Learn how to reload scenery in Microsoft Flight Simulator, remount Community add-ons, refresh streamed terrain and rebuild projects in Developer Mode.
To reload scenery in Microsoft Flight Simulator, return to the main menu and restart the simulator; this is the only dependable way to remount installed scenery packages. Developer Mode can refresh or rebuild scenery being edited, while streamed terrain may need a new flight or rolling-cache reset rather than a package reload.
How do you reload installed scenery?
For a Community, Marketplace or managed content package, fully closing and relaunching Microsoft Flight Simulator is the reliable reload method in both MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024.
- Finish the package change. Allow any content-library download to complete. On PC, add, replace or remove Community packages only while the simulator is closed. In a normal unpacked package,
manifest.jsonandlayout.jsonshould be inside the package's top-level folder rather than an extra extraction folder. - Close the simulator completely. Returning to the main menu or choosing Restart from the pause menu does not remount packages. On Xbox, select Quit rather than relying on Quick Resume. On PlayStation 5, close the game rather than leaving it suspended.
- Relaunch Microsoft Flight Simulator. Wait for the content library and installed packages to finish loading before starting the flight.
- Load the affected location. If the scenery is still absent, check that the package is installed, enabled and intended for your simulator version.
A mistake we see constantly is overwriting an add-on while its existing copy is mounted. That can leave locked, mixed or stale files behind. Close MSFS first, replace the entire package, and then relaunch it.
Can scenery be reloaded without restarting MSFS?
There is no universal end-user Reload Scenery button or keyboard shortcut that safely remounts every scenery type.
| Scenery type | Quickest useful action | When to relaunch MSFS |
|---|---|---|
| Community add-on | Close the simulator, change the package, then reopen it | After adding, replacing or removing the package |
| Marketplace or managed content | Finish the download and confirm it is enabled | When the content does not appear immediately |
| Developer project | Save, rebuild and use the active editor's reload tools | When compiled assets or package metadata remain stale |
| Streamed imagery or photogrammetry | Return to the main menu and load the area again | When the online-data session itself appears stuck |
How do you reload scenery in Developer Mode?
Developer Mode can refresh an active scenery project without a complete relaunch, but this is a PC authoring workflow rather than a general add-on reload function.
- Open the source project. If the tools are unfamiliar, follow our instructions to set up the MSFS 2024 development tools.
- Save and rebuild the scenery package. Placement changes made in the Scenery Editor are visible while editing, but external models, textures and compiled scenery assets generally need another build.
- Use the editor's reload or refresh control. Names and available commands differ between MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 SDK revisions; our reference lets you check the available MSFS 2024 editor shortcuts.
- Restart when stale assets persist. Changes to package definitions, virtual-file-system mounting or some compiled resources may not refresh cleanly during the session.
Keep only one test copy of the package active. Loading both a project build and another copy from the Community folder can produce duplicated objects, conflicting exclusions or the appearance that an old build has been reloaded.
How do you refresh streamed scenery?
Default aerial imagery and photogrammetry are streamed world data, so reloading an add-on package will not repair stale or incomplete tiles.
Return to the main menu, confirm that online world data and photogrammetry are enabled, and load the area again. If the same bad imagery remains, reset the rolling scenery cache without deleting add-ons. Clearing that cache will not fix a missing handcrafted airport or an invalid Community package.
Why does scenery still not appear after a restart?
If a full relaunch does not restore the scenery, the package is usually not mounted, is disabled, is incompatible or is being overridden.
- Nested extraction folder: the actual package is one level deeper than expected.
- Wrong Community folder: the add-on was copied to an old or inactive packages location.
- Incomplete managed content: the airport or a required dependency has not finished downloading.
- Duplicate scenery: another package covers the same airport or region and wins the loading order.
- Incorrect simulator version: an add-on built for MSFS 2020 may require an updated package for MSFS 2024.
Do not keep backup copies inside the Community folder: renaming a package does not necessarily stop MSFS from discovering it. Move suspected packages outside the folder while the simulator is closed, restart, and test again. If the package remains absent, work through our deeper scenery-loading checks.