Do MSFS 2020 add-ons work in MSFS 2024? See which planes, liveries, mods and plugins transfer, plus safe PC and Xbox testing advice.
Many Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 planes, add-ons, mods and liveries can work in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, but loading is not proof of compatibility. For normal flying, treat only the latest add-on build explicitly supported for the MSFS 2024 simulator build you use—and tested through its essential functions—as compatible.
MSFS 2024 can read much 2020-format content, but backward compatibility is a capability rather than certification for every package. An aircraft can appear in the selector yet have broken avionics; an airport can load while hiding runway steps, duplicate buildings or faulty jetways.
MSFS 2020 add-on compatibility matrix for MSFS 2024
Compatibility depends on what the add-on changes, how it is installed and whether its normal functions pass a repeatable test.
| Add-on type | Practical outlook | Test threshold for compatibility | PC versus Xbox installation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft and planes | Simple aircraft may transfer; complex aircraft usually need an update. | Complete a normal flight with working controls, start-up, avionics, navigation, autopilot, sounds, animations, landing and shutdown. | PC supports Community packages, dedicated installers and Marketplace delivery. Xbox aircraft must be supplied through the in-sim content system. |
| Airports and scenery | Basic scenery often works, but changed terrain and default objects can create conflicts. | Check several stands, runway and taxiway levels, signs, lighting, jetways, approaches and duplicate objects by day and night. | PC can use Community or Marketplace packages. Xbox requires an in-sim release; files cannot be copied from a PC Community folder. |
| Liveries | Often usable when the exact base aircraft and model variant are unchanged. | The livery must appear and render correctly on the installed variant in flight, without missing, distorted, mirrored or fallback textures. | PC accepts Community or Marketplace liveries. Xbox requires liveries distributed through the in-sim ecosystem. |
| Community-folder mods | Variable. Asset-based mods are safer than code, interface, camera, weather or configuration changes. | The modified feature must work after a restart without causing loading failures, conflicts or faults in the same clean test scenario. | PC has the normal writable Community workflow. Xbox does not provide a PC-style manual Community-folder installation route. |
| Marketplace products | Product-specific; Marketplace ownership or visibility alone is not proof that an older build is compatible. | Install the build offered for MSFS 2024, confirm explicit support and apply the test appropriate to the aircraft, scenery or utility. | On PC and Xbox, install and manage Marketplace content through the simulator. Do not copy files from an official-content directory. |
| External plugins and utilities | Usually need an MSFS 2024-aware installer, connector, path or profile. | The utility must connect reliably, perform its core task, reconnect after a simulator restart and avoid unacceptable instability or performance loss. | PC can run supported external programs. Conventional PC executables, injectors and connectors cannot be manually installed or run on Xbox. |
This is a triage guide, not a guarantee. Our explanation of the package-level differences between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 gives more background on why shared technology does not make every add-on interchangeable.
Do MSFS 2020 planes work in MSFS 2024?
Some MSFS 2020 planes work in MSFS 2024, but no aircraft should be trusted for normal flying merely because it loads at a parking stand.
Aircraft built mostly from standard models, flight-model data and supported gauges have the best chance. Risk rises sharply with custom flight-management systems, electronic flight bags, navigation databases, failures, sound engines, external modules or aircraft-specific libraries.
A proper aircraft test starts cold and dark and ends after landing and shutdown. Enter and modify a route, tune navigation equipment, test the autopilot and flight directors, check cockpit displays, move all control surfaces and verify sounds and animations. Black screens, dead switches, unreliable navigation or a broken EFB mean the aircraft is not compatible for a full flight, even if it can be hand-flown.
Do MSFS 2020 liveries work in MSFS 2024?
Many MSFS 2020 liveries work in MSFS 2024, but only when they target the exact aircraft package, model and variant installed in the newer simulator.
The aircraft name is not enough. Passenger and cargo models, different engines, wing configurations, cockpit versions and developer-specific editions may use different model references or texture mapping. A repaint for an MSFS 2020 base aircraft will not automatically attach to a similarly named MSFS 2024 aircraft.
Dependencies matter as well. The required base aircraft, model package and any shared texture or library package must be installed and compatible. A missing dependency can make the livery disappear, attach to the wrong model or show pink, blank, low-resolution or badly aligned textures.
Seeing a thumbnail in the aircraft selector proves only that the package was registered. Load the exact variant at a stand and in flight, then inspect the fuselage, tail, wings, engines, registration markings and interior where applicable. Our detailed livery compatibility checks cover model matching and common texture faults in more depth.
What about Carenado, the CRJ and FSLTL in MSFS 2024?
These names do not change the basic rule: compatibility must be confirmed for the specific product and build, not assumed from the developer or product family.
Carenado aircraft
Carenado compatibility is product- and build-specific; there is no reliable fleet-wide yes or no.
Check that the particular aircraft edition you own has an MSFS 2024-supported build and install it through its approved delivery method. Then test its displays, radios, navigation, autopilot, engine controls, sounds and aircraft-specific features. Support for one Carenado aircraft does not prove support for another.
CRJ aircraft
A CRJ is a complex aircraft and should be treated as incompatible until its developer confirms an MSFS 2024 version.
