How do I install scenery mods in MSFS 2024?

To install scenery mods in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PC, extract the download, find the add-on’s actual package folder, and place that folder directly inside the active Community folder. Fully restart MSFS 2024 afterwards. Install Marketplace scenery through the simulator’s library or content-management interface instead; manual file copying does not apply on Xbox.

Where is the Community folder in MSFS 2024?

The active Community folder sits inside the packages location selected for your MSFS 2024 installation.

Paste the relevant path into File Explorer’s address bar; AppData is hidden by default. These are common defaults, not proof that your installation still uses them. A custom packages location on another drive takes precedence.

The definitive location is recorded as InstalledPackagesPath in the MSFS 2024 UserCfg.opt file. Open that file in a text editor and look at the path on that line; Community is directly beneath it. Make sure you are reading the 2024 configuration file rather than one left by MSFS 2020.

The packages root normally contains Community and Official. Do not place manual scenery inside Official, and do not create a new Community folder in a guessed location: that can leave you with a perfectly organised add-on that the simulator never reads.

What should the package folder structure look like?

The scenery’s package root must sit directly inside Community, without an unnecessary wrapper folder around it.

...\Community\developer-scenery-package\manifest.json
...\Community\developer-scenery-package\layout.json

A conventional MSFS package normally has manifest.json and layout.json at its root, alongside its content folders. Some downloads contain several separate packages, documentation and optional variants, so follow the author’s folder instructions rather than assuming the first extracted folder is the one to copy.

These two layouts are wrong:

• ...\Community\scenery-download.zip — the archive has not been extracted.
• ...\Community\download-wrapper\developer-scenery-package\manifest.json — the package is nested one level too deep.

How to add mods to MSFS 2024 step by step

Manual scenery is installed by extracting each required package and copying its package root into the active Community folder.

1. Confirm compatibility and dependencies. Check that the listing supports MSFS 2024 or that the author explicitly describes its MSFS 2020 package as compatible. Note any required object libraries, base products or optional compatibility patches.
2. Read the included instructions. Options such as static-aircraft variants, alternative textures and compatibility fixes may be mutually exclusive. Install only the combination specified by the author.
3. Extract the complete archive. ZIP, RAR and 7z files must be unpacked outside Community first. If extraction reports missing files or path-length errors, move the archive to a short temporary path and extract it again.
4. Locate the actual package root. Open any download wrapper until you reach the folder containing the package files, usually including manifest.json and layout.json. Do not move individual files out of that folder.
5. Close MSFS 2024. Installing while the simulator is running can prevent the new package from being indexed correctly.
6. Copy each package into Community. Keep separate packages in separate folders. Do not merge add-ons or rename their package folders unless the supplied instructions require it.
7. Restart the simulator. Launch MSFS 2024 and allow it to finish loading and indexing the installed content.
8. Test the exact location. Load the affected ICAO, runway or coordinates. A landmark or regional enhancement may alter only a small area, so testing elsewhere in the same city is not enough.

You can find compatible packages in our MSFS scenery and add-ons library. The supplied notes for this Honolulu scenery download also show the usual extract, copy and restart sequence, although compatibility should always be checked for the simulator version you use.

Are Marketplace and manual scenery installed differently?

Yes: the simulator manages Marketplace content, while downloaded manual packages belong in Community.

Do not manually copy Marketplace files into Community or move simulator-managed packages out of their location. Normal MSFS packages also require no old-style scenery-library registration after copying.

Why is my scenery mod not showing up in MSFS 2024?

Missing scenery is most often caused by a nested package, the wrong Community folder, an incomplete extraction or a missing dependency.

1. Inspect the first folder level. If the folder in Community contains only another similarly named folder, move the inner package root up one level.
2. Remove unextracted archives. MSFS will not install scenery merely because its ZIP, RAR or 7z archive is sitting in Community.
3. Verify the live packages path. Compare Community with the InstalledPackagesPath in the MSFS 2024 configuration. This catches old MSFS 2020 folders and abandoned locations on another drive.
4. Check the extraction. Re-extract the download if files were skipped, blocked or reported as corrupt. Copying an incomplete package can produce anything from missing buildings to a package that is ignored entirely.
5. Install required libraries. Shared object libraries and base scenery must be installed as separate packages when listed as dependencies.
6. Restart MSFS fully. Returning to the main menu is not as reliable as closing and relaunching the simulator after adding or replacing a package.
7. Test without competing scenery. Temporarily move other packages covering the same airport or region out of Community. Duplicate airports, overlapping terraforming and conflicting exclusions can cause double buildings, broken taxiways, spikes or missing ground textures.
8. Isolate the package. If the cause remains unclear, move all Community content to a temporary folder, then restore only the problem scenery and its dependencies. Add the remaining packages back in small groups until the conflict returns.

Do I need to disable the default airport?

Usually not; a properly built third-party airport is designed to override the stock airport without deleting base simulator files.

The more common conflict is another third-party package or a separately installed handcrafted airport for the same ICAO. Never delete files from Official by hand. If you see duplicate terminals or overlapping ground layouts, use our explanation of when an MSFS 2024 default airport should be disabled before changing simulator-managed content.

Can MSFS 2020 scenery work in MSFS 2024?

Some MSFS 2020 scenery works in MSFS 2024, but the shared package format does not guarantee full compatibility.

Airports, landmarks and object libraries are more likely to transfer than add-ons tied to external programs or simulator-specific functions. Check the author’s compatibility statement and test the scenery in isolation. Visual defects, non-functional jetways, elevation problems or crashes are reasons to remove it rather than assume the installation path is wrong.

Do not copy the entire MSFS 2020 Community folder or point both simulators at one shared folder. Install only confirmed packages into the separate MSFS 2024 Community location.

How do I update or uninstall scenery mods?

Update manual scenery by replacing the old package cleanly, and uninstall it by removing its package folder from Community.

1. Close the simulator. Do not replace active package files while MSFS is running.
2. Remove the old version. Move its complete package folder outside Community or delete it after making any backup you need.
3. Extract the update afresh. Copying new files over an old version can leave obsolete files behind unless the author specifically provides an in-place patch.
4. Install and retest. Place the new package root in Community, restart MSFS 2024 and check the affected airport or area.

Dependencies may be shared by several sceneries, so do not remove a library until you know nothing else requires it. Marketplace updates and removals should remain inside the simulator’s own content interface.

Should every scenery mod stay active?

No; keeping only the scenery you use makes conflicts and failed updates much easier to diagnose.

A high package count can lengthen start-up indexing, while detailed airports, dense city packs, mesh and aerial imagery can affect loading time, memory use and frame rate when their area is loaded. Store downloaded archives outside Community, remove superseded versions and add new scenery one package at a time so that any fault has an obvious cause.