Install FSX liveries in boxed and Steam Edition: find the right folder, edit aircraft.cfg safely, and fix repaints that do not show or work.
To install an FSX livery, extract the repaint, copy its complete texture folder into the correct aircraft folder under SimObjects\Airplanes, then add the supplied [fltsim.x] entry to that aircraft's aircraft.cfg. Give it the next unique number, save the file, restart FSX or FSX: Steam Edition, and show all variations.
What do you need before installing FSX liveries?
An FSX livery is usually a texture-only repaint, not a complete aircraft. The required base aircraft must already be installed, and the repaint must match its exact developer, model and variant.
The mistake we see most often is treating aircraft names as compatibility standards. A repaint for the default Boeing 737-800 will not fit an unrelated 737 add-on because each model has its own texture mapping. Engine, fuselage and winglet variants can also require different textures or a different model= value.
Read the included instructions and check the requirements listed with files in our FSX aircraft and repaint library. Do not assume that an FS2004, Prepar3D or modern Microsoft Flight Simulator livery will work in FSX merely because the aircraft name is the same.
| Package contents | Correct installation method |
|---|---|
A texture.name folder and a supplied [fltsim.x] block | Use the manual method below. |
An .air file plus complete model, panel, sound and texture folders | This is probably a full aircraft; follow the complete-aircraft installation steps instead. |
| A vendor installer or livery manager | Use that tool when the aircraft's documentation requires it. It may create configuration entries or maintain its own livery database. |
Aircraft-specific tools are preferable when supplied by the developer. For example, the livery-utility procedure for Aerosoft Airbus X differs from installing an ordinary repaint ZIP by hand. Manual edits made behind a manager's back may be overwritten later.
Where is the FSX aircraft folder?
Standard FSX aircraft are stored under SimObjects\Airplanes inside the simulator installation. These are the usual paths on 64-bit Windows when the default installation location was accepted:
| 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 location will differ if FSX or the Steam library was installed on another drive. Find the active installation's fsx.exe, open SimObjects and then Airplanes. Use the existing folder for the required base aircraft; do not create a separate aircraft folder containing only the new textures.
Some add-ons use another folder registered through FSX's simulator-object paths. In that case, install the repaint beside the aircraft.cfg belonging to the aircraft FSX actually loads, not into a second copy found elsewhere.
How do I install an FSX livery manually?
- Extract the entire download. Work from a temporary folder rather than opening or editing files inside the ZIP archive. Check whether the archive already reproduces a
SimObjects\Airplanesfolder structure. - Confirm the required base aircraft. Open its existing folder and verify that it contains
aircraft.cfg, an.airfile and the model named by the repaint instructions. - Close FSX and back up aircraft.cfg. Keep an unchanged copy outside the aircraft folder. This is the quickest way to recover from an incomplete or malformed entry.
- Copy the complete texture folder. Place a folder such as
texture.airlinebesideaircraft.cfg. Do not merge its individual files into the aircraft's maintexturefolder unless the author explicitly instructs you to do that. - Check for accidental nesting. The texture files should not end up under
texture.airline\texture.airline. This extra folder level is a common result of extracting and then copying the enclosing directory. - Add the supplied configuration block. Open
aircraft.cfgin a plain-text editor and paste the complete[fltsim.x]section immediately after the other[fltsim]entries. Do not replace the entire configuration file with one supplied for a repaint unless its instructions expressly require it. - Assign the next number. FSX entries normally begin with
[fltsim.0]. If the last entry is[fltsim.7], rename the new one[fltsim.8]. Each section number must be unique, and keeping the sequence unbroken avoids discovery problems. - Verify the references. A folder named
texture.airlinerequirestexture=airline, nottexture=texture.airline. Preserve the suppliedsim=,model=,panel=andsound=values because they select the aircraft's working files and physical variant. - Save the real CFG file. Ensure it remains
aircraft.cfg, notaircraft.cfg.txt. If Windows blocks changes underProgram Files, edit a copy elsewhere and copy it back with administrator approval. - Restart FSX and select the variation. Open the aircraft-selection screen and enable Show all variations. The repaint will be grouped under the manufacturer, type and variation names defined in its configuration entry.
What if the repaint has no fltsim entry?
