X-Plane 12 uses the scenery_packs.ini in the active Custom Scenery folder. Learn why duplicates appear and how to identify the live file.
X-Plane 12 uses only Custom Scenery/scenery_packs.ini from the installation you actually launched. A second file normally belongs to another X-Plane copy, a backup, or an incorrectly nested scenery package. Each separate installation can have its own valid file, but the running simulator reads the one under its own installation root.
Which scenery_packs.ini file is active?
The active file is inside the Custom Scenery folder belonging to the running X-Plane 12 executable. It is not necessarily the first copy returned by an operating-system search.
- Launch X-Plane 12 using the shortcut or executable you normally use, then close it.
- Find the freshly written
Log.txt. It is stored in that X-Plane installation's root folder, alongside the simulator executable. - Confirm the installation path near the beginning of the log, where X-Plane identifies its X-System folder.
- Open the live file at
that installation/Custom Scenery/scenery_packs.ini.
A normal file system cannot contain two identically named files in the same directory. If you can see two scenery_packs.ini files, they are in different folders, different installations or different storage locations.
Why does a second scenery_packs.ini appear?
| Common cause | What the second file means |
|---|---|
| Two X-Plane installations | A demo, test copy, store-managed installation or old installation can have its own Custom Scenery folder and valid INI file. |
| Backup file | A file ending in .bak, .backup or .txt is not the active INI, even if the operating system hides its final extension. |
| Incorrectly extracted add-on | An add-on may have been installed with an extra wrapper folder, leaving another Custom Scenery directory nested inside the real one. |
| Copied or synchronised folder | An archive, cloud copy, previous drive or restored folder may appear in search results but is not read by the running simulator. |
If the second file arrived inside a downloaded package, check the expected folder depth using our X-Plane 12 scenery installation checks. Removing only the extra INI may leave the scenery itself one directory too deep.
Can you delete the duplicate file?
You can remove or archive an unused copy after confirming which installation owns it. Do not delete the file from another functioning X-Plane installation if you still use that copy.
If the active scenery_packs.ini is deleted, X-Plane creates a replacement by scanning the folders under Custom Scenery on a subsequent launch. That can discard a carefully arranged priority order, so retain a backup and follow our recommended scenery load-order structure if rebuilding it.
Why are edits being ignored?
Edits usually appear to be ignored because the wrong installation's file was changed, the editor added another extension, or X-Plane was running while the file was edited.
- Close X-Plane before making changes.
- Verify the active root through the newly generated
Log.txt. - Make sure the filename is exactly
scenery_packs.ini, notscenery_packs.ini.txt. - Check that the file is writable and is not being restored by synchronisation software.
- Confirm that a wanted package uses
SCENERY_PACK, rather thanSCENERY_PACK_DISABLED.
Only the INI at the active path controls that installation's custom scenery priority. Copies elsewhere do not combine with it and cannot provide a second load-order list.