Where can I safely download free MSFS 2024 aircraft?
Find legitimate free MSFS 2024 aircraft, check compatibility and dependencies, install them on PC, and fix missing Community-folder add-ons safely.
Safely download free Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 aircraft from an established, moderated library that identifies the developer, package type, compatibility and dependencies. Choose genuine freeware rather than cracked payware, scan the archive and, on Windows PC, extract the package into the active Community folder. Consoles cannot sideload these files.
Where are the free MSFS 2024 aircraft downloads?
Our moderated MSFS freeware library contains complete aircraft, enhancements and liveries for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024. It covers airliners, regional aircraft, general aviation, military and vintage types, helicopters and gliders.
Check every individual listing before downloading. “MSFS” by itself may refer to MSFS 2020, MSFS 2024 or both; explicit MSFS 2024 support is the best first choice. A package marked only for MSFS 2020 may load in 2024, but that does not mean its cockpit, systems or flight model work correctly.
Is the download a complete aircraft or only a repaint?
A complete aircraft includes a selectable flyable model, while a livery or enhancement requires an exact base aircraft that must already be installed.
| Package type | What it provides | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Complete aircraft | The flyable base model | MSFS 2024 support and any external dependencies |
| Aircraft enhancement | Changes to systems, cockpit features, sounds or flight behaviour | The exact default or third-party aircraft it modifies |
| Livery or repaint | Alternative colours and markings | The required developer, aircraft and variant |
A mistake we see constantly is installing a livery and then searching for a new aircraft. Repaints normally appear beneath their base model and will not work with another developer’s version of the same real-world aircraft.
How do I tell whether an aircraft download is safe?
Treat every aircraft archive as untrusted until you have checked its source, contents, compatibility and dependencies.
- Identify the developer and distribution terms: The listing should explain who created the package, what it contains and why it may be distributed free of charge.
- Confirm MSFS 2024 support: Do not assume that an MSFS 2020 package is cross-compatible unless the listing or developer documentation says so.
- Check the package type and dependencies: Some downloads require a default aircraft, a particular simulator edition, another freeware package or a separate utility.
- Inspect the extracted files: A conventional aircraft package commonly contains
manifest.jsonandlayout.json. Their presence indicates an MSFS package structure but does not prove the files are harmless. - Question unexpected executable files: Files such as
.exe,.bat,.cmdand.ps1are not normally needed for a manually copied aircraft. A documented installer or companion application may be legitimate, but its publisher and purpose should be clear. - Scan twice: Scan the downloaded archive and its extracted contents before running an installer or copying anything into the simulator.
- Reject suspicious instructions: Never disable security protection, install an unrelated download manager or extension, or enter Microsoft account credentials into a freeware installer.
Moderation and security scanning reduce risk, but no source or antivirus result can guarantee that a download is harmless. Our detailed aircraft package-safety checklist explains the warning signs to assess before installation.
Are free MSFS aircraft the same as cracked add-ons?
No. Freeware is deliberately released without a purchase charge under the developer’s chosen terms; a cracked add-on is payware copied, altered or redistributed without permission.
Free aircraft still require a compatible, licensed installation of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. A “free MSFS download” does not include the simulator, and an MSFS crack is neither a safe nor legitimate substitute. Altered simulator files and cracked aircraft may contain malware, omit required components, break online services or become unusable after an update.
If you downloaded a suspected crack but did not open it, delete or quarantine it and run a security scan. If you executed it, installed bundled software or supplied account details, perform a full scan, change affected passwords from a clean device and review the account for unfamiliar sign-ins.
Will MSFS 2020 aircraft work in MSFS 2024?
Some MSFS 2020 aircraft work in MSFS 2024, but compatibility ranges from fully functional to visible yet unflyable.
Aircraft built mainly around standard simulator systems tend to have fewer failure points. Custom avionics, gauges, WASM modules, sounds, external utilities, dependencies and hard-coded package paths may require a 2024-specific update. Liveries can also fail when the base aircraft’s package identity changes.
Appearing in the aircraft selector does not prove compatibility. Test the aircraft individually in Free Flight, including a cold-and-dark start, displays, controls, lights, sounds and external animations. Do not copy an entire MSFS 2020 Community folder into MSFS 2024; move packages one at a time so a faulty add-on is easy to identify. Simmers maintaining both versions can also use our PC checks for MSFS 2020 aircraft downloads.
How do I install a downloaded aircraft in MSFS 2024?
Most freeware aircraft must be extracted into the active MSFS 2024 Community folder, unless the package provides a documented installer.
- Read the listing: Confirm MSFS 2024 compatibility, identify whether it is a complete aircraft and install every stated dependency.
- Scan and extract the archive: Extract the ZIP, RAR or 7z file to a temporary folder. Do not put the unopened archive in
Community. - Find the actual package folder: For a conventional package, locate the folder whose top level contains
manifest.jsonandlayout.json. Avoid copying an unnecessary outer wrapper folder. - Use the active Community folder: Its location varies with the installation source and any custom Packages path. MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 may use different folders, so an old or similarly named directory may not be active.
- Leave official content alone: Do not mix manually downloaded files into the simulator’s protected or Official package directory.
- Restart and test: Search by the listed manufacturer and model rather than the archive name, then test in Free Flight before installing more packages.
For help locating the correct Packages path, see our complete PC extraction and Community-folder instructions.
Why does my downloaded aircraft not appear?
A missing aircraft is usually still compressed, nested one folder too deep, incomplete or installed in the wrong Community directory.
| Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| The archive is still compressed | Extract it fully before copying the package |
| An extra wrapper folder was copied | Place the folder containing manifest.json and layout.json directly inside Community |
| The wrong Community folder was used | Check the Packages location used by the active MSFS 2024 installation |
| The download is only a livery | Install the exact required base aircraft and look beneath that model |
| A dependency is missing | Install every aircraft, library, edition-specific component or utility named in the documentation |
| The package targets MSFS 2020 | Use a release with stated MSFS 2024 support or accept that the older package may be incompatible |
| A duplicate or another add-on conflicts with it | Remove old copies and test with only the aircraft and its required dependencies in Community |
| It is absent from Career mode | Test it in Free Flight; Career availability has separate requirements and does not prove whether installation succeeded |
| MSFS crashes or hangs while loading | Remove the package and start clean; it may be incompatible rather than incorrectly installed |
If an aircraft stops working after a simulator update, look for a developer-approved update rather than replacing files with an unofficial patch. Remove the previous package first when the new version’s instructions call for a clean installation.
Can Xbox and PlayStation install downloaded aircraft?
No. External freeware aircraft files can be manually installed only in the Windows PC version of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
| Platform | Can it install downloaded aircraft files? |
|---|---|
| Windows PC | Yes, through the active Community folder or a documented installer |
| Xbox Series X|S | No; compatible add-ons must come through the simulator’s built-in content system |
| PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro | No; Windows PC packages cannot be copied into the PlayStation version |
Consoles do not expose the PC Community folder, and there is no supported USB sideloading method. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PS5 Pro, but that platform support does not make PC freeware archives installable on consoles. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 remains a PC and Xbox release and was never released for PlayStation.