What is MSFS Addons Linker and how do you use it?

MSFS Addons Linker is a Windows utility that keeps Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons outside the Community folder, then activates selected packages by creating symbolic links inside it. Point the tool at an external add-on library and the simulator’s active Community folder, scan the library, then enable only the packages needed for each flight.

What does MSFS Addons Linker actually do?

The utility leaves each add-on in a folder you control and places a filesystem link to it in the Community folder. Microsoft Flight Simulator reads that link as if the complete package were installed there. Disabling an add-on removes its link without deleting the source package.

These links are not ordinary Windows .lnk shortcuts. MSFS Addons Linker creates symbolic links that the simulator can follow, letting you organise packages by aircraft, region, scenery type or any other useful category.

Enabling fewer packages can reduce package scanning and make conflicts easier to isolate, but the utility is not an automatic performance booster. It also does not download updates, repair incompatible packages or supply missing dependencies.

MSFS Addons Linker is for PC installations of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024. It cannot manage Community packages on Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5, and it should not be used to move the simulator’s Official, Marketplace, streamed or base-content packages.

How do you set up MSFS Addons Linker?

1. Extract the utility to a permanent tools folder. Do not run it from inside its downloaded archive, and do not place the application itself in the Community or Official package folders.
2. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator. Change links while the simulator is shut down so it does not retain a package list from the previous session.
3. Create an external add-on library. A structure such as D:\MSFS Addons\Aircraft and D:\MSFS Addons\Scenery is easy to maintain. Keep it outside every Community folder and preferably on a drive whose letter will not change.
4. Extract each package correctly. The usable package folder normally contains manifest.json and layout.json directly inside it. A mistake we see constantly is linking the outer download folder while the actual package is buried one level deeper. Archives must be extracted first.
5. Configure the source and destination paths. Add your external library as a source, then select the Community folder actually used by that simulator installation. For MSFS 2020, our walkthrough for locating the active Community folder and checking package structure covers custom installation paths. For MSFS 2024, use the version-specific Community-folder guidance for scenery packages rather than assuming its path matches 2020.
6. Scan or refresh the library. The add-ons should appear under the categories created in your source folder. If they do not, check the archive extraction, package nesting and any active filters.
7. Enable the required packages. Select an add-on and use the tool’s enable or link control. The exact label can vary between releases, but a folder-like symbolic-link entry should then appear in Community. Do not also leave a physical copy of the same package there.
8. Start the simulator and verify the content. Once the package works, save the selection as a preset if you intend to use that group again.

Keep separate source trees or configurations for MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 unless a package explicitly supports both. Sharing an incompatible package between both Community folders can produce missing scenery, duplicate airports or loading failures.

How should you use presets?

Presets store groups of enabled add-ons, not copies or backups of the packages themselves. Useful sets might cover a flying region, an aircraft type, a multiplayer event or a minimal troubleshooting configuration.

• Include dependencies: a livery still needs its base aircraft, while some scenery requires a separate object library.
• Avoid duplicate locations: do not enable two airport packages for the same ICAO unless their documentation explicitly says they work together.
• Switch while MSFS is closed: changing a preset after the simulator has loaded does not reliably rebuild the active package set.
• Keep a clean test preset: one add-on plus its required libraries is the quickest way to distinguish a broken package from a conflict.

How do you update linked add-ons?

Update the real package in the external library, not the symbolic-link entry in Community. After replacing its files, refresh MSFS Addons Linker and recreate the link if the package folder name changed.

If an add-on installer accepts a custom destination, point it at the external library. If it insists on installing into Community, disable the existing link first, let the installer create a physical package, then move that package into the external library and re-enable it. Check that no duplicate was left behind. Installer-managed products that require a fixed location may be better left under their own installer’s control.

Why does an enabled add-on not appear in MSFS?

An enabled package usually goes missing because the linker targets the wrong Community folder, the package is nested incorrectly or Windows failed to create the symbolic link.

• Wrong Community folder: custom package locations and parallel MSFS 2020 and 2024 installations can leave several plausible folders on one PC. Confirm the active destination rather than relying on a default path found elsewhere.
• Package still zipped or double-nested: locate the folder containing manifest.json and layout.json and make that the package root.
• Link-creation permission denied: run the utility with suitable permissions or enable Windows Developer Mode if permitted on that PC. Security software or workplace policies can also block symbolic links.
• Source drive unavailable: reconnect the drive and restore its original drive letter. A link remains visible even when its target cannot be reached.
• Missing dependency or incompatible version: Addons Linker can activate a package but cannot make a 2020-only package work in MSFS 2024, or supply a library it requires.
• Duplicate or conflicting package: remove the physical Community copy and disable competing airports, meshes, avionics modifications or liveries while testing.
• Simulator already running: close MSFS completely, change the enabled set, then restart it.

For a stubborn failure, enable only the affected package and its declared dependencies. If it then appears, add the remaining packages back in small groups until the conflict returns. When the link and package structure are correct but an airport is still absent, follow our checks for airport visibility, edition differences and scenery conflicts.