Fix Microsoft Flight Simulator scenery conflicts by isolating add-ons, removing duplicate airports, checking libraries and handling official content.
To fix scenery conflicts in Microsoft Flight Simulator, remove all third-party scenery, confirm the affected airport works in a clean simulator, then restore packages in small batches until the fault returns. Keep only one airport package for each location, update required libraries, and disable any overlapping official airport.
This process applies to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, although library names, content controls and streamed packages differ between versions and platforms.
What does a scenery conflict look like?
A true scenery conflict occurs when two packages alter the same airport, terrain tile, object library or scenery layer in incompatible ways.
| Symptom | Likely cause | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate terminals, windsocks or runways | Two complete airport packages are active | Keep one package for that ICAO |
| Flickering aprons or ground markings | Overlapping ground polygons | Remove the older airport or its conflicting component |
| Terrain spikes, trenches or sunken buildings | Airport flattening, mesh or elevation data overlap | Test without regional mesh and terrain packages |
| Default buildings mixed with custom terminals | The custom airport lacks exclusions, or an official airport is also active | Disable the overlapping official or handcrafted airport |
| Pink textures or missing objects | Missing or incompatible library dependency | Install the library version required by the scenery |
| Crash while loading the airport | Damaged or incompatible package; not necessarily a visual conflict | Run the clean-folder test before investigating other crash causes |
How do I find which scenery add-on is conflicting?
The reliable method is to establish a clean baseline and restore packages progressively; guessing from folder names rarely identifies every conflict.
- Exit the simulator completely. Microsoft Flight Simulator scans packages during start-up, so changing scenery while it is running does not provide a dependable test.
- Record a repeatable test. Use the same airport, parking position, aircraft, weather and online scenery settings each time. This prevents changing conditions from looking like a scenery fix.
- Empty the active Community folder. Move its contents to a temporary folder outside the simulator's package directories. Do not delete anything, and avoid renaming the Community folder itself because the simulator may create another one. If the folder appears unexpectedly empty, use our checks for finding the active Community location before continuing.
- Test the airport with no Community add-ons. If the problem disappears, a third-party package is responsible. If it remains, inspect optional official content, Marketplace packages and simulator data instead; our broader checks for scenery that still fails in a clean simulator cover those cases.
- Restore one airport and its required libraries. Confirm that this minimal combination works, then add the remaining scenery in small groups. Our package-structure and small-batch isolation method also helps catch nested or incomplete installations.
- Split the failing group. When the fault returns, remove half of the last group and test again. Repeat until one package, or one specific pair of packages, reproduces the problem.
- Resolve rather than merely hide the conflict. Remove the duplicate airport, obtain a compatible package version, restore the specified library, or install the compatibility patch supplied for that combination. Restart the simulator and repeat the original test.
A mistake we see constantly is assuming the most recently installed package must be responsible. An older regional scenery, mesh package or shared library can remain unnoticed until a newer airport exposes the overlap.
Can two scenery add-ons cover the same airport?
Two complete replacements for the same airport should not normally be active together, even if changing package priority appears to make one look correct.
An airport can coexist with a regional object pack, mesh package or enhancement when the packages were designed to work together. Keep the airport's required dependencies and any specific compatibility patch. Do not combine MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 packages unless the package author explicitly supports that use.
When choosing between conflicting airports, keep the one built for your simulator version and remove the other fully. Also check for an official handcrafted or World Update airport at the same location. Disable that individual component through the simulator's content library when the controls allow it; do not manually edit packages in the official content area.
Should I delete Content.xml or change package order?
Do not start by deleting Content.xml, renaming package folders alphabetically or forcing a new load order.
Some MSFS 2020 installations use or rebuild Content.xml, while newer package-management behaviour differs. Resetting it may alter saved priorities, but it cannot make two incompatible airport replacements coexist correctly.
Use the simulator's package-reordering control, when available, only for layers intended to work together. A compatibility patch should take priority over the packages it modifies. For two full airports serving the same ICAO, removal is safer than load-order manipulation.
Will clearing the rolling cache fix a scenery conflict?
Clearing the rolling cache does not normally fix a package conflict because the cache stores streamed world data rather than Community-package priority.
Clear or recreate it only after removing the conflicting package if stale terrain, aerial imagery or photogrammetry remains. Doing it before the clean-folder test adds another variable and can make diagnosis less clear.
How do I fix scenery conflicts on Xbox or PlayStation?
Console users must isolate scenery through Microsoft Flight Simulator's in-simulator library because they cannot move Community-folder packages directly.
On Xbox, and on PlayStation for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, disable or uninstall recently added scenery one package at a time, restart the simulator and repeat the same airport test. Check separately for an official airport and a third-party replacement covering the same location.
If the failure is a crash rather than duplicated or malformed scenery, complete the clean-package test first and then follow the separate WASM crash diagnosis where the affected add-on uses compiled modules.