I delete mine, though have sometimes regretted doing so when I've had to do a full reinstall.

However, as has ben said above, many of these are updated so frequently I'm not so sure it helps much.

I do have a zip backup of my basic community folder on another drive though which I do update from time to time.

8 hours ago, 737_800 said:

f it's enough to just extract them into the community folder and delete the zip

Rather than putting them in the Community folder, I made an MSFS Add-on folder outside MSFS and use Addon-Linker. That reduces the risk of having to re-install each and every downloaded software.

2 hours ago, andy1252 said:

I keep everything, well, latest couple of versions anyway. Periodic purges to clean up.

Exactly the same what I do.
When a new version comes out and it turns out to be a faulty one, I can always revert back to the last installed version.

Next to the SSD's for MSFS, I have a separate 2TB HDD for flightsim.

Edit: double post due to no refreshing of the page. 😌

Edited March 18, 20233 yr by bvdboomen

I tend to keep back-ups, particularly with regularly updated files such as aircraft improvement mods. Sometimes a glitch can arise with the latest versions, or they might include something I don't want, so I have an earlier version to go back to. An example of this was the Flying Iron Spitfire update which introduced excessive wind sound. Having the previous version's installer stored away allowed the older sound folder to be used with the new update. Of course Flying Iron, first-rate developer that they are, quickly rectified the issue. There are other developers, however, who would dismiss it as a feature or claim that real-world pilots had tested it, and walk away. So, having a back-up can pay dividends.

There is also the question of Total Nuclear Armageddon. Flightsim.to won't be around if the planet is turned into an irradiated fireball, so you'll be glad to have those back-ups handy. 😉

Generally I don’t, never for freeware.

7 hours ago, Nuno Pinto said:

I keep everything. Got a cheap SATA 4TB drive just for that. Access to everything at any time.

Forgot an important detail... I sort everything by ICAO or Manufacturer and keep addons separated by type, so i have "Aircraft", "Scenery", "Utilities" folders and inside them additional folders like:

AIRCRAFT

"Boeing 737 (PMDG)"

"Airbus A320 (Fenix)"

SCENERY

"KPHX - Phoenix"

"EDDB - Berlin Brandenburg"

And so on... Then the airports/aircraft ZIP inside the respective folder with that weird naming scheme nobody can make anything out of.

Edited March 18, 20233 yr by Nuno Pinto

I have a whole HDD only for that where i save all my downloads for MSFS and delete some very old stuff from time to time.

Holy, 5 Terrabite of saved MSFS files on this..🤪

cheers 😉

Like some others that have posted, I keep lots of downloaded files on a separate SSD that I just for that purpose. Everything on there is organized in folders by type of download and what platform it is for. I have been doing it this way for many, many years and it has proved handy on many occasions when I needed a previous downloaded file for whatever reason. The main reason I do this is for organization as I may not remember where I got all these downloads from in the first place. But having them orgranized on one drive helps remind me where I got each one also that I actually have them. Also, you never know when your internet access might go down, so it's nice to have your own little server of downloads.