If no [fltsim.x] block is supplied, copy an existing block from the same aircraft and the same model variant. Change its section number, title=, texture= and ui_variation=, while retaining the known-working flight model, model, panel and sound references.
Do not guess a different model= value simply because its folder name looks plausible. If the repaint requires a special model and provides no instructions, compatibility cannot be established safely from the livery name alone.
What does the aircraft.cfg livery entry control?
The [fltsim.x] entry connects the new textures to an FSX aircraft and determines how that variation appears in the selection menu.
| Entry | What to check |
|---|---|
title= | Must be a unique internal aircraft title. Duplicate titles can cause a variation to be ignored or conflict with AI aircraft. |
sim= | Names the aircraft's .air file without its extension. |
model= | Selects model when blank or a suffixed folder such as model.variant when a suffix is present. |
texture= | Selects the suffix of the corresponding texture.name folder. |
panel= and sound= | Select the panel and sound aliases or folders used by that variation. |
ui_manufacturer=, ui_type= and ui_variation= | Control where the aircraft is grouped and the livery name shown in FSX. |
ATC fields can change the displayed registration, flight number or spoken airline name, but they do not connect the texture folder to the model.
Why is my FSX livery not showing?
An FSX livery that does not appear is usually installed under the wrong aircraft or has a broken [fltsim.x] entry. Check these causes in order:
- Wrong FSX installation: make sure you edited the copy used by the active boxed or Steam installation, particularly if both have been installed on the computer.
- Wrong base aircraft: verify the exact developer, model and engine or wing configuration required by the repaint.
- Nested folder: move the actual
texture.namefolder so that it sits directly besideaircraft.cfg. - Texture suffix mismatch:
texture=airlinemust correspond totexture.airline. - Duplicate or skipped configuration entry: check the full sequence of
[fltsim.x]numbers and make eachtitle=value unique. - Incorrect model or flight model: compare
sim=andmodel=with a working variation of the exact same aircraft. - File saved with the wrong name: reveal file extensions in Windows and remove any unintended
.txtextension. - Hidden variation: enable Show all variations and clear any manufacturer or aircraft filters in the selection screen.
- Manager-controlled aircraft: reinstall through the aircraft's livery utility if manual entries are being removed or ignored.
Default aircraft have a few recurring configuration quirks of their own. Use our focused checks for hidden default-aircraft repaints if the texture belongs to an aircraft supplied with FSX.
What should I check when an FSX livery doesn't work?
If the livery appears in the menu but loads incorrectly, the symptom usually identifies a texture, fallback or model-compatibility problem.
- Black, grey, white or incomplete surfaces: check that the repaint's
texture.cfgand all supplied texture files were copied. The fallback may point to shared base textures that must remain installed. - Parts use the wrong paint: confirm that
model=selects the exact variant for which the repaint was made. Similar variants can map wings, engines and fuselage sections differently. - Blank preview image: a missing or misnamed
thumbnail.jpgaffects the aircraft-selection preview but does not normally stop the livery from loading. - Mirrored or reversed markings: this may be a limitation of the model's texture mapping rather than an installation fault.
- Problems only with DX10 Preview enabled: older texture formats and effects may not display correctly in that mode. Disable DX10 Preview as a diagnostic test; if the fault disappears, obtain an FSX-compatible repaint or correction rather than changing unrelated settings.
- The aircraft disappears after editing: restore the backed-up
aircraft.cfg, confirm the base aircraft works, then add the repaint entry again. Look for a missing bracket, duplicate section number or an accidentally deleted line.
Will boxed FSX liveries work in Steam Edition?
Most ordinary FSX repaint packages work in both boxed FSX and FSX: Steam Edition because they use the same texture-folder and [fltsim.x] structure. The main difference is the installation path.
Older automatic installers may default to the boxed FSX directory even when only Steam Edition is in use. Verify that the destination is the Steam folder containing fsx.exe, then check that the installer has not created another nested FSX directory. Aircraft-specific installers may also require their own Steam Edition procedure.
How do I remove an FSX livery?
Close FSX, remove the livery's complete [fltsim.x] block from aircraft.cfg, and delete only its associated texture.name folder. Renumber later entries if necessary so the sequence remains continuous, then restart the simulator.
Before deleting the texture folder, check that no other variation refers to it. Never remove shared model, panel, sound or base texture folders. If a dedicated livery manager installed the repaint, use the same manager to remove it.