Should I install MSFS 2020 and 2024 on separate drives?
Learn when MSFS 2020 and 2024 need separate drives, which SSD setup works best, and how to avoid package, cache and Community folder mistakes.
No. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 can share one fast SSD without conflicting. Use separate drives only when two suitable SSDs give you needed capacity or simpler package and add-on management. Drive speed, free space and correct folder paths matter more than physical separation.
One drive or two: the practical choice
For most PCs, one large internal SSD is the cleanest arrangement if it has comfortable free space for both simulators, updates, caches and add-ons. MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 are separate products and will not clash merely because they occupy the same physical drive.
Separate drives make sense when:
- You already have two fast SSDs. One simulator per drive can make capacity planning, updates and troubleshooting easier.
- The first SSD is running short of space. Installed aircraft, scenery, World Updates and cache data can make the local footprint much larger than the initial download.
- You maintain large add-on libraries. Distinct locations make it easier to identify which simulator owns a package and to migrate or reinstall one without disturbing the other.
- You want independent upgrade paths. Replacing or reformatting one storage device will affect only the simulator assigned to it.
We would not buy another drive solely to prevent a supposed compatibility conflict. Nor would we move one simulator to clearly slower storage just to keep the installations apart.
| Storage arrangement | Recommendation | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Both simulators on one fast internal NVMe SSD | Good | Simple and fast, provided there is ample free space. |
| One simulator on each of two internal SSDs | Good | Useful for capacity and organisation, with little downside when both drives are fast. |
| One on NVMe and one on an internal SATA SSD | Usually good | The SATA installation may load more slowly, but it remains a practical arrangement. |
| Two partitions on the same SSD | Little benefit | This adds visual separation but no extra performance or physical capacity, and fixed partitions can make space harder to manage. |
| One simulator on an SSD and one on a mechanical hard drive | Avoid | The hard-drive installation will have substantially slower loading, package access and update work. |
| One simulator on an external SSD | Conditional | A fast external SSD can work, but disconnects, sleep behaviour and changed drive letters can make the installation unavailable. |
| Both simulators on a nearly full SSD | Poor choice | Updates, temporary files and cache writes need working room. |
Does installing MSFS 2020 and 2024 on separate drives improve performance?
Separate drives do not normally increase frame rate or eliminate stutters. Only the simulator being used is actively reading its packages, so putting the inactive simulator elsewhere does not distribute the live rendering workload.
Storage speed affects start-up, flight loading, update installation and the time needed to read many small package files. A fast SSD with adequate headroom is more useful than separation for its own sake.
- Helpful: fast internal SSD storage, sufficient free space and keeping the active packages and cache off a saturated or unreliable drive.
- Unhelpful: placing the launcher on an SSD while the large package folder or cache remains on a slow hard drive.
- Often misdiagnosed: stutters caused by CPU limits, graphics settings, memory pressure, online data delivery or demanding add-ons. Moving the other simulator will not fix those problems.
What must stay separate even when both simulators share an SSD?
Each simulator needs its own active package root, Community folder, managed content and cache data. A mistake we see repeatedly is not sharing the physical drive, but accidentally pointing both products or an add-on manager at the same folders.
- Package roots: assign a distinct content location to each simulator. Do not select the same parent package folder for both installations.
Communityfolders: keep separate folders and add-on-manager profiles. Some 2020 packages can work in 2024, but compatibility is not universal; our explanation of which MSFS 2020 add-ons can be used in MSFS 2024 covers the checks to make before installing them.- Official or managed packages: let each simulator manage its own content. Do not manually copy managed 2020 files into the 2024 package structure to save space.
- Caches: use a separate cache location or file for each simulator. Sharing one cache can cause invalid data, unexpected rebuilding or one installation overwriting the other's allocation.
- Installer and add-on profiles: verify the selected simulator before installing, updating, linking or removing content.
The visible application location is not necessarily the bulk package location. Store edition, installation choices and later moves can all change the active path, so verify it rather than copying a path found on another PC.
How much free space should I leave?
Leave enough unused space for installed content, the largest likely update, temporary unpacking and any rolling or manual cache. There is no reliable universal allowance because optional aircraft, scenery, World Updates and add-ons vary greatly between installations.
MSFS 2024 makes greater use of streamed content than MSFS 2020, but its local storage is neither fixed nor negligible. Downloaded packages, cache data and third-party content still accumulate. Use our storage breakdown for both Microsoft Flight Simulator versions to estimate the combined requirement before choosing a drive.
If both simulators only just fit before optional content is installed, separate them or buy a larger SSD. Updates can fail even when the final installed files would fit because the installer may also need temporary working space.
If one drive is faster, which simulator should use it?
Put the simulator you fly most, or the one carrying the larger local add-on library, on the faster drive. There is no need to favour MSFS 2024 automatically if most of your flying and installed content remain in MSFS 2020.
With an NVMe SSD and an older SATA SSD, the difference is more likely to appear in loading and update times than frame rate. If both drives are similar in speed and health, organise the simulators according to available capacity and ease of maintenance.
Install both simulators without mixing their folders
Create clearly labelled, distinct package locations before adding any third-party content. This prevents the most common path and re-download problems.
- Plan the package roots. On one drive, use separate locations such as
D:\MSFS2020-PackagesandD:\MSFS2024-Packages. With two drives, assign one clearly named location on each. - Distinguish the app from its content. The platform-managed application and the much larger simulator package folder can reside in different places. Moving or reinstalling the app does not always move the downloaded packages.
- Record the selected content path. During installation or first launch, check the destination before accepting a large download. This is especially important when reusing files from an earlier installation.
- Launch each simulator clean. Confirm that it starts, updates and loads a flight before adding Community content.
- Verify the active Community folders. Follow our guidance for finding and using the MSFS 2020 package folders and the equivalent MSFS 2024 package-folder procedure rather than assuming both versions use the same path.
- Configure add-on tools separately. Create a profile for each simulator and inspect its target path before enabling links or installing updates.
If relocating an existing installation, do not drag the files to another drive and assume the simulator will discover them. Use the platform's supported move option where applicable, update the active package path using the method provided by that simulator version, and retain the original files until the moved installation launches successfully.
Common failure modes after changing drives
An unexpected full-download prompt, an empty Community folder or missing content usually indicates a path problem rather than lost ownership.
- The simulator wants to download everything again: stop before committing to the download, confirm that the intended drive is connected and check whether the selected folder is the actual package root rather than its parent or a newly created empty folder.
- Add-ons have disappeared: the simulator or add-on manager is probably using a different
Communityfolder. Verify the active path and check for an extra nested folder level inside each add-on. - Content appears in the wrong simulator: separate the package roots and correct the add-on-manager profile. Do not solve this by copying packages between both Community folders without checking compatibility.
- An update fails near completion: free additional space for temporary files and confirm that an external drive has not disconnected or entered a sleep state.
- An external installation is no longer detected: reconnect the drive using a stable port and restore its previous drive letter before changing package paths or starting another download.
- A move leaves duplicate files: establish which package location is active, load a flight successfully, then remove the obsolete copy. Deleting first can turn a straightforward move into a complete re-download.
Our recommendation: keep both simulators on one fast internal SSD when it has comfortable headroom. Split them across two good SSDs when capacity, migration or add-on organisation benefits from it, but never trade reliable SSD storage for a slower drive merely to keep MSFS 2020 and 2024 physically separate.