How do I update MSFS 2020/2024 World Updates and scenery?

To update World Updates and scenery in Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) 2020 and 2024, install the latest simulator update first. In MSFS 2020, use Marketplace and Content Manager for official packages. In MSFS 2024, most world scenery is streamed; update only locally installed items when My Library offers a newer version.

Which updater should I use for each scenery type?

The correct updater depends on whether the scenery belongs to the simulator, Marketplace or your PC’s Community folder.

A simulator update, World Update, Marketplace update and Community add-on update are separate operations. Completing one does not necessarily update the others.

How do I update official World Updates in MSFS 2020?

MSFS 2020 World Updates are optional packages, so updating the core simulator does not automatically install or refresh every region.

1. Update the simulator first. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator and let Steam, the Xbox app, Microsoft Store or the Xbox console install any available application update. Start the simulator and complete any mandatory in-sim download.
2. Check the Marketplace listing. Search for the relevant World Update by region. If it has never been acquired, use the available acquisition and download control.
3. Open Content Manager. Search for the region or filter for packages with updates available. Select all related regional components marked for updating rather than updating only one airport or points-of-interest package.
4. Allow the installation to finish. Keep enough free storage for downloading and unpacking the packages, then restart the simulator.
5. Verify the package. Return to Content Manager and confirm that the regional packages are shown as installed without an outstanding update.

If you are adding a region for the first time, our MSFS 2020 World Update installation and verification walkthrough also covers removal, storage and incomplete downloads. Avoid deleting packages directly from the Official folder; Content Manager should manage them.

Do World Updates update automatically in MSFS 2024?

In MSFS 2024, most first-party world scenery is delivered from the cloud, so the latest available streamed version loads automatically when online world data is enabled.

1. Install the base simulator update. Use the PC launcher or console update system, then complete any content prompt inside the simulator. Our platform-specific MSFS 2024 update steps and stuck-download fixes cover that process separately.
2. Confirm online world streaming is enabled. If the simulator is offline or online data has been disabled, it cannot retrieve refreshed cloud scenery.
3. Inspect My Library. For Marketplace scenery or content deliberately stored locally, apply an update if the library presents one. An absent update button is normal for content that is streamed or already up to date.
4. Check that the package is active. Owned content can still be disabled, incompatible or not installed locally. Its status matters more than simply seeing it in the library.

Do not copy MSFS 2020 Official packages into MSFS 2024. A transferred or previously owned add-on still needs a version that the publisher has made compatible with MSFS 2024.

Updating Marketplace and Community scenery

Marketplace scenery updates through the simulator’s content library, while Community scenery must usually be replaced manually.

For Marketplace purchases, use Content Manager in MSFS 2020 or Marketplace and My Library in MSFS 2024. If no newer version is offered, reinstalling the base simulator will not create one; the updated package must first be released through the simulator’s content system.

On PC, update manually installed scenery as follows:

1. Close the simulator. Do not replace files while MSFS is running.
2. Remove the old package. Delete or move its complete folder from Community. A mistake we see constantly is merging a new archive over the old version, leaving obsolete files behind.
3. Install the replacement. Extract the new package so its package root, normally containing manifest.json and layout.json, sits directly inside Community. Use the supplied installer instead if the scenery is installer-managed.
4. Eliminate duplicates. Check that renamed, older and test versions of the same airport or region are not still present.
5. Restart and test. Load the affected location after confirming that the package is intended for your simulator version.

MSFS 2024 can use a different Community-folder location from MSFS 2020, especially after changing the package installation path. Our guide to finding the active MSFS 2024 Community folder and installing scenery correctly explains how to identify the folder the simulator is actually reading.

Why is updated scenery still missing or unchanged?

If updated scenery is missing or looks unchanged, the usual cause is an inactive package, stale cache, duplicate add-on or disabled online data rather than a failed World Update.

• Restart MSFS: package indexes and streamed content may not refresh cleanly during the same session.
• Check package status: make sure the item is installed or active, not merely owned, and that all required components finished downloading.
• Test without Community add-ons: temporarily move them out of the active folder. Two versions of an airport, or an add-on overlapping an official handcrafted airport, can produce missing buildings, duplicated objects or incorrect ground textures.
• Rebuild the rolling cache: delete and recreate it through the simulator’s data settings if an old cached tile persists after a scenery update.
• Restore online data: streamed scenery, photogrammetry and other cloud world features cannot load when their online services are disabled.
• Check free storage: a package may need more working space than its final installed size while it is downloaded and unpacked.

If the package appears installed but the location remains absent, work through our missing-scenery diagnosis for caches, packages and add-on conflicts.