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

MSFS Addons Linker is a Windows utility that stores Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons outside the Community folder and activates selected packages through filesystem links. Point it at an external library and the active MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 Community folder, scan the library, then enable individual packages or saved presets before launching the simulator.

What does MSFS Addons Linker actually do?

MSFS Addons Linker creates symbolic links in the Community folder while leaving each aircraft, scenery or livery package in a source folder you control. Microsoft Flight Simulator follows the link as though the complete package were installed in Community. Disabling an add-on removes its link without deleting the source package.

These are not ordinary Windows .lnk shortcuts. The utility scans one or more source folders and creates directory links that MSFS can read, letting you organise a large collection by simulator version, aircraft, region, scenery type or another useful category.

It is an organiser, not an installer or compatibility tool. It does not download updates, repair packages, supply missing dependencies or guarantee higher frame rates. Enabling fewer packages can reduce package scanning and makes conflicts easier to isolate, but performance still depends on the enabled content.

Use it only for Community packages. Do not move Official, Marketplace, streamed or base-simulator content into its library. The utility requires Windows filesystem access, so it cannot manage MSFS installations on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro.

When should you use Addons Linker instead of direct installation?

Use Addons Linker when you regularly switch package groups or when a growing Community folder has become difficult to audit.

Linked files are still read from the source drive during loading. A slow, disconnected or frequently renamed external drive can cause longer loads or missing content. Addons Linker is also different from moving the MSFS 2024 Community folder itself: it relocates selected add-on packages, not the simulator's active package path or Official content.

How do you set up MSFS Addons Linker?

Set up Addons Linker by creating an external package library, selecting the Community folder MSFS actually uses and testing one correctly extracted package before moving the rest of your collection.

1. Extract the utility to a permanent tools folder. Do not run it from inside its downloaded archive or place the application in the Community or Official folders.
2. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator. Enable or disable links while MSFS is shut down so it indexes the intended package set at its next launch.
3. Create an external add-on library. A structure such as D:\MSFS Addons\2020\Scenery and D:\MSFS Addons\2024\Scenery keeps the simulators separate. The source must sit outside Community and should use a drive letter that will not change.
4. Extract each add-on correctly. Addons Linker cannot activate ZIP or other archive files directly. The usable package folder normally contains manifest.json and layout.json at its top level. A mistake we see repeatedly is linking the outer download folder while the package is buried one level deeper; our guidance on preparing the correct MSFS 2024 scenery package structure covers that extraction step.
5. Find the active Community folder. Store, Steam and custom package installations can use different locations, while abandoned folders from an older installation may still exist. Select Community itself, not its parent Packages folder. If several paths look plausible, use these checks for correcting the Addons Linker Community path.
6. Register the source and destination. Add the external library as a source and the active Community folder as its destination. Labels vary between utility releases, but the source must never be inside the destination or vice versa.
7. Scan and activate one test package. Refresh the library, select a known-good add-on and use the enable or linking control. A folder-like symbolic-link entry should appear in Community rather than a second complete copy.
8. Start MSFS and verify the content. Test the aircraft, airport or livery before activating the rest of the library. Once it works, save the selection as a preset if you will use that group again.

When migrating packages already installed in Community, copy them to the external library first and verify their folder structure. Remove the original physical folders before enabling their links; leaving both versions in Community can create duplicate package identities and unpredictable conflicts.

Does MSFS Addons Linker work with MSFS 2024 and 2020?

MSFS Addons Linker can manage both MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 on PC, but each simulator should have its own source library, Community destination and presets.

Use a release of the utility that explicitly supports the simulator being configured, since older builds may assume MSFS 2020 paths. A working link proves only that Windows can reach the files; it does not prove that a 2020 package is compatible with MSFS 2024. Link a package into both simulators only when its documentation explicitly supports both.

How should you use presets?

Presets store groups of enabled links, not copies or backups of the underlying packages. Useful sets include a flying region, an aircraft and its liveries, a multiplayer event, or a minimal troubleshooting configuration.

• Include dependencies: keep required object libraries, base aircraft and common packages in the same preset as the add-on that needs them.
• Avoid duplicate locations: do not enable two airport packages for the same ICAO unless they are documented as compatible.
• Switch while MSFS is closed: changing a preset after the simulator has loaded does not reliably rebuild its active package list.
• Keep an empty or clean preset: start with no Community add-ons, or only one package and its dependencies, when diagnosing a crash or simulator update.

How do you update linked add-ons?

Update the real package in the external library, not the link shown inside Community. Refresh Addons Linker afterwards and recreate the link if the update changed the package folder's name or location.

If an installer accepts a custom destination, point it at the external library. If it insists on Community, disable the existing link, let the installer create a physical package, then move that package into the external library and enable it again. Check that no duplicate remains. Products requiring a fixed location may be better left under their own installer or updater.

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

When Addons Linker shows a package as enabled but MSFS cannot see it, the usual causes are an incorrect Community destination, a nested package folder or a link that Windows could not create.

• Wrong Community folder: parallel MSFS 2020 and 2024 installations, custom package paths and old folders can all produce plausible destinations. Confirm which one the running simulator uses.
• Package still archived or double-nested: locate the folder containing manifest.json and layout.json and make that the package root.
• No link was created: inspect Community after activation. An access-denied message indicates that the utility lacks the required Windows permission. Suitable permissions or Windows Developer Mode may be needed, while security software and workplace policies can block link creation.
• Source drive unavailable: reconnect the drive and restore its previous drive letter. A link can remain visible even though its target files are unreachable.
• Missing dependency or incompatible package: enable the required object library or base aircraft. Addons Linker cannot make a version-specific package compatible with another simulator.
• Duplicate or conflicting content: remove physical copies and disable competing airports, meshes, avionics modifications or older package versions while testing.
• Simulator already running: close MSFS completely, apply the intended preset and restart it.

For a stubborn problem, enable only the affected package and its declared dependencies, then add other packages back in small groups until the conflict returns. If the link and package structure appear correct, continue with our checks for diagnosing Community packages that MSFS cannot detect.

Is MSFS Addons Linker safe to use?

Used correctly, Addons Linker is low-risk, but its links are not backups and do not protect the source library from deletion or drive failure. Keep a separate backup, manage links through the utility and avoid manually editing files by opening their linked folders inside Community.

Disabling a package through Addons Linker should remove only its link. Never point the utility at the Official folder, and check where an add-on's own updater writes files before allowing it to modify a linked installation.