Can I delete the SceneryIndexes folder in MSFS 2024 and 2020?
Yes—safely delete or rename SceneryIndexes in MSFS 2024 and 2020. See where it is, what MSFS rebuilds, and which Packages folders to keep.
Yes—on PC, with Microsoft Flight Simulator fully closed, you can safely rename or delete the SceneryIndexes folder. MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 rebuild this generated package catalogue at launch. Your installed Official, Marketplace and Community scenery remains intact, provided you delete only SceneryIndexes, not the surrounding packages folders.
What is SceneryIndexes in MSFS 2024 and 2020?
SceneryIndexes contains generated records that help Microsoft Flight Simulator catalogue the scenery packages available to it. It does not contain the actual airports, aircraft, world updates or Community add-ons.
MSFS 2024 streams more content than MSFS 2020, including under its Sim Update 5 content model, but the distinction remains the same: index data can be regenerated; installed package data should not be casually deleted. The two simulators also keep separate user profiles, so rebuilding the MSFS 2020 folder will not repair an MSFS 2024 installation, or vice versa.
Where is the SceneryIndexes folder on PC?
On PC, SceneryIndexes is normally inside the active simulator profile or cache data, not the protected game installation directory.
- Microsoft Store or Xbox app installation: look under the correct Flight Simulator app container within
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages, then within its local cache or state data. Do not delete the top-levelPackagesdirectory. - Steam installation: look in the simulator’s per-user profile data under
%APPDATA%. This is separate from the main Steam game installation. - Custom content location: the package root containing folders such as
CommunityandOfficialmay be on another drive, butSceneryIndexesis usually retained with the user profile rather than that custom package root.
Folder placement can differ after a reinstall, a move between store editions or an upgrade from MSFS 2020 to MSFS 2024. If several profiles are present, first identify the active Community folder and packages location; this helps distinguish the live profile from abandoned folders left by an older installation.
I can’t see the setting or the folder — what should I do?
There is no in-game setting for SceneryIndexes; this is a PC file-level repair. Enable hidden items in File Explorer because AppData is hidden by default, then search the correct simulator profile for the exact folder name.
If the folder does not exist, launch the correct simulator once, allow it to reach its main interface and then close it normally. Check that you are looking at the right Microsoft Store, Xbox app or Steam profile. Some MSFS 2024 profiles may not create the folder until index data is needed; do not make an empty SceneryIndexes folder yourself.
How do you safely delete and rebuild SceneryIndexes?
Renaming the folder first is safer than deleting it immediately because it gives you a simple rollback if you selected the wrong profile.
- Finish any content update. Do not alter package data while Microsoft Flight Simulator is installing, updating or moving content.
- Close the simulator completely. Wait for its process to end. If Windows reports that the folder is in use, the simulator or a related process is still running.
- Confirm the active profile. Check that the folder belongs to the MSFS version and store edition you are troubleshooting.
- Rename the folder. Change
SceneryIndexestoSceneryIndexes.backup. This forces the same clean rebuild as deletion without immediately discarding the old files. - Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator. Let it complete its package scan and reach the main interface. The first start may take longer because the catalogue is being regenerated.
- Test the affected airport or scenery. Confirm that a new
SceneryIndexesfolder has appeared and that the relevant package is recognised. - Remove the backup later. Delete
SceneryIndexes.backuponly after the simulator has started and loaded scenery correctly.
To roll back, close MSFS, remove the newly generated SceneryIndexes folder and restore the backup’s original name. You will rarely need to do this, but it protects against changing the wrong profile.
Can you delete the Packages folder too?
No. A folder named Packages, the package installation root and SceneryIndexes are not interchangeable.
| Folder or data | What it contains | Safe to delete? |
|---|---|---|
SceneryIndexes | Generated scenery and package index data | Yes, with MSFS closed; renaming first is preferable |
Community | User-installed add-ons | No; deleting it removes those add-ons |
Official or the installed-packages root | Locally installed simulator, Marketplace and managed content | No; removal can force downloads or leave content unavailable |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages | Windows app containers for Flight Simulator and many other applications | No; never delete this entire directory |
| Rolling cache | Cached streamed terrain and imagery | Separate procedure; see what the rolling cache stores and when to rebuild it |
A mistake we see repeatedly is selecting a parent folder after finding SceneryIndexes through Windows search. Check the name before deleting anything: only the folder named exactly SceneryIndexes is the disposable index discussed here.
Which scenery problems can rebuilding the index fix?
Use an index rebuild when MSFS appears to retain stale package information after scenery has been installed, updated, moved or removed.
| Symptom | Should you rebuild SceneryIndexes? |
|---|---|
| An installed airport disappeared after an add-on or simulator update | Yes, after confirming that the package is still installed and enabled |
| Removed scenery still appears to be referenced | Yes; stale index data is a plausible cause |
| MSFS hangs while scanning packages or checking for updates | Try one rebuild; if it persists, use the fuller package-index repair sequence for a Checking for updates hang |
| Duplicate runways, terminals or buildings appear | Usually not; use a method for isolating conflicting scenery packages |
| Photogrammetry, satellite imagery or distant terrain is blurry | No; check online data, bandwidth, rendering settings and rolling cache instead |
| A Community add-on was extracted into the wrong folder or nested one level too deeply | No; the package structure or active Community location must be corrected |
| A Marketplace product has not been installed through the simulator’s content interface | No; rebuilding an index cannot catalogue package files that are absent |
Does deleting SceneryIndexes affect .FLT saved flights?
No. An .FLT file is saved-flight data, not a scenery index. Deleting SceneryIndexes neither removes nor repairs saved flights, flight plans, controller profiles or logbook records.
What if SceneryIndexes does not rebuild or the problem remains?
A failed rebuild usually means you changed an inactive profile, MSFS did not complete its scan or another package is causing the original fault.
- No new folder appears: confirm the simulator version and store edition, then allow MSFS to finish loading. Do not create the folder manually.
- Access is denied: check that MSFS has fully closed. Do not take ownership of the whole Windows
Packagestree merely to bypass the warning. - The package scan hangs again: a damaged or incompatible add-on may be blocking it. Temporarily remove the most recently added Community package and retry rather than repeatedly deleting the index.
- Scenery remains missing: verify that the package is installed, enabled and located in the active package path. An index rebuild cannot restore deleted files.
- The folder is rebuilt every launch but will not retain data: check for profile permissions, security software blocking writes or damaged user data.
Can you delete SceneryIndexes for the Xbox game or on PlayStation?
Only the PC version exposes the files needed for this procedure. An Xbox app or PC Game Pass installation is still a PC installation, so the method applies if its profile contains SceneryIndexes.
Xbox Series X|S does not provide access to the folder. MSFS 2024 on PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro also does not expose it, while MSFS 2020 was never released for PlayStation. Do not delete all console saved data to imitate a PC index rebuild; that is not equivalent and may remove local preferences or other user data.
Does this apply to a pirated copy?
We cannot give dependable file-repair instructions for pirated or modified builds. Their profile paths, package structure and update behaviour may differ from the supported Microsoft Store, Xbox app and Steam releases. Do not apply broad folder-deletion advice to an altered installation; use a legitimate, supported copy before troubleshooting its package index.