If your MSFS Community folder is empty, find the active package path and fix duplicate, moved, Marketplace or externally managed add-ons.
An empty Microsoft Flight Simulator Community folder usually means you have opened the wrong folder, the simulator is using a different packages path, or no manually installed add-ons are active. Marketplace content is not stored there. Check the active InstalledPackagesPath before copying or deleting anything.
How do I find the Community folder MSFS is actually using?
The definitive location is the Community directory inside the package root recorded in the relevant simulator's UserCfg.opt file. A folder found through Windows Search may be left over from an old installation and is not necessarily active.
- Close Microsoft Flight Simulator completely. Reading the configuration while the simulator is shut down also prevents changes being overwritten.
- Find the correct
UserCfg.opt. MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 have separate configuration files. If Windows finds several, run the required edition, close it, and check which file was most recently modified. - Open the file in a plain-text editor. Find the
InstalledPackagesPathentry, normally near the end. Read the path but do not change it merely to solve an empty-folder problem. - Open that package path. The active
Communityfolder should be directly inside it. If this differs from the empty folder you originally opened, you were looking at an inactive copy.
Installation source, custom storage choices and simulator edition all affect the location. Our edition-specific Community folder location reference covers the usual Microsoft Store, Xbox app, Steam and custom-package arrangements.
Why can the active Community folder still be empty?
The active folder can legitimately be empty because only manually installed PC packages belong there. The simulator's core files, bundled aircraft and Marketplace purchases use simulator-managed storage instead.
| What you see | Likely explanation | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplace aircraft or scenery works, but Community is empty | This is normal. Managed content may be installed elsewhere or streamed, depending on the simulator edition and package. | Use the simulator's content-management interface for that item; do not expect it in Community. |
| Another Community folder contains all your add-ons | The package path changed after a reinstall, storage change or installation of another edition. | Compare that folder with InstalledPackagesPath before moving anything. |
| Add-ons are stored on another drive | An add-on manager may keep the real packages in a library and place directory links in Community only when they are enabled. | Check the active profile and links. Our guide to managing external packages with MSFS Addons Linker explains this arrangement. |
| MSFS 2020 has add-ons but MSFS 2024 does not | The two editions use separate package roots and Community folders. | Install compatible packages into the folder belonging to the edition being run. |
| You are playing on Xbox or PlayStation | Console editions do not expose a PC-style, user-accessible Community folder. | Use content supplied through the simulator's supported console systems. |
We do not recommend making MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 share one physical Community folder. Compatibility differs, and a package designed for one edition may fail, behave incorrectly or delay loading in the other.
What should I do after a reinstall, update or drive move?
Verify the active package path before restoring add-ons, because an apparent deletion is often an abandoned folder rather than lost files. Keep the old folder untouched until the new installation has launched successfully and written its configuration.
- Back up the old add-ons. Copy them somewhere outside every Community folder rather than deleting or merging them immediately.
- Compare both package roots. Check the old location against the value of
InstalledPackagesPathfrom the edition you now run. - Correct an intended relocation properly. Follow the safe package relocation process for MSFS 2020 or the corresponding storage steps for MSFS 2024. Avoid guessing by editing paths and moving folders simultaneously.
- Restore packages in small batches. This makes an outdated or damaged add-on easier to identify if the simulator crashes or stalls during loading.
Copy the add-on packages themselves, not the outer Community folder. A common mistake is creating Community\Community\AddonName, which puts every package one directory too deep.
How can I confirm that the Community folder works?
Test the folder with one known-compatible, manually installed package rather than a Marketplace item. Install it while Microsoft Flight Simulator is closed, then restart the simulator in normal mode rather than Safe Mode, which disables third-party content.
- Extract the download fully. Leaving a package inside a ZIP or other archive prevents MSFS from reading it.
- Check the directory depth. A normal package should resemble
Community\AddonName\manifest.jsonandCommunity\AddonName\layout.json. If those files sit inside another identically named folder, move the actual package up one level. - Launch the correct simulator edition. Check for the aircraft, livery, scenery or other visible change supplied by that package.
- Remove the test package if it fails. Confirm that it supports your simulator edition, then check again for nested folders, Safe Mode or an add-on manager that has disabled its links.
If that single package loads, the Community folder is working. Any remaining issue is with the missing package, its compatibility or the way it was extracted—not the folder itself.