How do I fix MSFS scenery overlap and set priority?

To fix overlapping scenery in Microsoft Flight Simulator, disable duplicate airport or region packages, then give the scenery you want to keep higher priority so it loads after the package it replaces. If both add-ons place separate objects rather than override the same files, priority will not remove the duplicates; one package must be disabled.

What causes overlapping scenery in Microsoft Flight Simulator?

Overlapping scenery is usually caused by two active packages modifying the same airport, terrain tile or group of objects. This commonly happens after installing a replacement airport while retaining an older version, another developer’s airport, or an optional handcrafted airport package.

Default scenery normally sits beneath a correctly built replacement. However, two add-ons can each place independent objects at the same coordinates. Those placements are merged rather than substituted, so changing load order alone cannot make one set disappear.

How do I identify the conflicting scenery package?

The reliable way to identify a scenery conflict is to establish a clean baseline and re-enable packages one at a time.

1. List every package covering the location. Include airports, city packs, regional enhancements, mesh, object packs and old versions of the same product.
2. Check the active Community folder. Microsoft Store, Steam, custom installations and external managers can point to different locations. If the folder looks unexpectedly empty, use our instructions for locating the active Community folder and duplicate managed packages.
3. Disable all third-party scenery for the area. Move local packages outside the active Community folder or disable them through the simulator’s library or content-management controls. Do not delete them while diagnosing the problem.
4. Test the default airport. Load the same runway or parking position and confirm that the overlap has gone.
5. Enable the preferred airport by itself. Keep any libraries it explicitly requires active. Restarting Microsoft Flight Simulator between package sets removes uncertainty about scenery retained from the previous session.
6. Restore the remaining packages individually. The overlap’s return identifies the conflicting package. For large collections, clean, switchable test presets in MSFS Addons Linker make this much quicker.

A mistake we see often is removing only one folder when an airport was supplied as several packages, such as separate airport, objects and mesh components. Check for old copies under different folder names and externally managed links as well.

How do I set scenery package priority in MSFS?

On PC, set scenery package priority with the built-in Package Reorder Tool when your simulator build exposes it; the package intended to override another must have higher priority and load later.

1. Return to the main menu. Do not change package order during an active flight.
2. Open the Package Reorder Tool. In MSFS 2020 it is commonly exposed through the Experimental area of General Options; some simulator builds expose package tools through Developer Mode instead.
3. Find the internal package names. These may differ from the product name shown in the library. Identify every component belonging to the preferred scenery.
4. Raise the replacement’s priority. Use the tool’s labelled priority control so the preferred package is higher than, and loaded after, the scenery it replaces. Do not infer priority from alphabetical order or an unlabelled top-to-bottom display.
5. Keep related components together. If the scenery uses separate airport, object and mesh packages, move the set without arbitrarily reversing its internal order.
6. Apply the change and restart MSFS. Test the exact location again. If complete objects remain doubled, disable the competing package rather than repeatedly changing priority.

Menus and package controls differ between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024. If a PC installation does not provide the reorder tool, use the Community folder and library controls to enable only the preferred scenery. On Xbox, and on PlayStation 5 in MSFS 2024, there is no user-accessible Community folder for manual ordering; disable or uninstall the conflicting optional package through the simulator’s content library.

Why does scenery still overlap after changing priority?

Changing package priority fails when the conflicting scenery contains additive placements or when the preferred package has no exclusion covering them.

• Independent object placements: both terminals or sets of buildings are loaded, so one airport must be disabled.
• Missing exclusions: the replacement needs a corrected package or compatibility component from its author.
• Conflicting terrain data: mesh, flattening and terraforming can affect neighbouring tiles; retain only the terrain component intended for that airport.
• Duplicate installations: an old version may remain in the Community folder while a newer copy is enabled through an external manager.
• Official optional scenery: where the library allows it, disable the specific handcrafted airport rather than removing an entire regional package.

Renaming folders with prefixes such as zzz is not a dependable priority system. Folder names may be restored by an updater or external manager, and modern package ordering should be handled by the simulator’s tool. Manually editing Content.xml on MSFS 2020 PC is equally fragile because the simulator can regenerate or rewrite it.

Clearing the rolling cache will not remove duplicated terminals, runways or static objects; that cache concerns streamed world data rather than separate scenery placements. If the preferred airport disappears instead of overlapping, follow our checks for missing dependencies, inactive packages and scenery that fails to load.