How do I install mods in X-Plane 11?
To install mods in X-Plane 11, unzip the download and place each mod in the correct X-Plane folder: scenery in Custom Scenery, aircraft in Aircraft, plugins in Resources/plugins, and liveries inside the relevant aircraft folder. Most failures come from using the wrong folder, leaving an extra zip layer, or ignoring scenery load order.
If you still need files to install, our X-Plane mods and add-ons library sorts aircraft, scenery, plugins, liveries and utilities by type.
Where do X-Plane 11 mods go?
Each type of X-Plane 11 mod has its own folder, and putting it anywhere else usually means the sim will ignore it.
| Mod type | Usual folder | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Scenery, airports, libraries | Custom Scenery | Placing it in Aircraft or forgetting required libraries |
| Add-on aircraft | Aircraft or a subfolder inside it | Leaving the aircraft one folder too deep so the .acf file is hidden |
| Plugins | Resources/plugins | Installing a plugin built for the wrong operating system or for X-Plane 12 only |
| Liveries | Aircraft/[aircraft name]/liveries | Putting the livery in the global Aircraft folder |
| FlyWithLua scripts | Resources/plugins/FlyWithLua/Scripts | Copying the script without FlyWithLua installed |
Large scenery packages often include several folders that all belong in Custom Scenery. A page such as this X-Plane 11 photoreal scenery example is useful because it shows the sort of package layout and readme notes you should expect.
How do I install an X-Plane 11 mod step by step?
The safest way to install an X-Plane 11 mod is to identify what kind of add-on it is first, then copy only the actual mod folder to the right location.
- Read the included instructions. Check the readme before you move anything. Many problems start because the download needs an extra library, a base pack, or a specific X-Plane 11-compatible version.
- Extract the archive fully. Do not leave the mod inside a ZIP, RAR or 7z file. X-Plane 11 reads folders, not compressed archives.
- Open the extracted folder and look for the real mod root. For an aircraft, you should be able to see the
.acffile in that folder or one level below. For scenery, you should usually see folders such asEarth nav data,objects,terrainor similar. - Copy the mod to the correct X-Plane folder. Scenery goes in
Custom Scenery, aircraft inAircraft, and global plugins inResources/plugins. Avoid dropping random files straight intoResourcesunless the author explicitly says to. - Start X-Plane 11 and let it scan the new files. The sim may rebuild scenery order or show a plugin warning. Do not ignore warnings on first launch; they usually tell you exactly what is missing.
- Check that the add-on appears in the right place. Aircraft should appear in the aircraft selection menu, scenery should show in the relevant area, and plugins normally add a menu entry or write to the log.
- Use
Log.txtif something fails. TheLog.txtfile sits in the main X-Plane 11 folder and is the first place we check when a mod does not load.
If the mod is an aircraft, our aircraft add-on installation walkthrough uses the same folder logic, even though that page is written around X-Plane 12.
Do I need to edit scenery_packs.ini in X-Plane 11?
For scenery mods, often yes. X-Plane 11 can add entries automatically, but it does not always place complex scenery in the order you want.
- Top: custom airports and airport overlays
- Middle: overlays, landmarks and most library-dependent scenery
- Lower: orthophoto scenery
- Bottom: mesh packages
The file to check is Custom Scenery/scenery_packs.ini. Quit X-Plane before editing it, then move entries up or down with a plain text editor. If a custom airport is buried below a mesh or ortho package, it may disappear, flatten badly or show only part of the scenery.
A mistake we see constantly is installing a nice airport and assuming that is the whole job. Many airports also depend on scenery libraries. If the library is missing, you may get empty stands, missing buildings or a startup error pointing to absent objects.
Why is my mod not showing up in X-Plane 11?
When a mod does not show up in X-Plane 11, the cause is usually a wrong folder, a missing dependency, or an incompatible plugin build.
- The archive is still zipped. Extract it fully first.
- The folder is nested one level too deep. This is common with aircraft. If you open the aircraft folder and only see another folder with the same name, move the inner one up.
- You installed it into the wrong X-Plane copy. Many simmers keep multiple installations for testing, betas or different plugin sets.
- The add-on is for the wrong version. Some newer downloads are made for X-Plane 12 and will not behave properly in X-Plane 11.
- The plugin is for the wrong platform. A Windows plugin will not load on macOS or Linux, and vice versa.
- A required library or base package is missing. This mainly affects scenery.
- Scenery load order is wrong. Check
scenery_packs.ini. - The log already tells you the problem. Search
Log.txtfor the add-on name, the wordError, orFailed.
What does the correct aircraft folder look like?
The aircraft's main folder should contain the aircraft files themselves, not just another wrapper folder. A healthy layout looks like Aircraft/My Aircraft/MyAircraft.acf. If your path looks like Aircraft/My Aircraft/My Aircraft/MyAircraft.acf, it is one level too deep and X-Plane 11 may not list it.