How do I move X-Plane 11 to another drive?

You can move a standalone X-Plane 11 installation by closing the simulator, copying the entire X-Plane 11 folder to the new drive, and launching it there. For the Steam edition, use Steam’s built-in storage move instead of dragging the folder manually. Keep the original until the relocated copy and add-ons work.

Which move method should I use?

The installation type decides the safe method: standalone copies are portable, while Steam should manage its own library files.

Use a writable destination with enough space for the whole installation. For an external drive, choose a native file system and a stable drive letter or mount point; changing that path later can break scenery links and updater locations.

How do I move standalone X-Plane 11?

A standalone X-Plane 11 installation can be copied as one self-contained folder without reinstalling the simulator.

1. Confirm the active installation. Find the folder containing the X-Plane executable alongside Aircraft, Custom Scenery, Output and Resources. If you have several copies, first check which X-Plane 11 root folder you are actually running.
2. Close X-Plane and its utilities. Shut down the simulator, installer, add-on updaters and any program reading its files.
3. Copy the entire folder. Copy rather than cut it initially, using a simple destination such as D:\X-Plane 11. Do not copy only the executable or selected core folders.
4. Launch the relocated copy directly. Open the simulator executable or application inside the new folder. Replace desktop, Start menu, dock and taskbar shortcuts that still point to the old drive.
5. Test the installation. Load a default aircraft first, then check custom aircraft, scenery, plugins, controls and navigation data. Close the simulator and confirm that Log.txt in the new root has a new modification time.
6. Update saved paths. Point the X-Plane installer and any aircraft or scenery managers at the new root. If you use SkunkCrafts, our updater placement and configuration guidance helps ensure it is operating in the relocated installation rather than the old copy.

Avoid placing X-Plane inside a cloud-synchronised folder or a protected system directory. Both can cause incomplete copies, permission errors or preferences that fail to save.

How do I move the Steam version of X-Plane 11?

Steam installations should be relocated through Steam so that the library records and game files remain in agreement.

1. Back up custom content. Save copies of important aircraft, scenery, plugins, preferences and navigation data before changing the Steam library.
2. Create or select the destination library. Use Steam’s storage settings to make a library on the target drive if one does not already exist.
3. Move X-Plane 11. Select the simulator and use Steam’s move function. Depending on the Steam client layout, this may appear in its storage manager or under the game’s installed-files properties.
4. Launch through Steam. Let the transfer finish, start X-Plane 11, then inspect the new root and its Log.txt.

Steam normally moves the game directory, but custom files are not a substitute for a proper backup. If file verification becomes necessary, remember that it can restore altered default files even though unrelated add-on folders are normally left alone.

Files and add-ons that move with the installation

Anything physically stored inside the copied X-Plane 11 root moves with a complete standalone transfer.

• Aircraft, including aircraft-specific preferences and plugins
• Custom Scenery and its scenery_packs.ini ordering file
• Resources/plugins, including simulator-wide plugins and scripts
• Output/preferences, which contains many control, view and simulator settings
• Custom Data, including installed navigation data

Our guide to the correct X-Plane add-on folder structure can help identify anything omitted from a partial copy.

Content stored outside the root does not move. This includes externally stored orthophoto tiles, symbolic-link targets, charts, utility databases and backups. Some commercial add-ons may also ask for their path again or require licence verification after the move.

Moving only Custom Scenery

Large scenery packages can remain on another drive without moving the whole simulator, but this requires more maintenance. Move each package to the destination and place an operating-system symbolic link or directory junction with the same name inside Custom Scenery.

Do not assume an ordinary desktop shortcut will work as a scenery directory. Preserve the entries and order in scenery_packs.ini, and remember that changing an external drive letter or mount point will break the link.

How do I verify X-Plane is using the new drive?

The clearest proof is a newly updated Log.txt inside the relocated X-Plane 11 folder after a test flight.

A mistake we see constantly is launching an old pinned shortcut and unknowingly testing the original installation. With a standalone copy, temporarily rename the old folder after the first successful test. If the new shortcut still starts X-Plane and all add-ons load, there is no hidden dependency on that original path.

• If settings reset after every launch, confirm that Output/preferences was copied and the new folder is writable.
• If scenery disappears, inspect symbolic links, drive letters and scenery_packs.ini.
• If an updater changes the old copy, correct the installation path saved by that updater.
• If Steam attempts a fresh download, stop and perform the relocation through Steam’s library tools rather than a manual folder move.

Deleting the old installation

Delete the original only after a default aircraft, add-on aircraft, custom airport, controls and navigation data have all worked from the new drive. For Steam, inspect any folder left behind because it may contain custom files that Steam did not recognise as part of the game.

Our backup and leftover-file checklist for removing X-Plane covers what to preserve before cleaning up the old copy.