSFS installations can leave old folders behind, so a valid package may have been copied to an unused location.
- Leave Live Weather: a custom preset cannot normally be applied while the flight remains in Live Weather mode.
- Check the activity and multiplayer settings: some activities or shared-weather modes restrict weather changes.
- Verify simulator compatibility: a preset created for MSFS 2020 may not appear or behave correctly in MSFS 2024.
- Test for conflicts: temporarily remove other weather preset packages, restart the simulator and try the pack by itself.
Do weather mods work in MSFS 2024 and on consoles?
Built-in Live Weather and Custom Weather are available across supported platforms, but manually installed Community-folder freeware is a PC feature.
Xbox and PlayStation users cannot copy downloaded PC packages into a Community folder, so they are limited to the simulator’s built-in weather tools and compatible content distributed through its supported in-sim system. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has no PlayStation version; PlayStation support applies to MSFS 2024.
On PC, do not assume a 2020 weather package works in 2024 unless its documentation says so. For edition-specific recommendations, use our comparison of weather choices for MSFS 2020 or our guide to weather mods for MSFS 2024.
Which free weather option should you choose?
Choose according to the flight rather than trying to use one weather source for everything.
- Normal airline or cross-country flight: use Live Weather.
- Repeated IFR, crosswind or low-visibility practice: install the Weather Presets Pack.
- Testing a precise wind, cloud base or storm setup: use Custom Weather.
- Xbox or PlayStation: use the built-in modes unless suitable free content is offered inside the simulator.