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Frequently Asked Questions

How to install addons

  1. All our addons require the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, make sure you own a legitimate copy of the sim.
  2. Exit Microsoft Flight Simulator in case it is running.
  3. Make sure you have WinRAR installed, if not download and install “WinRAR x64 (64 bit)” from the WinRAR website here.
  4. Locate your Microsoft Flight Simulator Community folder with the help of this guide.
  5. Download the .rar addon file from one of the links we provide on each post.
  6. In case you are updating from a previous version of the addon, delete your old addon folder from your Community folder.
  7. Right-click on the .rar file and select “Extract Files…”, then select your Community folder and click on “OK”.
  8. Rename your ModelLib files / MaterialLib folders as described here.
  9. Depending on your platform, delete the following folder:
    • Microsoft Store version:
      C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\SceneryIndexes
    • Steam version:
      C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator\SceneryIndexes
    • Retail disc version:
      C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\MSFSPackages\SceneryIndexes
  10. You are done. Most addons can be directly extracted into your Community folder, with a few exceptions. If you see a Red Important Box on a post (like in this example), follow the instructions inside of it instead.
    Repeat the same steps above when installing a new or updated addon.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024

We will continue posting MSFS 2020 aircraft addons as usual, including aircraft updates that are fixing issues with the backwards compatibility of MSFS 2024. However we will not post any new aircraft or aircraft updates that only work with MSFS 2024. To sum it up:

  • Aircraft addons built with the MSFS 2020 SDK: We will post them and you can use them natively with MSFS 2020 and hopefully MSFS 2024 using backwards compatibility.
  • Aircraft addons built with the MSFS 2024 SDK: We will not post them as they only work with MSFS 2024.

About other websites

We do not have any accounts on other websites like Discord, Reddit or other various forums. Any person on the internet claiming to represent SimPlaza or being connected to us in any way is lying. You can only reach us on our Contact form over email.

Addon warnings

Here you find a list of addons with warnings, please read the red “Important” boxes to consider if you still want to use them. We will keep this list updated. You can find airport & scenery warnings on the SceneryAddons.org Help Page.

Addon is not being displayed or has missing textures

See this troubleshooting section on SceneryAddons.org for possible solutions.

Aircraft addon bugs & crashes

In case you are experiencing bugs, weird behaviour or even crashes when using a certain aircraft, try deleting the aircraft’s packages folder which contains cache files. If you cannot find this folder, the aircraft does not cache any files and this won’t help you unfortunately:

  • Steam version:
    C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator\Packages\<addon_folder_name>
  • Microsoft Store version:
    C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\Packages\<addon_folder_name>

Note: Afterwards, in case the aircraft required running an ACTIVATE.bat script, you need to run the script again.

Windows “Destination Path Too Long” error

When extracting addons, you might encounter a Windows error message displaying “Destination Path Too Long”, “The file name(s) would be too long for the destination folder”. You can fix it by doing one of the following things:

  • (Recommended) Move your MSFS installation closer to the root of your drive, for example: “C:\Microsoft Flight Simulator\Community\…”
  • Enable Windows Long Path by following this tutorial.

Windows Defender quarantine

In case Windows Defender is warning you and quarantining any files after extracting them, you will have to restore them as described here. The same goes for any other anti-virus software. Some addon files are simply getting flagged randomly by Microsoft due to having a similar file signature as an actual virus. On cracked programs, Windows is even more sensitive due to the .exe file no longer matching with the original .exe which could’ve been signed by the developer and deemed safe by Microsoft.

All in all it is always a false positive, every program we post on SimPlaza is safe, either original or cracked/modified by us and never taken from somewhere else without careful consideration.

(Note that the above does not automatically apply to every other Piracy site too, ultimately you have to do your own research on them)

Browser blocking downloads

Some downloaded files might be blocked by Chrome or Firefox, especially when downloading from Mixdrop. These are also false positives as described above. To allow the download, do the following:

  • Google Chrome: Temporarily change your Chrome Security Settings to “No protection” as described here, then download the file again.
  • Mozilla Firefox: Click on the Download and press the “Allow download” button.

Is SimPlaza a piracy site? Can Asobo detect pirated addons and ban me?

You might have already guessed it, yes this is a piracy site. However almost all addons we are offering come from 3rd party stores, so Asobo cannot tell if you actually purchased them or not.

Asobo might detect addons from our MSFS Marketplace category, but at this time it seems they do not care at all and probably never will. Ultimately you have to decide yourself if you want to install marketplace exclusive addons or not.

Addon conflicts

In the past, SimPlaza has given recommendations for addon conflicts. The page has been archived and can be found here.

FAQ PDF File