There are several schools of thoughts regarding that: (a) those who believe in the recommendations of Microsoft and therefore will empty their Community folders, and (b) those who think this has absolutely no effect on anything and won't do it.

There is a third category: those using Add-on-Linker who, with a simple click will de-link all their add-ons, and, after the update, will re-link everything with one click... Now choose your camp and live in peace.

2 hours ago, pete_auau said:

or  you can  simply  renane  your  folder

Exactly 🙂 that’s what I’m always doing

1 hour ago, Bernard Ducret said:

There are several schools of thoughts regarding that: (a) those who believe in the recommendations of Microsoft and therefore will empty their Community folders, and (b) those who think this has absolutely no effect on anything and won't do it.

There is a third category: those using Add-on-Linker who, with a simple click will de-link all their add-ons, and, after the update, will re-link everything with one click... Now choose your camp and live in peace.

100%

2 hours ago, Muklum said:

Why is that "the most important action"

Endless "Checking for Updates screen" Sim won't load. - Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) - The AVSIM Community

1 hour ago, TENPATROL said:

Endless "Checking for Updates screen" Sim won't load. - Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) - The AVSIM Community

Thanks, I didn't know about that. However, that shouldn't happen if the update process has emptied the Community folder anyway - and it always does empty my Community folder. 

4 hours ago, Bernard Ducret said:

There are several schools of thoughts regarding that: (a) those who believe in the recommendations of Microsoft and therefore will empty their Community folders, 

Hey Bernard

I do believe in MS recommendations 😉. Emptying or renaming Community  before the updating process is not necessary at least not what is recommended as I read it. 

Quotes (bold by me)

- from SU6

For PC users: Some packages in your community folder may not have been updated and, as a result, may have an unexpected impact on the title’s performance and behavior. Please move your community package(s) to another folder before relaunching the title if you suffer from stability issues or long loading times.

- and some recent HF had a shorter version

Please move your community package(s) to another folder before relaunching the title if you suffer from stability issues or long loading times.

The new safe mode makes it even less necessary... or should

 

Yes, I would like to move my Community folder packages because the folder is buried so deep in the file archive it's difficult to work with. This would make it easer to unzip and install new addons. How do you move your Community packages (addons, I assume) to another folder so that MSFS still recognizes where they are when needed in the sim? And do you delete the now empty community folder? I am really confused.

15 hours ago, Dominique_K said:

Emptying or renaming Community  before the updating process is not necessary at least not what is recommended as I read it. 

 

Have another try Dominique:  https://flightsimulator.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017133940-All-versions-How-to-maintain-and-update-Microsoft-Flight-Simulator-

Bold is not mine it's theirs, line three says "before updating":

MOVE YOUR COMMUNITY PACKAGES

Some packages in your community folder may not have been updated and, as a result, may have an unexpected impact on the title’s performance and behavior. We recommend moving your community package(s) to another folder before updating Microsoft Flight Simulator. NOTE: If you do not have free space to move the packages, you can also temporarily rename the folder ("Community_old" for example)

That is why there is so much confusion!

Edited October 15, 20214 yr by Bernard Ducret

57 minutes ago, Bernard Ducret said:

Have another try

The plot thickens 😄 !

Actually and as I recall, the ZD recommendation was issued after one of the first updates which brought a lot of CTD.  Since then it has been changed for the one I quoted for each release. . 

As there is no Asobo file in Community and hence no change with any update, they corrected the warning but not in the FAQ.

 

Edited October 15, 20214 yr by Dominique_K

15 hours ago, AviatorMan said:

Yes, I would like to move my Community folder packages because the folder is buried so deep in the file archive it's difficult to work with. This would make it easer to unzip and install new addons. How do you move your Community packages (addons, I assume) to another folder so that MSFS still recognizes where they are when needed in the sim? And do you delete the now empty community folder? I am really confused.

The only way to alter the path would be to completely reinstall the simulator core files to a folder of their own, created by you, such as
(any drive of your choice)/Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The path to the Community folder would then be (your chosen drive)/Microsoft Flight Simulator/Community.

Instead, you could simply create a desktop shortcut to your Community folder.
When installing an addon, unzip the files to another folder created by you, such as C:\Unzipped or even the desktop itself and then copy and paste or drag the files to that desktop shortcut.

4 hours ago, Reader said:

Instead, you could simply create a desktop shortcut to your Community folder.
When installing an addon, unzip the files to another folder created by you, such as C:\Unzipped or even the desktop itself and then copy and paste or drag the files to that desktop shortcut.

Thanks, I did this and it worked!

On 10/14/2021 at 5:49 AM, Muklum said:

Why is that "the most important action" if the update process is going to empty it anyway?

The update process does nothing to the community folder. Some add-ons in the community folder might be affected by an update, but the process itself leaves the folder and its contents untouched. Proof: even if you remove Community entirely from MSFS (by renaming, for example), updates will proceed normally. Re-starting MSFS then creates a new Community folder.

13 hours ago, cobalt said:

The update process does nothing to the community folder. Some add-ons in the community folder might be affected by an update, but the process itself leaves the folder and its contents untouched. Proof: even if you remove Community entirely from MSFS (by renaming, for example), updates will proceed normally. Re-starting MSFS then creates a new Community folder.

Well, something empties my Community folder every time the sim updates (and other people have reported the same thing), so if it's not the update process that's doing it, why does it happen?

On 10/14/2021 at 5:23 PM, AviatorMan said:

Yes, I would like to move my Community folder packages because the folder is buried so deep in the file archive it's difficult to work with. This would make it easer to unzip and install new addons. How do you move your Community packages (addons, I assume) to another folder so that MSFS still recognizes where they are when needed in the sim? And do you delete the now empty community folder? I am really confused.

Use AdonLinker instead, it will save you from lot of gray hair.

2 hours ago, Muklum said:

Well, something empties my Community folder every time the sim updates (and other people have reported the same thing), so if it's not the update process that's doing it, why does it happen?

yep  strange  that this happens  some  are effected  and  others  are not