FSX aircraft and add-ons do not run natively in MSFS 2020 or 2024. Learn why, what can be converted and how to choose the correct version.
No. FSX aircraft and add-ons do not work natively in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. They use incompatible models, gauges, materials, sounds and package systems. Copying an FSX folder or running its installer against MSFS will not convert it; use an MSFS-specific release or a properly rebuilt, authorised port.
Is “FSX 2024” the same as Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
“FSX 2024” is not an official simulator or an updated edition of Flight Simulator X. FSX means Microsoft Flight Simulator X, the older Windows simulator commonly shortened to FSX or MS FSX. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 are separate products from a much newer technical generation.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is available on PC and Xbox, while Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro. The PC versions support manually installed packages, but that does not provide compatibility with FSX files. Console editions cannot use an FSX installer or arbitrary PC Community packages.
Why are FSX add-ons incompatible with MSFS?
FSX add-ons are incompatible because the modern simulators use different model pipelines, cockpit systems, rendering methods, flight-model data and package definitions.
FSX aircraft often contain legacy MDL models, panel definitions and compiled gauge DLLs designed for the older simulator’s 32-bit environment. MSFS cannot load those gauges. A working modern aircraft needs compatible models, materials, animations, instruments, behaviours, sounds, flight dynamics and package metadata.
Familiar file names can be misleading. FSX and MSFS may both use names such as aircraft.cfg, and scenery from different generations may use the BGL extension, but identical names do not mean that the contents or surrounding package systems are interchangeable.
| FSX add-on type | Works directly in MSFS? | What is actually needed |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | No | A native release or a substantial rebuild of the model, cockpit, systems, flight model and package. |
| Panels and gauges | No | Legacy gauges must be replaced with instruments and systems supported by MSFS. |
| Liveries | Usually no | The repaint must be remade for the exact MSFS model, texture mapping and material setup. |
| Scenery | No direct installation | Models, materials, ground layers, lighting and placement data normally require conversion and rework. |
| Sound packs | No as a complete package | Authorised source recordings may be reusable, but definitions, events and triggers must be rebuilt. |
| Flight plans | Sometimes | A simple route file may be importable if the particular format is supported; this does not make the rest of the add-on compatible. |
| External utilities | Only when explicitly supported | The utility developer must provide support for MSFS and its connection interfaces. |
What happens if you put an FSX aircraft in the MSFS Community folder?
An unconverted FSX aircraft normally will not appear in the aircraft selection screen because it is not a valid MSFS package.
Pointing an old installer at the Community folder does not perform a conversion. It merely deposits FSX files in the wrong location, sometimes alongside registry-dependent components or DLLs that MSFS cannot use.
- No aircraft in the menu: MSFS cannot identify the copied folder as a valid aircraft package. Remove it and obtain the correct MSFS edition.
- Blank or frozen instruments: the aircraft still depends on unsupported FSX gauges. The cockpit systems must be rebuilt; changing a configuration line will not fix them.
- Dead switches or animations: the required modern behaviours and animation definitions are missing.
- Black, pink, reflective or invisible surfaces: the textures, material channels or model definitions were not converted correctly.
- Missing or incorrectly triggered sound: the FSX sound configuration has not been recreated for the modern sound system.
- Unrealistic handling: legacy configuration values were copied without developing and tuning a suitable MSFS flight model.
If MSFS develops loading problems after an attempted installation, remove the copied FSX folder before troubleshooting anything else. Reinstalling it elsewhere within the MSFS package directory will not help.
Can FSX aircraft and scenery be converted to MSFS?
FSX content can be converted only through development work; conversion is not an ordinary installation procedure.
A recognisable exterior model is only the beginning. A credible aircraft port may need new materials, animations, cockpit behaviours, instruments, electrical and fuel logic, effects, sounds, flight dynamics and package metadata. Quality conversions normally require the original editable source assets and someone familiar with the MSFS development tools.
Automated tools may extract or translate part of a visual model, but they cannot turn an FSX gauge DLL into a functioning MSFS cockpit or recreate missing system logic. The result may look like the original aircraft from outside while remaining unusable from the flight deck.
Licensing matters as much as the technical work. Buying or downloading an FSX add-on does not automatically grant permission to unpack, modify or redistribute its models, textures, sounds or gauges. A converted payware package should not be shared unless the rights holder expressly permits it.
Can an FSX livery work on the same aircraft in MSFS?
An FSX livery will not normally fit the MSFS version of the same real aircraft because the two models use different texture layouts and material channels.
For example, matching aircraft names or variants do not prove compatibility. A repaint must target the exact base aircraft and edition named by its author; even liveries for two separate MSFS renditions of the same aeroplane are often incompatible with each other.
Do MSFS 2020 add-ons work in MSFS 2024?
Some MSFS 2020 add-ons work in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but that is a separate compatibility question from moving FSX content into either simulator.
MSFS 2020 and 2024 are related platforms, so many packages have a better chance of working across them. Compatibility still depends on the add-on type, dependencies, executable components, aircraft systems and whether its developer supports MSFS 2024. Complex aircraft and utilities deserve more caution than simple liveries.
Our detailed MSFS 2020-to-2024 compatibility guide explains which package types are most likely to transfer and why some require an update. That limited relationship does not extend backwards to FSX aircraft, gauges or scenery.
What should you use instead of an FSX add-on?
Use a native MSFS release for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024, and retain the original FSX edition when no authorised modern version exists.
- Choose the MSFS edition when you want modern cockpit integration, correct materials, supported installation and reliable simulator updates.
- Keep using the FSX edition when its original systems or features matter and no proper port has been released.
- Use a converted edition only when it is authorised, packaged for MSFS and clearly identifies the supported simulator.
We keep our native MSFS aircraft, scenery and mods separate from the files in our FSX add-on library. Two downloads depicting the same aircraft can have entirely different files and installation instructions.
You do not need to sacrifice a legacy collection to install a newer simulator. FSX and MSFS use separate program and content locations, so they can remain installed independently; our guidance on keeping FSX and Microsoft Flight Simulator on the same PC covers the practical precautions.
How can you check an add-on before installing it?
The supported-platform label and package structure are the decisive evidence, not the aircraft name, screenshots or presence of a familiar configuration file.
- Read the simulator requirement. Look for an explicit reference to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 or both. If only FSX or FSX and Prepar3D are listed, treat the download as incompatible with MSFS.
- Confirm the exact edition. Developers often release separate FSX and MSFS versions of the same product. Downloading the wrong edition cannot be corrected by changing its destination folder.
- Inspect a manual PC package. A normal MSFS package usually has metadata such as
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonat the package’s top level. If those files are buried inside an extra wrapper folder, even a genuine MSFS add-on may fail to appear until the nesting is corrected. - Check what the installer searches for. An executable installer is not automatically unsuitable, but one that asks for an FSX directory or relies on an FSX registry entry is installing the legacy edition.
- Match every dependency. Liveries, sound modifications and enhancement packages must support the exact base aircraft and simulator version you have installed.
- Account for the platform. PC installation instructions involving the
Communityfolder do not apply to Xbox or PlayStation editions. Console content must be supplied through channels supported by that console version. - Do not force the installation. Renaming folders, editing the simulator label or copying an FSX
aircraft.cfgfile cannot convert the underlying models and systems.