Fix missing aircraft thumbnails in FSX and Steam Edition by restoring thumbnail.jpg, checking texture folders and repairing default files.
Missing aircraft thumbnails in FSX and FSX: Steam Edition are usually caused by an absent or misnamed thumbnail.jpg in a livery’s texture folder. Put a valid JPEG with that exact name in the folder referenced by the variation’s texture= line in aircraft.cfg, then restart FSX. Repair the installation if default-aircraft thumbnails are missing.
Where does thumbnail.jpg go in FSX?
Each aircraft variation’s thumbnail.jpg belongs directly in the texture folder selected by its aircraft.cfg entry.
For example, texture=Blue under a [fltsim.x] section points to:
...\SimObjects\Airplanes\AircraftName\texture.Blue\thumbnail.jpg
If the line is simply texture=, FSX uses the folder named texture. Helicopters are normally under SimObjects\Rotorcraft instead. The Steam and boxed editions may have different installation roots, but this structure inside SimObjects is the same.
A mistake we see constantly is placing the thumbnail in the main aircraft folder, a shared fallback folder or the wrong livery folder. Even when texture.cfg borrows aircraft textures from elsewhere, keep the preview image in the local folder selected by texture=.
Which problem are you seeing?
The scope of the failure usually identifies what needs fixing.
| Symptom | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| One livery has no preview | Its thumbnail.jpg is missing, corrupt or in the wrong texture folder |
| Every livery for one add-on lacks a preview | The package omitted thumbnails or was extracted with the wrong folder structure |
| Default FSX aircraft have missing previews | Default JPEG files were deleted or replaced |
| The livery is absent from the aircraft list | An aircraft.cfg or installation problem, not a thumbnail problem |
| The aircraft preview works but the model is white | Missing or incorrectly referenced aircraft textures |
How do I restore one missing aircraft thumbnail?
Restore a single preview by confirming its texture-folder mapping before creating or replacing the image.
- Close FSX. The aircraft selection screen may not refresh reliably while the simulator remains open.
- Open the aircraft’s folder. Fixed-wing aircraft normally sit under
SimObjects\Airplanes. If the files are nested strangely oraircraft.cfgis not beside the model, panel and sound folders, compare the layout with our FSX add-on aircraft installation structure. - Identify the affected variation. Open
aircraft.cfg, find the relevant[fltsim.x]section by itstitle=orui_variation=value, and note itstexture=line. - Check the matching texture folder. It must contain a real JPEG named
thumbnail.jpg. Turn on file-name extensions in Windows so that a file such asthumbnail.jpg.jpgis not hidden from view. - Create a replacement if necessary. Crop an aircraft screenshot to a 2:1 shape and save it as an ordinary RGB JPEG. The conventional FSX thumbnail size is 256 × 128 pixels, which avoids unnecessary scaling in the selection menu.
- Restart FSX and reopen the aircraft selector. Check the exact livery rather than another variation of the same aircraft.
Renaming a PNG or bitmap to .jpg does not convert it. If a correctly placed file is still ignored, open it in an image editor and export it again as a standard RGB JPEG. Also check that it is not empty or damaged.
Why are all default FSX thumbnails missing?
Missing previews across the default fleet usually require file repair rather than manually creating dozens of thumbnails.
- FSX: Steam Edition: use Steam’s installed-file verification function to restore missing default files.
- Boxed FSX: run the repair option from the original installer or installation media.
- Back up modifications first: verification or repair can overwrite edited default aircraft files, repaints and configuration changes.
Deleting fsx.cfg will not recreate missing thumbnail JPEGs, so it is not an appropriate first fix. If only one downloaded aircraft is affected, check whether its package includes a correction; for example, our Piper J-3 Cub thumbnail and configuration fix supplies the missing preview files for that specific add-on.
What if the livery itself is missing from the list?
A thumbnail cannot make an unregistered livery appear in FSX; the corresponding [fltsim.x] entry and texture folder must be valid first.
Check for unique, sequential variation entries, a correct texture= value and the required aircraft-selection fields. Our livery installation and configuration instructions cover that separate fault without confusing it with the preview image.
Does a missing thumbnail affect the aircraft in flight?
No. thumbnail.jpg is used only by the FSX aircraft-selection screen and has no effect on the model, cockpit, gauges or exterior paint.
If the preview is present but the loaded aircraft is white or untextured, diagnose the texture files and their references instead; the relevant checks are covered in our guide to fixing white FSX add-on aircraft.