Learn what the MSFS 2020 Official folder stores, where OneStore and Steam fit, why edits are risky, and how to recover or install mods safely.
The Official folder in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 stores simulator-managed packages: default aircraft and scenery, core package content, and items installed through Content Manager or Marketplace. It normally contains a OneStore or Steam subfolder. Do not modify it directly; updates, verification and package checks can overwrite changes or leave content broken.
What does the MSFS 2020 Official folder contain?
The Official folder contains packages controlled by Microsoft Flight Simulator rather than manually managed by the user. These can include mandatory world data, default aircraft, optional content, edition-specific packages and Marketplace installations.
Its two common forms are:
Official\OneStorefor Microsoft Store and Xbox app installations on PC.Official\Steamfor the Steam edition.
The folder name does not determine where the whole simulator application is installed. Official and Community sit inside the simulator's selected packages location, which may be on another drive.
| Folder | Who manages it? | What belongs there? |
|---|---|---|
Official | Microsoft Flight Simulator and Content Manager | Default, optional and Marketplace packages |
Community | The user or an add-on installer | Manually installed aircraft, liveries, scenery and utilities |
For aircraft specifically, our breakdown of stock, Marketplace and manually installed aircraft files helps identify which package type you are looking at.
Where is the Official folder?
The reliable way to find the active Official folder is to check the simulator's configured packages path, not to rely on a copied default path. MSFS 2020 allows the packages directory to be placed on another drive, so two apparently valid Official folders may exist while only one is active.
The InstalledPackagesPath entry in UserCfg.opt points to the packages root. Our guide to finding and reading the active path in UserCfg.opt explains how to identify it without editing the wrong installation. From that root, follow Official\OneStore or Official\Steam.
Can I edit files inside Official?
Browsing the Official folder is harmless, but changing, renaming, replacing or deleting its contents is not a safe way to customise MSFS 2020. The simulator expects those packages to match its installed versions and package records.
Direct changes commonly cause these problems:
- A simulator or content update replaces the edited file.
- Verification or repair detects the package as incomplete and downloads it again.
- Deleting or renaming a package removes an aircraft, airport, texture or other dependency.
- An incorrect edit produces missing models, pink textures, loading failures or crashes.
- Some Marketplace packages are encrypted or protected and cannot be treated as ordinary editable source files.
A mistake we see constantly is placing a manually downloaded add-on in Official because it contains aircraft and scenery packages. Manual add-ons belong in Community; follow our safe Community-folder installation procedure for MSFS 2020 mods instead.
If a modification needs to replace a stock asset, it should normally be built as a separate Community package that overrides the asset without altering the original. Managed content should also be removed through Content Manager where that option is available, rather than by deleting its directory.
What should I do if I already modified Official?
Close Microsoft Flight Simulator before repairing the folder, then restore only files you can identify with certainty. Do not delete the entire Official directory: that can force a very large redownload.
- Remove misplaced add-ons: If you copied a complete third-party package into Official, move only that known package outside the packages directory. Reinstall it in Community after the repair.
- Restore an exact backup: Replace an edited stock file only if you have its untouched original from the same package version.
- Reinstall optional content: Where Content Manager offers removal and installation for the affected aircraft or scenery package, use those controls to obtain a clean copy.
- Repair unknown or core damage: Use the supported verification or repair function for your PC platform, then allow MSFS 2020 to download any packages it reports as missing.
- Test before restoring add-ons: Start the simulator with Community temporarily empty and confirm that the affected aircraft, airport or flight loads correctly.
If you only opened files or copied them elsewhere without changing the originals, no repair is required. The risk begins when Official content is altered, moved, renamed or deleted.