Set MSFS 2024 scenery load order on PC, fix overlapping airports and mesh, and learn what Xbox and PlayStation users can change.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PC, set scenery priority with the Developer Mode Package Reorder Tool. Give the airport or scenery you want to keep higher precedence than overlapping packages, apply the change, then restart the simulator. There is no old-style scenery library, and consoles do not offer equivalent manual ordering.
How do I change package order on PC?
The supported method is to use MSFS 2024's Package Reorder Tool rather than renaming folders or editing configuration files manually.
- Confirm that the package is installed and enabled. A Community add-on should have its package files at the correct folder level, without an unnecessary wrapper directory. Our guide to installing MSFS 2024 scenery in the Community folder covers that structure.
- Identify every package covering the location. Check for two versions of the same airport, a World Update airport, city scenery, regional mesh or an older compatibility package.
- Enable Developer Mode. Find the developer setting under the simulator's advanced or developer options. Menu grouping can change between simulator builds.
- Open the Package Reorder Tool. Use the Developer Mode menu and select the package-reordering tool from its Tools menu.
- Give the preferred scenery higher precedence. Search for the package names and move the airport or scenery you want to retain above the conflicting package in priority. If the tool presents a load sequence instead, the preferred package should load later than the package it overrides.
- Apply the order and restart MSFS 2024. A full restart is more reliable than reloading the flight because scenery packages and airport data are mounted before the flight begins.
Leave mandatory base packages alone. The useful changes are between optional packages that cover the same airport or geographical area.
Which scenery should have the highest priority?
The most specific package normally receives the highest priority: an individual airport over a city pack, and a city pack over regional scenery or mesh.
| Overlap | Recommended action |
|---|---|
| Custom airport and default or World Update airport | Give the custom airport higher priority, or disable the optional official airport if the conflict remains. |
| Two custom versions of one airport | Disable the version you do not want. Priority alone may leave duplicate objects from both packages. |
| Airport and city scenery | Place the airport at higher priority so its local exclusions and terrain can take precedence. |
| Airport and regional mesh | Prioritise the airport, but use a compatibility patch if terrain spikes, trenches or plateaux remain. |
Scenery priority does not merge two airports intelligently. If each package uses different files or object identifiers, both sets of buildings, windsocks or ground markings can still appear. Disabling one airport is usually cleaner than trying to force both to coexist.
Does Community folder alphabetical order matter?
Alphabetical folder names are not a dependable way to control MSFS 2024 scenery priority.
Prefixes such as 01- or zzz- may appear to change an add-on's position in some circumstances, but the simulator also uses package identities, dependencies and its content index. Renaming packages can interfere with add-on managers and future updates, so use the Package Reorder Tool instead.
Should I edit Content.xml?
Manual content-index editing should be a last resort, not the normal procedure. File locations and handling differ across simulator generations, and MSFS can rebuild or replace generated content data. The in-simulator tool is less likely to create an invalid order.
Why did changing the load order not fix the scenery?
A load-order change only fixes a genuine priority conflict; it cannot repair missing dependencies, incompatible scenery or packages that draw separate overlapping objects.
- Test one airport package at a time. Disable every other package covering that ICAO, restart the simulator and add the other scenery back individually.
- Check required libraries. Missing object libraries can produce empty aprons, absent terminals or placeholder objects regardless of priority.
- Look for package-specific compatibility files. Airports interacting with photogrammetry, city packs or terrain mesh may require exclusions supplied by the developer.
- Verify that every package is enabled. Marketplace, My Library and Community packages are managed differently; our explanation of updating and managing World Updates and scenery covers those distinctions.
- Do not start by clearing the rolling cache. It rarely resolves a conflict between two locally installed airport packages.
If the preferred package disappears completely, loads without buildings or produces duplicate structures, follow our broader scenery loading and conflict checks before changing the order again.
Can I set scenery priority on Xbox or PlayStation?
Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro do not provide access to the PC Community folder or its Developer Mode Package Reorder Tool.
Console users can manage available scenery through the simulator's library and Marketplace content controls. When two optional airport packages conflict, the practical fix is to disable or remove one of them rather than trying to assign a manual load order.