Where is the X-Plane 11 installation folder?

X-Plane 11 has no single fixed installation folder. The standalone installer lets you choose its location, often an “X-Plane 11” folder on the Desktop, while Steam places it inside the selected Steam library. The correct root folder contains the X-Plane application plus Aircraft, Custom Scenery, Output and Resources.

Where is X-Plane 11 installed by default?

Standalone and disc installations use the folder selected during setup rather than a mandatory system location. X-Plane 11 is therefore not necessarily under Program Files, Applications or another conventional software directory.

Steam paths are only typical examples. If you created another Steam library, look for steamapps/common/X-Plane 11 beneath that library. A Windows Desktop redirected through OneDrive may instead put the standalone folder under C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Desktop.

How do I find the exact X-Plane 11 folder?

The most reliable method is to reveal the files from the shortcut or library entry you actually use to launch X-Plane 11.

1. Steam: Use the Steam library command for browsing installed or local files. It opens the active X-Plane 11 root even when the library is on another drive.
2. Windows standalone: Right-click the X-Plane shortcut and select Open file location, or search for X-Plane.exe. Windows may display it simply as “X-Plane” when file extensions are hidden.
3. macOS standalone: Search in Finder for X-Plane.app and reveal its enclosing folder. The installation root is the folder containing the app, not X-Plane.app/Contents.
4. Linux standalone: Check the target of the launcher you use. If necessary, run find "$HOME" -type f -name 'X-Plane-x86_64' 2>/dev/null and inspect the folder containing the result.

A mistake we see often is editing an old demo, backup or second installation while launching a different copy. When several results appear, the shortcut target or Steam file browser identifies the active one.

How can I tell whether it is the correct folder?

The root should contain the platform-specific X-Plane application alongside several recognisable simulator folders.

• X-Plane.exe on Windows, X-Plane.app on macOS or X-Plane-x86_64 on Linux
• Aircraft
• Custom Scenery
• Output
• Resources
• Usually Global Scenery when global terrain has been installed

An installer or updater application on its own does not prove that you have found the simulator root. Likewise, Resources, Custom Scenery and an aircraft's own directory are subfolders rather than the installation folder itself. If the root is correct but default terrain is missing or damaged, use our instructions to restore X-Plane global scenery safely.

Where do add-ons go inside the installation folder?

Add-ons belong in the appropriate subfolder of the active X-Plane 11 root, not inside the executable or macOS application package.

• Aircraft: Place complete aircraft folders under Aircraft.
• Scenery: Place scenery packages under Custom Scenery.
• Global plugins: These normally go under Resources/plugins; aircraft-specific plugins should remain with their aircraft when supplied that way.

Package structures vary, especially when a downloaded archive contains an extra enclosing folder. Our folder-by-folder X-Plane mod installation instructions explain how to recognise the correct level. Orthophoto scenery has additional output and ordering requirements covered in our guide to placing Ortho4XP files in X-Plane 11.

Can I move the X-Plane 11 installation folder?

A standalone X-Plane 11 installation can normally be moved as one complete folder while the simulator is closed. Move the entire root rather than only the application, update any shortcuts, and make sure the installer or updater points to the relocated copy when you next use it.

For the Steam edition, use Steam's storage or installation-move function instead of dragging the folder manually. This preserves the library records Steam uses to find and update the simulator.