After installing that supported version, test the full electrical and engine start sequence, flight-management system, route changes, performance calculations, navigation database, autopilot modes, displays, EFB functions and shutdown. A CRJ that loads but loses route guidance or has unreliable systems has not passed a practical compatibility test.
FSLTL traffic
FSLTL requires its supported MSFS 2024 injector and base-model installation rather than a copied MSFS 2020 utility folder.
Use the correct MSFS 2024 profile and package path, install all required base models, and confirm that the injector connects to the running simulator. Check that traffic is injected, the intended aircraft models and liveries are matched, departures and arrivals appear, duplicate traffic is not being created and performance remains acceptable. An injector window opening without visible, correctly matched traffic is not a successful test.
Can I copy my MSFS 2020 Community folder into MSFS 2024?
No. Do not copy the entire MSFS 2020 Community folder at once or point both simulators at the same live package directory.
A mistake we see constantly is moving hundreds of packages together and then trying to identify which one caused a loading hang, crash, black cockpit or broken airport. Keep the known-good 2020 installation untouched and create a separate package library or add-on-manager profile for 2024.
For a conventional package, place the folder containing files such as manifest.json and layout.json directly inside the Community folder used by MSFS 2024. An extra wrapper folder is a common reason content does not appear. Installation locations vary, so verify the path used by the 2024 installation rather than reusing the 2020 path by assumption.
Marketplace packages must be installed through the simulator, while external utilities should use their MSFS 2024-aware installer. Our MSFS 2024 package and Community-folder installation guidance explains package structure and detection problems without requiring guessed folder locations.
Marketplace and Xbox: what can you install?
PC can use supported Community packages, installers and Marketplace products, while Xbox is limited to content made available through the simulator's in-sim ecosystem.
Do not manually transfer Marketplace files from an MSFS 2020 official-content directory. Install the edition offered for MSFS 2024 and confirm that the product description or release information covers the simulator build you use. Owning or seeing an older product does not prove that its compatible 2024 build is installed.
Xbox has no normal writable Community folder, so there is no manual workaround for a plane, livery, scenery package or mod that has not been released through the in-sim system. External PC plugins and traffic injectors cannot be copied to Xbox either.
How should I test an MSFS 2020 add-on in MSFS 2024?
Test the latest eligible build one package at a time against a clean, repeatable MSFS 2024 baseline.
Pre-flight compatibility checklist
- Version confirmation: verify that you have the newest legitimate release and that it explicitly supports MSFS 2024. Use a separate 2024 package when one is supplied.
- Dependencies: install the required base aircraft, model libraries, scenery libraries, avionics packages, base models or utility connectors.
- Correct 2024 path or profile: select the MSFS 2024 Community location, simulator profile and connector rather than reusing 2020 settings blindly.
- Clean baseline: load the same aircraft, airport, route and settings without the add-on and confirm that the simulator works normally.
- Functional checks: plan tests for aircraft avionics and navigation, utility connections, AI traffic injection and model matching, plus loading time and frame-rate behaviour.
One-at-a-time test procedure
- Back up the original. Preserve the working MSFS 2020 package and do not overwrite it with a 2024-specific release.
- Remove overlapping content. Disable older editions of the same aircraft, airport, mesh or utility so that only one version is active.
- Install one package. Add only the aircraft, airport, livery, mod or utility being tested, then restart the simulator.
- Repeat the baseline scenario. Use the same airport, aircraft state, route, weather preset and graphics settings where practical.
- Exercise the actual functions. For aircraft, complete the systems and flight checks. For airports, taxi across the field, use the runway and inspect terrain, lighting, stands and jetways. Our airport-specific compatibility guidance covers exclusions, elevation faults and duplicate scenery.
- Remove and retest after a fault. If the problem disappears with the package removed, the add-on, a dependency or a conflict is the likely cause.
- Build up gradually. Combine packages only after each one passes alone. Return to single-package testing when a new fault appears.
Why does an add-on load but still fail?
An add-on is not compatible for normal use unless its essential features work without repeatable crashes, serious faults or unacceptable conflicts.
- It does not appear: check the active 2024 Community path, remove extra folder nesting and install missing base aircraft or libraries.
- The simulator hangs or crashes: remove the latest package, restart and repeat the same scenario. Check for duplicate editions and outdated dependencies.
- Cockpit screens are black or switches are dead: use the supported aircraft build and verify avionics dependencies. Graphics changes rarely repair incompatible systems code.
- Navigation, autopilot or EFB functions fail: classify the aircraft as incompatible until a supported update resolves the fault.
- A livery is missing or distorted: confirm the exact aircraft package and variant, then check its base-model and texture dependencies.
- Runways, terrain or buildings float, sink or duplicate: disable overlapping airport, mesh and landmark packages and retain one edition of the airport.
- A plugin opens but does not connect: install its supported 2024 release, select the correct simulator profile and replace any obsolete connector.
- AI traffic does not appear: verify injector connection, base-model installation, model matching and the traffic configuration required by the utility.
- Performance drops sharply: compare the same clean scenario with and without the package. A repeatable loss that disappears after removal points to the add-on or a conflict.
A successful menu entry or loading screen is only the first check. If a package works partly, keep it out of a normal flying setup until a supported build passes the complete test.