Learn where Ortho4XP tiles and overlays go in X-Plane 11, how to order scenery_packs.ini, and how to fix missing orthophoto scenery.
Put each finished Ortho4XP tile package—usually named zOrtho4XP_...—directly inside X-Plane 11's Custom Scenery folder. Put yOrtho4XP_Overlays there too if you generated overlays, with its entry above the tile entries in scenery_packs.ini. Keep the Ortho4XP application, image cache and build-source data outside X-Plane.
Where is the X-Plane 11 Custom Scenery folder?
The correct destination is <X-Plane 11>/Custom Scenery/. The X-Plane 11 root is the folder containing the simulator executable alongside directories such as Aircraft, Resources, Global Scenery and Custom Scenery.
A Steam copy is usually beneath the selected Steam library at steamapps/common/X-Plane 11/Custom Scenery/, but installations can be moved. If you have several copies of the simulator, use our guide to identify the X-Plane 11 installation that is actually being launched; placing tiles in an inactive copy is a common reason they appear to do nothing.
- Close X-Plane 11: install and reorder scenery while the simulator is not running.
- Find the completed packages: Ortho4XP normally stores built tiles in its
Tilesdirectory unless you selected another build location. A typical package iszOrtho4XP_+37-113. - Check the package root: the tile folder should contain
Earth nav data,terrainandtextures. An empty or partly built folder is not usable scenery. - Copy or link each tile: place every complete
zOrtho4XP_...package directly belowCustom Scenery. A filesystem link can be used instead of a second copy. - Install the overlays: put the complete
yOrtho4XP_Overlaysfolder directly belowCustom Sceneryif you generated it. - Start X-Plane once: allow it to detect the packages, then close it and inspect
Custom Scenery/scenery_packs.ini. Newly detected scenery may need moving to the correct priority position.
Which Ortho4XP files belong in X-Plane 11?
Only finished X-Plane scenery packages belong in Custom Scenery; Ortho4XP's program and working data do not.
| Ortho4XP item | Correct location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
zOrtho4XP_... tile folder | Directly inside Custom Scenery, or linked there | Contains the photographic textures and base mesh used by X-Plane. |
yOrtho4XP_Overlays | Directly inside Custom Scenery | Provides extracted roads, forests, buildings and other overlay data. |
| Ortho4XP application and configuration | Outside X-Plane | Runs the tile-building process but is not an X-Plane scenery package. |
| Downloaded imagery, elevation data and other caches | Keep with Ortho4XP or on a separate storage drive | Source and working data used to build or rebuild tiles. |
| Downloaded archive files | Extract first | X-Plane cannot load a scenery package while it remains inside an archive. |
Do not put loose texture, terrain or DSF files directly in Custom Scenery. Do not install Ortho4XP packages in Global Scenery or Resources/default scenery; updates and file verification can overwrite those locations, and they are not intended for third-party packages.
What should an Ortho4XP tile folder look like?
A valid tile is one complete package exactly one level below Custom Scenery. A conventional installation looks like this:
Custom Scenery/zOrtho4XP_+37-113/Earth nav data/Custom Scenery/zOrtho4XP_+37-113/terrain/Custom Scenery/zOrtho4XP_+37-113/textures/Custom Scenery/yOrtho4XP_Overlays/Earth nav data/
Extra files inside a package are not necessarily a problem. What matters is that X-Plane can find the package's Earth nav data directory and the terrain and texture resources referenced by its DSF.
A mistake we see repeatedly is an extra wrapper level, such as Custom Scenery/Tiles/zOrtho4XP_+37-113/ or Custom Scenery/zOrtho4XP_+37-113/zOrtho4XP_+37-113/. X-Plane does not search through arbitrary wrapper folders. The folder containing Earth nav data must itself be the scenery package directly inside Custom Scenery.
Do downloaded Ortho4XP scenery packs go in the same place?
Yes. Extract the download and place each complete scenery package directly inside Custom Scenery. A regional archive may contain several zOrtho4XP_... folders; install those individually rather than copying the regional wrapper. If an archive contains its own Custom Scenery directory, merge its contents into yours instead of creating Custom Scenery/Custom Scenery/.
Our extraction and folder checks for X-Plane 11 photo scenery cover the same package-depth problem for ready-made orthophoto downloads.
How should Ortho4XP be ordered in scenery_packs.ini?
