How do I install Aerosoft aircraft repaints?

Install an Aerosoft repaint with the method built for that aircraft and simulator: use its Aerosoft livery utility when supplied, copy packaged MSFS liveries into the PC Community folder, or add legacy FSX/Prepar3D texture folders and the supplied [fltsim.x] entry. The repaint must match the exact base aircraft variant.

Which Aerosoft repaint installation method should I use?

Use the installation method named in the repaint's readme; Aerosoft branding alone does not determine the method. Aerosoft products span several simulator generations, and a repaint does not include the payware or freeware base aircraft.

Check the simulator generation, Aerosoft product name, aircraft version, fuselage length and engine or model variant before copying anything. Our repaint compatibility checklist explains how to identify the required base model from a download description.

X-Plane aircraft

For an Aerosoft-distributed X-Plane aircraft, put each named livery folder under [aircraft folder]/liveries/ while preserving its internal structure. If the archive already begins with a liveries folder, merge that folder at the aircraft root. X-Plane does not use an FSX-style aircraft.cfg entry.

How do I install an Aerosoft repaint in FSX or Prepar3D?

For FSX and Prepar3D, use the aircraft's supplied livery utility if it explicitly supports the download; otherwise install the texture folder and configuration block manually.

Using an Aerosoft livery utility

1. Confirm the base aircraft works. Load the exact Aerosoft model once before adding the repaint.
2. Open the utility supplied with that product. Do not use a livery manager from a different Aerosoft aircraft family merely because its name is similar.
3. Import the original repaint archive. Leave it compressed unless the readme specifically says to extract it first.
4. Select the exact variant. Match the engine, fuselage and model option named by the repaint author.
5. Restart the simulator. Look for the repaint beneath the base aircraft rather than as a separate add-on aircraft.

An “invalid package” or similar import error usually means the archive was made for manual installation, a different version of the utility or another aircraft variant. Renaming the ZIP file does not correct its internal format.

Manual FSX and Prepar3D installation

Manual installation places the repaint beside the aircraft's existing textures and registers it in that aircraft's configuration file. Our illustrated FSX texture-folder walkthrough covers the same underlying process.

1. Extract the download to a temporary folder. Do not work directly inside the compressed archive.
2. Find the correct aircraft directory. It normally sits under a SimObjects/Airplanes hierarchy. Prepar3D add-on packages may keep it outside the main simulator folder, so use the directory containing that aircraft's working aircraft.cfg and existing texture folders.
3. Back up aircraft.cfg. Copy the original file somewhere safe before editing it.
4. Copy the supplied texture folder. A folder named texture.Airline belongs beside the other texture.* folders for that exact Aerosoft variant.
5. Add the supplied configuration block. Paste the complete [fltsim.x] section into aircraft.cfg and replace x with the next free integer. Each section number and title= value must be unique.
6. Check the references. A line such as texture=Airline must correspond to texture.Airline. Keep the supplied model=, sim=, panel and sound values because they may select an Aerosoft-specific variant.
7. Save as plain text and restart. Ensure the editor has not silently created aircraft.cfg.txt.

Do not discard a supplied texture.cfg; it may provide fallback textures shared with the base aircraft. For a concrete reference, this worked Aerosoft A321 repaint example includes the required aircraft, placement details and complete configuration section.

How do I install an Aerosoft repaint in MSFS 2020 or 2024?

On PC, an MSFS repaint should be installed as a complete Community package rather than copied into the protected base-aircraft files.

1. Extract the download. Find the package folder that directly contains manifest.json and layout.json.
2. Copy that package folder into Community. Avoid an extra nested level such as Community/Repaint/Repaint/manifest.json.
3. Remove older copies. Two releases of the same livery can share package identities or aircraft registrations and prevent one another from loading.
4. Restart MSFS. Select the exact Aerosoft base aircraft, then choose the repaint from its available liveries or customisation options.

The active Community location varies with the simulator edition and chosen installation path. Our MSFS livery installation guide explains how to find it and recognise a correctly structured package.

Never place an FSX texture folder in MSFS and expect it to load. Likewise, do not assume every MSFS 2020 livery supports the MSFS 2024 edition of the aircraft unless its documentation says so. On Xbox and PlayStation 5, users cannot manually copy repaint files into a Community folder; the livery must be distributed through a supported in-simulator content channel.

Why is my Aerosoft livery not showing?

A missing Aerosoft repaint is usually caused by the wrong aircraft variant, an extra folder level or an invalid configuration entry—not by the image format itself.

If the base Aerosoft aircraft itself does not load, repair or reinstall that product before troubleshooting the repaint. A livery can supply textures and configuration data, but it cannot replace missing aircraft files.