Find every FSX: Steam Edition add-on and payware location, including aircraft, scenery, gauges, AppData and custom Steam library folders.
FSX: Steam Edition add-ons are usually installed inside the simulator’s root folder, normally C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\FSX. Aircraft go under SimObjects, while scenery, gauges and effects use their matching folders. Payware may also store configuration, licence and cache files in Windows user-data folders or an external scenery directory.
There is no single universal Add-ons folder. A complex payware package can place files in several locations, and the main FSX folder may be elsewhere if Steam uses a custom library.
How do I find the active FSX: Steam Edition folder?
Steam’s Browse local files command is the safest way to find the installation actually being used.
- Open your Steam Library. Find Microsoft Flight Simulator X: Steam Edition.
- Open the installation folder. Use Browse local files, found under Manage or Installed Files depending on the Steam client layout.
- Confirm the root folder. The correct location contains
fsx.exealongside folders such asSimObjects,Scenery,GaugesandEffects.
The standard location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\FSX. A custom library might instead use D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\FSX or, more generally, <SteamLibrary>\steamapps\common\FSX.
When an installer asks for the FSX directory, select the folder containing fsx.exe. Do not point it directly at SimObjects\Airplanes unless the installer specifically requests an aircraft folder. Our manual aircraft installation walkthrough explains how a complete aircraft package fits beneath that root.
Which folder contains each type of FSX add-on?
Most conventional FSX: Steam Edition add-ons use predictable subfolders, although installers may divide one product across several of them.
| Add-on content | Usual location below the FSX root | Common exception |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft | SimObjects\Airplanes\<aircraft folder> | Helicopters may use SimObjects\Rotorcraft; extra SimObject paths can also be declared in the FSX configuration. |
| Liveries | Inside the relevant aircraft folder, normally as an additional texture folder | The matching repaint entry is added to that aircraft’s configuration file. |
| Scenery | Addon Scenery\<package> | Large scenery packages often remain in an external folder and are registered with the Scenery Library. |
| Gauges | Gauges | Aircraft-specific gauges can be kept with the aircraft’s panel files. |
| Effects | Effects | Associated effect textures normally go into the texture subfolder beneath it. |
| Sounds | The aircraft’s own sound folder or the global Sound folder | The required location depends on how the package references its sound files. |
| Modules and utilities | Modules or another product-specific folder | Executable utilities may be installed outside FSX and launched through a configuration entry or shortcut. |
Why are some payware files outside the FSX folder?
Payware often splits simulator content from settings, activation data, installers, caches and updater files.
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\FSXor%APPDATA%\Microsoft\FSX-SEcan contain FSX configuration and add-on launch registrations.%PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\FSXor%PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\FSX-SEcan hold shared configuration, including scenery records.%LOCALAPPDATA%may contain caches, temporary data or product-specific support files.%USERPROFILE%\Documentsmay contain manuals, saved settings, flight files or folders created by a payware utility.- A product manager or updater can have its own directory under one of the Windows program-file locations.
FSX: Steam Edition may use either FSX or FSX-SE profile names depending on whether boxed FSX has existed on the same computer and how the installations were detected. Check both rather than merging or deleting either folder blindly. AppData and ProgramData are hidden by default, but their environment-variable paths can be pasted directly into File Explorer.
External scenery is another major exception. Its textures and BGL files can be on any drive; FSX merely records the location in its scenery configuration. This is why searching only steamapps\common\FSX can miss a working payware airport or terrain package.
Why did the installer create a second FSX folder?
An older boxed-FSX installer may target C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X instead of the Steam installation.
If that newly created folder does not contain the active fsx.exe, the add-on has probably been installed into a false directory tree. Remove or rerun the package using its installer, then select the genuine Steam root. Do not drag the whole false tree into FSX indiscriminately because it may include configuration files or stock-file replacements that require specific placement.
Older installers can also depend on boxed-FSX registry entries, obsolete copy protection or a particular installation layout. Check our boxed-versus-Steam add-on compatibility notes before forcing such a package into the Steam directory.
With some legacy installers, Windows redirects attempted writes from the protected Program Files directory into %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore. If an installer reports success but its files are absent, inspect the corresponding VirtualStore path and then reinstall correctly rather than leaving a split installation.
How can I confirm where a specific add-on is loaded from?
Use the references FSX reads rather than relying only on the product name shown by its installer.
- Aircraft: locate its
aircraft.cfgbeneath a standard or configured SimObject path. - Scenery: inspect the area’s path in the Scenery Library or scenery configuration.
- Startup modules: check the FSX profile’s
dll.xmlandexe.xmlentries for relative or absolute paths. - Payware utilities: inspect their shortcut target, installation record or installer log.
Can I copy or delete the files directly?
A copy of the main FSX directory does not necessarily capture external scenery, profile data or activation records. Before moving or reinstalling the simulator, follow our guidance on backing up FSX settings and add-on locations.
For removal, use the product’s uninstaller first because payware commonly spans several directories. The Steam Edition add-on removal checklist covers the leftover aircraft, scenery registrations, modules and user-data files that manual deletion often misses.