FSX & FSX: Steam Edition Updated Sat, 18 Jul 2026 22:54:19 GMT 6 min read

How do I install liveries in FSX?

Install FSX liveries correctly: find the aircraft folder, add texture files and fltsim entries, fix missing repaints, and use Steam Edition paths.

By Adam McEnroeFile Library Manager

To install a livery in FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, extract its texture folder into the correct aircraft’s folder, add the supplied [fltsim.x] block to that aircraft’s aircraft.cfg, renumber the block sequentially, and restart FSX. The repaint must match the exact base aircraft and model variant.

What do you need before installing an FSX livery?

An FSX livery is normally a texture-only repaint, so the required base aircraft must already be installed. A repaint made for the default Boeing 737-800 will not work on a different 737 model, and liveries for one add-on developer’s aircraft are not interchangeable with another’s.

Check the readme for the aircraft name, variant and required add-ons. Our guide to finding compatible airline liveries and their base-aircraft requirements explains what to check before downloading.

If the archive includes an .air file plus complete model, panel, sound and texture folders, it may be a complete aircraft rather than a repaint. Use our FSX add-on aircraft installation instructions for that type of package.

Where is the FSX aircraft folder?

FSX liveries belong under SimObjects\Airplanes in the simulator’s installation directory. These are the usual locations on a 64-bit Windows installation:

FSX edition	Typical aircraft folder
Boxed FSX	`C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\SimObjects\Airplanes`
FSX: Steam Edition	`C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\FSX\SimObjects\Airplanes`

Your path will differ if FSX or the Steam library was installed elsewhere. Find the folder containing fsx.exe, then open SimObjects and Airplanes. Inside it, locate the folder for the exact aircraft named by the repaint instructions.

How do I install an FSX livery manually?

Extract the download to a temporary folder. Do not work directly inside the ZIP archive. Read the included instructions because some packages already reproduce the required SimObjects\Airplanes folder structure.
Confirm the base aircraft. Locate its folder under SimObjects\Airplanes. It should contain aircraft.cfg and usually folders named model, panel, sound and one or more texture variants.
Back up aircraft.cfg. Copy the original file somewhere safe before editing it. This makes a malformed entry or accidental overwrite easy to reverse.
Copy the supplied texture folder. Place the complete folder—often named something such as texture.airline—beside aircraft.cfg. Do not copy only its individual image files into the base texture folder unless the readme specifically says to do so.
Add the supplied fltsim entry. Open aircraft.cfg in a plain-text editor and paste the supplied [fltsim.x] block after the existing [fltsim] sections. Never replace the whole configuration file with one from a repaint unless its instructions explicitly require that.
Assign the next section number. If the last entry is [fltsim.7], use [fltsim.8]. Each number must be unique; keeping the sequence unbroken avoids aircraft-discovery problems.
Check the texture reference. A folder named texture.airline requires texture=airline. The text after the full stop must match exactly.
Save without changing the extension. Ensure the file remains aircraft.cfg, not aircraft.cfg.txt. If Windows blocks saving under Program Files, edit a copy elsewhere and then copy it back with administrator approval.
Restart FSX. Open the aircraft-selection screen and enable the option to show all variations if necessary. The repaint should appear under the manufacturer, aircraft type and variation names defined in its entry.

The Boeing 737-800 repaint package and its installation notes provide a practical example of the standard texture-folder and aircraft.cfg method.

What does the fltsim entry control?

The [fltsim.x] entry connects the repaint’s textures to the correct flight model and controls how the livery is listed in FSX. The most relevant lines are:

Entry	Purpose
`title=`	A unique internal name. Duplicate titles can cause a repaint to be ignored or conflict with AI traffic.
`sim=`	The base name of the aircraft’s `.air` file. Preserve the value supplied for that aircraft.
`model=`	Selects a model folder and therefore the physical variant, such as one with different engines or winglets.
`texture=`	Selects the matching `texture.name` folder.
`ui_manufacturer=`, `ui_type=` and `ui_variation=`	Determine where and under what name the aircraft appears in the selection menu.

If no entry is supplied, copy an existing [fltsim] block from the same aircraft and model variant. Change its section number, title=, texture= and ui_variation=, while retaining the working sim=, model=, panel and sound values.

Why is my FSX livery not showing?

A missing livery is usually caused by a folder mismatch or an invalid [fltsim] entry. Check these faults in order:

Wrong aircraft or variant: verify that the repaint was made for the exact base model, not merely an aircraft with a similar name.
Nested texture folder: the actual files may be inside texture.airline\texture.airline after extraction. Only one texture-folder level should normally sit beside aircraft.cfg.
Mismatched texture value: texture=airline must point to texture.airline.
Duplicate title or section number: every title= and [fltsim.x] identifier should be unique.
Incorrect sim or model value: restore the values specified by the repaint author or copied from the correct existing variant.
Hidden variations: set the aircraft-selection window to display all variations.
Configuration not saved: check for a stray aircraft.cfg.txt file or a Windows permissions error.

A missing thumbnail.jpg affects the preview image but does not normally prevent the livery from loading. Black, grey or incomplete textures often mean the repaint’s texture.cfg fallback file is absent, the package was installed into the wrong model, or its older texture format has a problem with FSX’s DX10 Preview mode. Disable DX10 Preview as a diagnostic test, but retain the original graphics setting if the repaint is not the cause.

Will boxed FSX liveries work in Steam Edition?

Most ordinary FSX repaint packages work in both boxed FSX and FSX: Steam Edition because the aircraft and [fltsim] structure is the same. The usual difference is the installation path.

For an automatic installer, verify its destination before proceeding. Older installers may default to the boxed FSX directory; point them to the Steam Edition folder containing fsx.exe. After installation, check that the texture folder was not placed in a second, incorrectly nested FSX directory.

How do I remove an FSX livery?

Remove a repaint by deleting its complete [fltsim.x] block from aircraft.cfg and then deleting only its associated texture.name folder. Renumber later [fltsim] sections to close the gap, save the file and restart FSX.

Do not delete shared model, panel, sound or base texture folders. Other liveries—and the aircraft itself—may depend on them.