Hi folks,

I'm new to this MSFS2020. I wanted to know where the scenery that I download is located at. For example, I installed MSFS into its own SSD and the path where I be installing future aircraft / scenery is directed as (M:\MFS2020\Community) in which I already have a few add-on scenery / aircraft installed. However, when I start up MSFS and go to the General Options > Data > Rolling Cache Path it shows the following: ( C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Community ). When I looked in that folder, it is empty. If I were to change the path in the General Options > Data > Rolling Cache Path to reflect the correct place where the add-on scenery / aircraft is installed, (M:\MFS2020\Community) will there be any issues when installing future scenery into that folder? Meaning, saving the new path in MSFS General Option, MSFS2020 will know to look for newly installed and current install scenery there?? Hope that make sense because the scenery that I had already installed went directly to that folder/drive.

this free tool has solved any community/addons issues for me:

https://flightsim.to/file/1572/msfs-addons-linker

300.000 downloads can't be wrong.

 

I don't use rolling cache. I consider it only useful on lowest grade computers or router/modems. But it makes no difference where you put the rolling cache, it does not have to into the main community folder where your addons are. Rolling Cache can be put anywhere.

Addon Linker is great for managing the community folder where you put addons. For instance you can put stuff purchased in marketplace into its own folder using AddonLinker. So that when you disable it, it isn't removed from your hardisk and so you don't have to  redownload it again form MSFS manager. So you can just mouse click to disable say MSFS Los Angeles and enable a payware Los Angeles bought in the marketplace. And switch back and forth between them in 5 seconds instead of redownloading the default version from content manager again and again.

It does other tricks too.

IOW, one addon linker installation can put stuff into and out of Community. But it can just as easy put stuff into and out of the folder under Official (where marketplace bought stuff goes). One installation of addon linker can do both of those things.

You have to first tell addon liner to move links to stuff in a certain folder and it's subfolders into and out of Community. And move links to stuff in this other folder and it's subfolders, into and out of the folder under Official.

Then you just click on the addon (3rd party or MS purchased) and it moves the links to the right place (either Community or the folder under Official).

But some things should never be taken out of the folder under Official or MSFS will not boot. Things you can remove are airports, planes. But there are other types of folders of files in there that MSFS needs to run.

You can take anything out community, won't hurt.

20 hours ago, Richard Muñoz said:

For example, I installed MSFS into its own SSD and the path where I be installing future aircraft / scenery is directed as (M:\MFS2020\Community) in which I already have a few add-on scenery / aircraft installed.

As best I know the Official and Community folders are always together. If you have both in the MFS2020 folder, you can check the MSFS location reference by looking in the LocalCache/Usercfg.opt file, last line and see if it matches that location.

The Rolling Cache path is separate and is not related to the Community folder.

Edited December 29, 20232 yr by Bert Pieke

So addon linker works with the official folder also? . Thats great as all those world updates can be moved away from my MSFS drive? I am under 100gb to spare right now.

On a second note. Is it possible to buy a new 4TB ssd drive and move all of MSFS folder to this new drive?

Thanks Michael Moe 

1 hour ago, Michael Moe said:

So addon linker works with the official folder also? . Thats great as all those world updates can be moved away from my MSFS drive? I am under 100gb to spare right now.

On a second note. Is it possible to buy a new 4TB ssd drive and move all of MSFS folder to this new drive?

Thanks Michael Moe 

Make sure you buy an internal ssd!

Then you have several options, including a Move of the msfs app..

3 minutes ago, Bert Pieke said:

Make sure you buy an internal ssd!

Then you have several options, including a Move of the msfs app..

Thanks but last time i tried the move MSFS APP function it was a mess and MSFS needed to be reinstall after an MSFS update.

I was more in the mode for an existing SSD drive (1TB) replacement to this new drive (4TB) which then also could fit MSFS2024 when times comes. I will make the same letter (O:) for the drive offcause if possible.

Thanks

Michael Moe

1 minute ago, Michael Moe said:

Thanks but last time i tried the move MSFS APP function it was a mess and MSFS needed to be reinstall after an MSFS update.

I was more in the mode for an existing SSD drive (1TB) replacement to this new drive (4TB) which then also could fit MSFS2024 when times comes. I will make the same letter (O:) for the drive offcause if possible.

Thanks

Michael Moe

Sure... you can clone or copy  the 1 tb drive to a 4 tb drive.. 🙂

12 hours ago, Bert Pieke said:

Sure... you can clone or copy  the 1 tb drive to a 4 tb drive.. 🙂

Thanks , is there any free software that allows it? I guess its not a operative clone as MSFS is the only folder on the drive but there might be some files or folders which Windows use.

Michael Moe 

10 hours ago, Michael Moe said:

Thanks , is there any free software that allows it? I guess its not a operative clone as MSFS is the only folder on the drive but there might be some files or folders which Windows use.

Michael Moe 

Start by trying a straight Windows Copy... there may be folder access issues that get in the way, but it is worth a try. Then rename the drives, start up MSFS, and if all is well, you can delete the originals.

On 12/29/2023 at 4:26 PM, Michael Moe said:

So addon linker works with the official folder also? . Thats great as all those world updates can be moved away from my MSFS drive? I am under 100gb to spare right now.

 

 

On 12/29/2023 at 12:17 AM, Fielder said:

....But some things should never be taken out of the folder under Official or MSFS will not boot. Things you can remove are airports, planes. But there are other types of folders of files in there that MSFS needs to run.

You can take anything out community, won't hurt.

My C:\ drive was getting low and I cut out a lot of my World Updates ("...points-of-interest") to save space.  I use Addon Linker and I have reclaimed & moved all the "...points-of-interest" folders (15) in the OFFICIAL folder over to my 2T SSD on D:\ drive where I store My Addons for Addon Linker (752GB's worth). The "...points-of-interest" folders are checked off in Addon Linker and ready to go when I start MSFS. I have never had any problems loading MSFS. My 500GB C:\ size increased from 87GB - 151GB (reclaimed 64GB). One thing I noticed when upgrading the "...points-of-interest" for "Iberia", the linked folder was empty and MSFS re downloaded the contents into the MSFS "OFFICIAL" folder. I had to move the folder back to my Addon Linker "OFFICIAL" folder (no big deal for me). Not sure why this happened because any other folders I updated were OK.

Note: I forgot to mention, in order for the Links to the OFFICIAL folder to work with Addon Linker I had to go to: TOOLS\OPTIONS\ADVANCED & follow the instructions to setup an "OFFICIAL FOLDER". (It apparently does not work the same way you have the Community folder links setup).

Edited December 31, 20232 yr by TomCYYZ

"NOTE : I forgot to mention, in order for the Links to the OFFICIAL folder to work with Addon Linker I had to go to: TOOLS\OPTIONS\ADVANCED & follow the instructions to setup an "OFFICIAL FOLDER". (It apparently does not work the same way you have the Community folder links setup)."

Great point! You have to put marketplace addons into a whole separate folder structure from the folder structure where community addons are put. And the two (community & official) AOL storage folders cannot be one under the other. They must have completely different paths. If you try to point AOL to an AOL official folder that is parent or child to the community AOL folder, a pop up warning message will appear in AOL But once your two folder structures (for commity and official) are set in AOL, then nothing remains to be done. i.e. AOL will move links from one folder structure in and out of community and links from the other folder structure in and out of the folder under official. e.g. You have two KLAX, default bespoke and FeelThere addon bought from ORBX. You move one into the game and one out so they don't conflict. And you don't need to redownload from the MSFS content manager. The Feelthere is moved when you click on it in and out of community. And the default one is moved in and out of the folder under official.