How do I fix overlapping or duplicate scenery in FSX?

Overlapping or duplicate scenery in FSX and FSX: Steam Edition is usually caused by two active airport, object or elevation files covering the same location. Disable the less-preferred package, keep the specific airport above broader regional scenery, remove orphaned third-party BGLs, and let FSX rebuild its scenery database. Never delete default scenery files.

Common causes and tell-tale symptoms

The type of overlap usually reveals which scenery component is duplicated. A mistake we see constantly is treating every visual conflict as a library-priority problem when two incompatible airport files are actually active together.

Photoreal scenery merely covering the same geographic area is not automatically a duplicate. It becomes a conflict when both packages supply competing airport layouts, ground polygons, objects, vector data or elevation corrections.

How do I locate and disable duplicate FSX scenery?

The fastest reliable method is to return the affected location to stock FSX, confirm that it is correct, and then restore add-ons one at a time.

1. Record the exact location and symptom. Note the airport ICAO code and whether the problem affects runways, buildings, terrain or all three. This determines which files to investigate.
2. Back up the active configuration. Copy scenery.cfg and any third-party files you intend to change. Close FSX before moving or renaming BGL files.
3. Inspect the Scenery Library. Look for two entries covering the airport, duplicate entries pointing to the same folder, or a local airport installed alongside a regional or global airport package. Disable suspect entries rather than deleting them.
4. Test from a clean baseline. Disable non-default areas covering that location, restart FSX and allow its scenery database to rebuild. If stock scenery looks correct, enable the preferred airport alone and then restore regional layers one at a time. With a long library, disable half the suspect entries at a time to narrow the search.
5. Check for orphaned BGL files. Search active third-party scenery folders for the ICAO code. Names such as AF2_ICAO.bgl, AFX_ICAO.bgl and ADE_ICAO*.bgl are common, but naming is not standard. Use the package documentation or installer file list before disabling anything.
6. Keep one authoritative airport. Use the detailed local airport and disable that airport within the broader package if its configuration tool permits it. Otherwise, disable the conflicting package or move its confirmed third-party BGL outside every active scenery folder.
7. Set the final library order. Place the specific airport above broader city, regional and global scenery unless its documentation says otherwise. Our practical guidance on organising local, regional and global FSX add-ons explains the usual hierarchy and installation checks.

If the library contains repeated area definitions, invalid numbering or paths that reappear after removal, follow our safe steps for repairing the active scenery.cfg file. Boxed FSX and Steam Edition can use different configuration profiles when installed side by side, so make sure you are editing the copy the running simulator actually uses.

Why doesn't Scenery Library priority remove duplicates?

Library priority decides which layer takes precedence where FSX can override data, but it does not turn the lower package off. Two airport-layout or object-placement BGLs can both render unless the upper package supplies suitable exclusions.

Moving one airport higher may change which runway surface is visible while leaving duplicate taxiway signs, parking positions or buildings. In that case, disable one airport definition rather than repeatedly changing priority. Lowering Scenery Complexity may hide some objects, but it does not repair the conflict.

Do not rename or remove stock files such as APX*.bgl. A single default APX file can contain many airports, and removing it can damage unrelated locations. A correctly packaged airport should override or exclude the required default elements without deleting FSX's core scenery.

How do I fix overlapping terrain or airport elevations?

Raised, sunken or terraced airports normally point to an elevation conflict rather than a duplicated object layer. Airport packages often place a supporting elevation-adjustment BGL in Scenery\World\scenery; uninstalling only the main airport folder can leave that file active.

Identify the adjustment belonging to the old third-party package and disable only that file, preferably through the package's installer or configuration tool. Keep the preferred airport and its required elevation component together. Mesh resolution and coverage also affect which terrain is displayed, so moving a mesh entry down the library is not always sufficient; our explanation of FSX mesh resolution and elevation conflicts covers that diagnosis in detail.

What if the duplicate scenery is still visible?

If the overlap remains after disabling the expected area, FSX is probably loading another copy from a different active path or the selected airport package is incomplete.

• Check the actual local path shown for every relevant Scenery Library entry rather than relying on its display name.
• Look for an older copy under Addon Scenery, the Steam Edition installation, a boxed-FSX installation or %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore. Legacy installers can place files somewhere other than the folder selected during installation.
• Reinstall the complete preferred package if its exclusion or supporting BGL was accidentally removed. Installing only the main airport-layout file can leave default buildings visible underneath it.
• After every meaningful change, restart FSX and wait for the scenery database rebuild to finish. Clearing generated indexes cannot solve two BGLs that remain active.
• If disabling every third-party area fixes the airport, restore packages gradually until the overlap returns. The last restored package identifies one side of the conflict.

The correct final state is one active airport layout, one compatible set of custom objects and ground polygons, and only the elevation correction required by that chosen airport.