Install an aircraft livery in MSFS, X-Plane, FSX, Prepar3D, FS2004, DCS or FlightGear, with exact file locations and missing-livery fixes.
To install an aircraft livery in a flight simulator, first match the repaint to the exact aircraft and simulator version. Extract the download, read its instructions, then place or import the files using that simulator’s method. Restart the simulator and select the new paint scheme in the aircraft or livery menu.
The method differs between Microsoft Flight Simulator, X-Plane, FSX, Prepar3D, FS2004, DCS and FlightGear. A livery normally contains textures and configuration data, not a flyable aircraft, so the required base aircraft must already be installed.
Check livery compatibility before installing
A livery must match the exact base aircraft, simulator and often the correct model variant.
- Simulator: Do not assume an MSFS 2020 livery works in MSFS 2024, or that an FSX repaint works in Prepar3D, unless its creator lists that compatibility.
- Aircraft developer: Liveries made for two developers’ versions of the same aircraft type are rarely interchangeable because their models and texture layouts differ.
- Variant: Passenger, freighter, engine, winglet and fuselage-length variants may use different texture mapping.
- Base package: A repaint for a paid or freeware add-on will not add that aircraft to the simulator. Install the named base aircraft first.
A mistake we see constantly is installing a livery merely because the aircraft name looks right. Match the developer, model and variant shown in the download description or readme file.
Where do aircraft livery files go?
Each simulator expects livery files in a different package structure.
| Simulator | Usual installation method | Main gotcha |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 | Place the extracted package in the active Community folder. Our complete MSFS Community-folder method explains how to identify the correct folder and select the repaint. | The package’s manifest and layout files should normally be directly inside its root folder. An extra nested folder prevents detection. |
| FSX and legacy Prepar3D aircraft | Copy the supplied texture.name folder into the aircraft folder and add its [fltsim.x] block to aircraft.cfg. See our detailed FSX texture and aircraft.cfg procedure. | The section number and title= must be unique, while texture=, model= and sim= must point to the correct files or variant. Some Prepar3D products use a separate add-on package instead. |
| FS2004 | Install the texture folder beside the aircraft’s existing textures and add the supplied configuration entry. Our FS2004 repaint configuration example covers the classic process. | A duplicate or broken [fltsim.x] entry can stop the repaint appearing. |
| X-Plane | Preserve the supplied structure under Aircraft/liveries/Livery Name. Aircraft exterior textures are commonly inside that livery’s objects folder. | The livery belongs inside the exact aircraft package, not X-Plane’s top-level aircraft directory by itself. |
| DCS | User liveries normally go under the active Saved Games DCS profile in Liveries/Aircraft Identifier/Livery Name. | The aircraft identifier must match the internal DCS name, which may differ from the name shown in the menu. |
| FlightGear | Keep the aircraft-specific archive structure and install it in the location specified by the package. The FlightGear archive and livery-selection steps cover the supported approaches. | Flattening or rearranging the downloaded folders commonly breaks texture paths. |
These file-based methods apply to PC. On Xbox, and in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PlayStation 5, you cannot copy a downloaded PC livery into a Community folder; the livery must be supplied through a console-compatible in-simulator content system.
Some managed aircraft use their own importer instead of the normal simulator folder. For example, a PMDG livery supplied as a .ptp package is imported through PMDG Operations Center rather than copied intact into the MSFS Community folder.
How do I install a downloaded livery safely?
A safe installation keeps the original aircraft untouched wherever the simulator supports separate livery packages.
- Confirm the match. Compare the simulator, aircraft developer, model and variant with the livery description.
- Extract the archive. Unpack ZIP, RAR or 7z downloads to a temporary folder; do not place the unopened archive in the simulator.
- Read the supplied instructions. If the aircraft uses an installer or management application, that package-specific method takes priority over generic folder instructions.
- Back up configuration files. Before editing
aircraft.cfgin FSX, Prepar3D or FS2004, save an unchanged copy. - Copy or import the livery. Preserve the supplied subfolders and check that an extra same-named directory has not been created during extraction.
- Restart and select it. Choose the correct base aircraft, then open its liveries, variants or paint-scheme list. Some simulators only scan new packages when they start.
Why is my installed livery not showing?
An installed livery usually fails to appear because it is in the wrong folder, belongs to another aircraft variant or has an invalid configuration entry.
- Wrong Community folder: Multiple MSFS installations or a custom packages location can leave an old, inactive Community folder on the computer.
- Double nesting: A path such as
Community/Livery/Livery/package filesis a common extraction error. - Missing base aircraft: The livery cannot create the aircraft it was designed to repaint.
- Configuration error: In FSX and FS2004, check for duplicate
[fltsim.x]numbers or titles and confirm that thetexture=suffix matches the texture folder name. - Wrong installation type: A package intended for an aircraft manager or importer may not work when copied manually.
- Disabled or conflicting package: Confirm the livery is enabled, then test it without another repaint package using the same internal identifiers.
What do pink, chequered or plain white textures mean?
Pink, chequered or unexpectedly white surfaces mean the simulator found the aircraft or livery entry but could not load the correct textures or material references.
Re-extract the package, preserve its directory structure and verify the exact aircraft variant. In FSX-family simulators, recheck the texture= and model= values; in package-based simulators, replace the livery with a clean copy rather than mixing in textures from another repaint.
Can the same livery work on another version of the aircraft?
A livery should not be used on another aircraft model unless its creator explicitly lists that model as compatible.
Even two add-ons representing the same real aircraft may use different UV maps, material names and file structures. Forcing the repaint onto another model can produce missing textures, reversed logos, displaced markings or a livery that never appears.
How do I uninstall an aircraft livery?
Remove a livery using the same system that installed it, without deleting shared files belonging to the base aircraft.
For MSFS package liveries, remove the standalone package from the Community folder. In X-Plane, remove only that aircraft’s named livery folder. For FSX, Prepar3D and FS2004, delete the matching texture folder and its exact [fltsim.x] block from the backed-up aircraft.cfg; renumber later entries if removing it leaves a break in the sequence.