How do I install and manage Prepar3D add-ons?

Install Prepar3D add-ons with their supplied installer or, preferably, as an external add-on package containing an add-on.xml file. Match every add-on to your Prepar3D version and 32/64-bit architecture, keep it outside the core simulator folder where supported, activate it when prompted, then test and document it before installing another.

Which Prepar3D add-on installation method should I use?

Use the method specified by the add-on author; when several methods are supported, an external add-on.xml package is usually the easiest to disable, update and remove.

A mistake we see constantly is mixing installation methods. If scenery is already loaded through add-on.xml, do not add the same folder to the legacy Scenery Library as well; doing both can produce duplicate objects, runways and exclusions.

How do I install a Prepar3D add-on safely?

1. Confirm compatibility. Check the supported Prepar3D major version, architecture and required libraries. Prepar3D v1–v3 use 32-bit binaries, while v4 and later use 64-bit binaries; compiled gauges and modules are often tied to an even narrower range of simulator versions.
2. Read the supplied documentation. Inspect the archive before copying anything. Identify whether it contains an installer, an add-on.xml package, or legacy folders such as SimObjects, Effects, Gauges, Scenery and Texture.
3. Close Prepar3D and back up its configuration. Preserve relevant files such as Prepar3D.cfg, scenery.cfg, add-ons.cfg, dll.xml and exe.xml if they exist. Their locations vary by Prepar3D version and Windows user profile, so do not assume they all share one directory.
4. Install with one method only.
   • For an external package, keep add-on.xml at the root of its dedicated folder. A manually discovered package can normally sit beneath the version-named Documents folder, such as Documents\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons; an installer may instead store it elsewhere and register that location.
   • For a legacy aircraft, place its complete aircraft folder under SimObjects\Airplanes only when the readme instructs you to do so. Copy effects, gauges or sound files only to the stated locations.
   • For legacy scenery, add the parent folder containing Scenery and, where supplied, Texture. Our detailed Prepar3D v5 scenery installation steps cover activation and folder selection without duplicating that procedure here.
5. Enable and order the add-on. Approve a discovered package when Prepar3D asks, or enable it through the simulator’s add-on controls. For legacy scenery, place a specific airport above broader regional scenery when both alter the same location, unless the author specifies another order.
6. Test before adding anything else. Load the affected aircraft or airport, check gauges, textures, objects and night lighting, then restart Prepar3D once. Installing packages one at a time makes the source of a fault clear.

How should I organise and update Prepar3D add-ons?

Keep each add-on in a dedicated folder and maintain a simple installation record rather than relying on memory.

• Record the add-on name, supported P3D version, installation method, folder, dependencies and installation date.
• Retain the original archive and readme so you have an authoritative file list when updating or removing it.
• Use Prepar3D’s add-on controls to disable packages that are not needed. Disabling is safer than deleting when diagnosing a conflict.
• Do not merge an update into an older folder unless its instructions explicitly permit an overwrite. Stale files left by a previous release can cause faults that look like a bad update.
• Keep airport scenery, regional scenery, terrain products and shared object libraries identifiable. This makes scenery-order conflicts much easier to trace.

Can I install FSX add-ons in Prepar3D?

Some FSX scenery and aircraft work in Prepar3D, but an FSX label alone does not establish compatibility.

Simple BGL scenery, textures and non-compiled content are the most likely to transfer. Compiled DLL modules, gauges, aircraft systems and model components may require the correct Prepar3D SDK and architecture. A 32-bit FSX or Prepar3D v3 module cannot load in 64-bit Prepar3D v4 or later, and a 64-bit module can still be incompatible with a different major release.

Check the stated simulator versions in our Prepar3D freeware library and compatibility notes. Never aim an FSX-only installer at the Prepar3D root merely because it accepts the folder path.

How do I uninstall a Prepar3D add-on cleanly?

Disable the add-on first, close Prepar3D, and then remove it using the same system that installed it.

• Installer-based add-on: use its supplied uninstaller or maintenance option. Deleting its main folder may leave registered packages, modules or configuration entries behind.
• External package: disable or unregister the package, close the simulator, and remove its dedicated folder. If an installer registered it, use that installer rather than editing configuration files blindly.
• Legacy scenery: deactivate or remove its Scenery Library entry before deleting the scenery folder. This worked legacy-scenery removal example demonstrates the correct deactivate-before-delete sequence.
• Manually copied aircraft: remove its dedicated folder, then consult the original file list before touching anything under Effects, Gauges or shared libraries. Another aircraft may depend on those files.

Do not restore configuration files from a different Prepar3D major version. If a configuration has become damaged, preserve the old file and let that installed simulator version generate a fresh one.

Why is my Prepar3D add-on not showing or working?

Most missing add-ons are caused by an incorrect folder level, disabled package, incompatible binary or unregistered scenery area.

• No discovery prompt: confirm that add-on.xml is at the package root, not buried inside two identically named folders. Check that the package is in the correct version’s discovery location or was registered by its installer.
• Aircraft absent from the selection screen: verify that the aircraft configuration sits directly inside its aircraft folder, for example SimObjects\Airplanes\AircraftName\aircraft.cfg. Check category filters and required base-aircraft dependencies as well.
• Airport unchanged: confirm that the scenery is enabled and that you selected the parent folder containing Scenery, not an unrelated outer folder. Look for another airport package overriding it.
• Black gauges, missing instruments or a crash: suspect a compiled gauge or module built for the wrong architecture or Prepar3D release. Install the declared dependencies rather than copying DLL files from another simulator.
• Duplicate runways or buildings: disable overlapping airport packages one at a time. The same scenery may also have been activated through both XML and the legacy library.
• Prepar3D stops during startup: disable the most recently installed package first. If the cause remains unclear, enable add-ons in groups and halve the suspect group each time until the faulty package is isolated.