Airport and overlay scenery must appear above Ortho4XP's base-mesh tiles in scenery_packs.ini, because packages nearer the top receive higher priority.
| Scenery type | Recommended position | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Custom airports | Highest of these groups | Keeps airport objects, surfaces and exclusions above regional scenery. |
Global Airports | Above overlays and orthophotos | Preserves X-Plane 11's default airports. |
yOrtho4XP_Overlays and other overlays | Above Ortho4XP tiles | Draws roads, forests and autogen over the photographic ground. |
zOrtho4XP_... | Near the bottom | Supplies the photographic textures and base mesh. |
| Competing base mesh for the same area | Below the preferred mesh or disabled | X-Plane uses only the highest-priority base-mesh DSF covering that one-degree tile. |
A typical pair of entries therefore appears in this order:
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/yOrtho4XP_Overlays/
SCENERY_PACK Custom Scenery/zOrtho4XP_+37-113/
The order among non-overlapping Ortho4XP tiles usually makes no difference. When two base-mesh packages cover the same coordinates, however, X-Plane does not combine their terrain: the higher-priority one wins. This is why installing HD Mesh below an Ortho4XP tile does not add its terrain detail to that tile. See our explanation of how Ortho4XP and HD Mesh compete for the same area for the practical ordering choices.
Why is Ortho4XP not showing in X-Plane 11?
Ortho4XP imagery normally fails to appear because X-Plane cannot detect the package, the tile build is incomplete, or another base mesh has higher priority.
- Confirm the active installation: make sure the tile is in the
Custom Sceneryfolder belonging to the executable you launched. - Inspect the folder depth:
Earth nav datamust be inside the package directly belowCustom Scenery, not inside a second copy of the package name or a generalTilesfolder. - Check scenery_packs.ini: verify that the package has a
SCENERY_PACKentry and is not markedSCENERY_PACK_DISABLED. - Confirm that the tile contains a DSF: a folder can exist even when Ortho4XP did not complete the build. Look beneath
Earth nav datafor the compiled scenery file covering the tile. - Check textures and terrain files: missing files, interrupted copies and broken links produce loading errors even when the DSF is present.
- Verify the coordinates: a name such as
+37-113identifies the tile by latitude and longitude. Installing an adjacent tile will not change the location at which you are flying. - Resolve mesh conflicts: move the preferred
zOrtho4XP_...entry above any other base mesh covering the same coordinates. - Read Log.txt: after a clean launch and shutdown, search the root-level
Log.txtfor the package name and messages concerning missing DSFs, terrain definitions or textures.
- Photographic ground but no buildings or roads: the base tile is working; install, enable or reorder
yOrtho4XP_Overlays. - Buildings appear over default-looking ground: the overlay is loading but the Ortho4XP base mesh is not. Check the tile's DSF and mesh priority.
- X-Plane reports missing textures: recopy or rebuild the incomplete package. Changing scenery order cannot replace absent files.
- The tile disappears when a storage drive is disconnected: its filesystem link points to an unavailable target.
Do not delete scenery_packs.ini as the first remedy. X-Plane will recreate it, but that also removes a carefully arranged order and often restores the same conflicting priority.
Can Ortho4XP tiles stay on another drive?
Yes. A completed tile can remain on another drive if a valid operating-system symbolic link or junction representing that package appears directly inside Custom Scenery.
Point the link at the folder containing Earth nav data, not at Ortho4XP's top-level Tiles directory. Linking the whole wrapper creates the same extra-folder problem as copying it. An ordinary desktop shortcut is not a dependable substitute for a filesystem link on every platform.
Mount or connect the storage drive before starting X-Plane, and keep its drive letter or mount path stable. Avoid leaving both a copied package and a linked version active: the older duplicate may receive higher priority, making later rebuilds appear to have no effect.
Does Ortho4XP 1.4 or the latest version use a different folder?
No. A conventional scenery tile produced by an Ortho4XP 1.4 build follows the same X-Plane 11 package rule: the completed zOrtho4XP_... folder goes directly in Custom Scenery, while the application and working files remain elsewhere.
Ortho4XP version changes may alter the building interface, available options or generated data, but they do not change where X-Plane 11 scans for add-on scenery. The phrase “latest version” can also distinguish a stable release from a development snapshot, so verify the version using the information included with the copy you obtained rather than relying on an archive's folder name. Updating Ortho4XP does not require moving valid existing tiles, nor does it automatically rebuild them.
Is AutoOrtho for X-Plane 11 installed the same way?
No. AutoOrtho is not another Ortho4XP version and its streamed or mounted data should not be treated as a collection of ordinary static zOrtho4XP_... folders.
| Method | What X-Plane sees | Runtime requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Ortho4XP | A complete local scenery package, copied or linked into Custom Scenery | None after the tile is built and installed; the scenery works offline. |
| AutoOrtho | Scenery entries connected to data supplied through its managed mount and cache arrangement | The required mount or streaming component must be available before X-Plane loads the scenery. |
For AutoOrtho with X-Plane 11, use a release that explicitly supports XP11 and retain the directory arrangement it creates. Its scenery entries may appear in Custom Scenery, but copying the raw cache there does not create a valid static tile. If those entries are visible yet imagery does not load, check the AutoOrtho mount and data source before changing scenery_packs.ini.
Choose static Ortho4XP tiles when you need predictable offline operation and have space for complete regions. AutoOrtho suits a setup where streamed scenery, a growing cache and a required runtime component are acceptable.