Why is installed scenery not showing in X-Plane 11?

Installed scenery usually fails to appear in X-Plane 11 because the package is in the wrong Custom Scenery folder, remains inside an archive or extra wrapper folder, is disabled or ordered incorrectly in scenery_packs.ini, depends on missing libraries, or covers a different location. Restart X-Plane, then use Log.txt to identify the exact fault.

How do I fix scenery not showing in X-Plane 11?

The fastest fix is to verify the installation path and folder structure before changing graphics settings or reinstalling X-Plane.

1. Find the active X-Plane installation. Open the main X-Plane 11 folder—the one containing Log.txt—and place the scenery in its Custom Scenery folder. Multiple X-Plane copies are common, so confirm that you are modifying the installation you actually launch. Our general X-Plane add-on installation guidance explains how to identify the correct package and simulator folders.
2. Extract the download completely. X-Plane cannot load scenery from a ZIP, RAR or other archive. Some downloads contain documentation and several separate scenery packages; copy the actual package folders rather than placing the entire outer download folder in Custom Scenery.
3. Remove accidental extra folder levels. The package root should normally reveal items such as Earth nav data, library.txt, an objects folder or whatever structure the documentation specifies. A valid path might be X-Plane 11/Custom Scenery/My Airport/Earth nav data/apt.dat, not Custom Scenery/My Airport Download/My Airport/Earth nav data/apt.dat.
4. Restart X-Plane. Scenery copied in while a flight is running will not normally appear immediately. Start X-Plane, load the affected area and then quit before inspecting the configuration and log files.
5. Check scenery_packs.ini. Open X-Plane 11/Custom Scenery/scenery_packs.ini with X-Plane closed. Confirm that the package has a SCENERY_PACK entry rather than SCENERY_PACK_DISABLED. If it is absent after a restart, suspect the wrong installation folder, excessive nesting or a file-permission problem.
6. Put the package in the correct priority order. A custom airport must normally sit above Global Airports. Orthophoto and base-mesh packages belong below airports and overlays.
7. Install every required library. Missing dependencies often leave runways visible while terminals, vegetation or other objects disappear. Each library must also be extracted into Custom Scenery at the correct folder depth.
8. Confirm X-Plane 11 compatibility. Scenery made specifically for X-Plane 12 may reference assets or scenery features unavailable in X-Plane 11. Use the simulator versions stated by the package author rather than assuming scenery is backwards-compatible.

How should scenery_packs.ini be ordered?

In scenery_packs.ini, higher entries have higher scenery priority, so custom airports should be above default airports and base mesh should remain near the bottom.

Ordinary scenery libraries can usually sit anywhere because their exported assets are called by other packages. Replacement libraries that export the same paths can be order-sensitive, so follow their documentation.

Deleting scenery_packs.ini forces X-Plane to rebuild it, but that is a diagnostic reset rather than a complete fix: the rebuilt alphabetical order may put airports, overlays and mesh in the wrong sequence. For terrain-specific conflicts, use our explanation of mesh installation and scenery priority in X-Plane 11.

Why do the runways appear but airport buildings do not?

Visible runways with missing buildings usually indicate a missing object library, low object-density setting, failed scenery package or fallback to the default airport.

• Look in Log.txt for missing objects, façades, textures or library resources.
• Check that every dependency is installed one folder deep; our scenery-library troubleshooting steps cover nested, incomplete and disabled libraries.
• Temporarily increase X-Plane 11's Number of World Objects setting. Objects assigned to higher detail levels can disappear at low settings, although runways and taxiways remain.
• Make sure the custom airport is above Global Airports. Otherwise, X-Plane may display the default airport or allow another package's exclusions to suppress objects.
• Check the package description. Some airport packages intentionally contain only updated pavement, navigation data or a basic two-dimensional layout.

What should I look for in X-Plane Log.txt?

Log.txt identifies whether X-Plane discovered the package, loaded its tile and encountered missing or incompatible resources.

Load a flight within the scenery's coverage, close X-Plane and then open Log.txt in the simulator's main folder. Search for the scenery folder name and messages containing phrases such as Failed to find resource, Unable to locate object, scenery-package loading errors, missing textures or DSF errors.

• No reference to the package: it is probably in the wrong X-Plane installation, still archived, nested too deeply or unreadable.
• Package listed with missing-resource errors: install or correct the required libraries and textures.
• Package loads without errors: check its coverage, scenery_packs.ini priority and object-density setting.
• Unsupported or incompatible data error: obtain a version explicitly made for X-Plane 11.

X-Plane rewrites Log.txt each time it starts, so inspect it immediately after reproducing the problem.

What if the terrain itself is missing?

Whole areas of water, absent land or missing default terrain point to a global-scenery or base-mesh problem rather than a normal custom-airport installation fault.

Confirm that the region was installed with X-Plane and that its default scenery files have not been moved or damaged. The corrective process is covered in our guide to restoring missing X-Plane global scenery. If land exists but has the wrong elevations or imagery, inspect competing mesh packages and their order instead.