If you have a bunch of airports and other scenery files, is it best to only enable the stuff you're likely to visit, or does it matter?  Of course the OCD part of me wants to only enable what I'm likely to visit, but I wonder if this is a waste of time, because with FS2024 streaming everything, is it essentially ignoring all my add-ons until I visit them anyway?

I know everyone will have an opinion on this, but has there been any official direction on best-practices from Asobo/MS?

10 minutes ago, Virtual-Chris said:

If you have a bunch of airports and other scenery files, is it best to only enable the stuff you're likely to visit, or does it matter?  Of course the OCD part of me wants to only enable what I'm likely to visit, but I wonder if this is a waste of time, because with FS2024 streaming everything, is it essentially ignoring all my add-ons until I visit them anyway?

I know everyone will have an opinion on this, but has there been any official direction on best-practices from Asobo/MS?

Don't know of any official best practices from Asobo/MS.   FS2024 is not streaming everything.  In fact I run it same as 2020, most of my stuff is NOT streamed -- planes, add-on airports I all store locally etc.    And now as of SU3 apparently I'm told you can un-stream what you like as to base content.

Similar to MSFS2020, load times are better the less stuff you load.  I use Addon Linker to only enable what I need for that flight.  It store scenery in C:\SCENERY in my dedicated FS-rig.  Inside /scenery are folders named /North America, /Europe, /Africa, etc.  It works for me.

I also use Addon Linker - with sceneries grouped by continents/countries - plus I divide all my aircraft and liveries into civil/military.

1 hour ago, Virtual-Chris said:

If you have a bunch of airports and other scenery files, is it best to only enable the stuff you're likely to visit, or does it matter? 

I doubt it matters at all if you are streaming because only assets needed will be streamed.  Perhaps if you don't have great bandwidth it might be an issue.   

1 hour ago, Adamski_NZ said:

I also use Addon Linker - with sceneries grouped by continents/countries - plus I divide all my aircraft and liveries into civil/military.

Right, but do you only load what’s needed or you keep everything installed?

1 minute ago, Virtual-Chris said:

Right, but do you only load what’s needed or you keep everything installed?

*Everything* is installed in a sensible folder hierarchy on my drive(s) - BUT - only the specific scenery or aircraft that I choose to run for a session are enabled/activated by Linker. MSFS basically doesn't know the inactive stuff is there.

I'm not entirely sure how much loading time is saved these days, as I've never attempted to run the sim with everything enabled - but the menu/aircraft selection screens are much easier to navigate when they show only base content plus what you've just enabled.

There are many cases of addons interefering either with each other or with base content. Having as little as possible active at any given time reduces the chances of potential problems or CTDs.

Considering the amount of junk (freeware and payware) that I've accumulated over the years, I'm amazed MSFS runs at all (!). It has had a relatively problem free life - largely, I think, due to the Linker.

34 minutes ago, Virtual-Chris said:

Right, but do you only load what’s needed or you keep everything installed?

You mean of the default sim?  Yes it's all still installed for me.  

But as for the flight I'm doing, I will load only start airport, destination airport, maybe alternate.  For example I just flew the turbine Duke into Nashville.  So I loaded FeelThere BNA, danielsjam's freeware John C. Tune, his freeware Smyrna/Rutherford Co., and a freeware Nissan Field (Nashville's football stadium).  Really, the only reason I loaded in the smaller airports and stadium was because once I flew the Duke into BNA, I took up Lagaffe's freeware Aeronca Champ to hit the local airports and sightsee.  Once I'm done I will disable those and fly somewhere else next time.

When they gave us the ability to install locally, I downloaded everything.

 

Now, I have only the country, airports and planes I usually fly in installed locally.  Everything else is streamed. 

 

Even then, I'm probably going to move to streaming only again. 

 

 Too much hassle to keep it all up to date + love the disk space.

I guess what I want to know, is if there's any point to installing and uninstalling scenery on a session basis, or if that's completely unnecessary with 2024... maybe stuff is only loaded when it's actually needed?  For example, am I slowing down the sim or consuming resources if I have a bunch of Euro scenery installed and I'm flying in Hawaii, or it's completely irrelevant because it will never be loaded anyway?

I'm guessing no one actually knows?  Has Asobo covered how add-on scenery is loaded?

Edited July 21, 2025Jul 21 by Virtual-Chris

Although I still have not got around to using it yet, it does seem that addon linker is probably the best way to go.  I really need to bite the bullet and start using it.

i use may own MSFS2024-CCCM app that works fine in the latest MSFS2024 SU3.

How much I gain , I really don't know but it is very useful if something needs to be correct and / or cleaned out.

Can be downloaded here:

 https://1drv.ms/u/c/c6d71753a7446334/EXyicI4N3RhEpLiqV4uHmIgBmMrkJY26FfQ0u8cLJTFcAw?e=jQmyvC

Why use MSFS2024 -CCCM from rksoftware 
MSFS2024-CCCM will enable you to easily modify and save users Content and Community 
profiles for easy selection and usage. It can also clean up your cache files when needed. 
Benefits of Modifying Content.xml 
Enable or Disable Add-ons Manually - Some add-ons may appear as "User Disabled" even after enabling them in the Content 
Manager. - Editing Content.xml manually allows you to activate these add-ons by removing 
conflicting or duplicate entries. 
Improve Performance - You can disable unnecessary content like: - AI traffic models - Animal models - Discovery flights - Static gliders - Helipads and oil rigs - This can reduce system load and improve FPS, especially in VR or on lower-end systems. 
Control Load Order - MSFS loads packages in the order listed in Content.xml. The last loaded package has the 
highest priority. - This is crucial for scenery add-ons that need to override default or other third-party 
content. 
Clean Up Duplicates - MSFS2024 may generate duplicate entries in Content.xml, which can cause conflicts or 
prevent add-ons from appearing. 
Customize Your Experience - You can tailor the simulator to your preferences by disabling features you don’t use (e.g., 
tutorials, challenges, handcrafted airports). - This streamlines your sim and can reduce clutter in menus and maps. 
Things to Keep in Mind - Back up your Content.xml before making changes. - MSFS may regenerate or overwrite the file during updates or add-on installations 
Benefits of Modifying the Community Folder 
1. Add Custom Content - Install freeware and payware add-ons not available through the Marketplace. - Examples: Realistic airports, weather mods, aircraft liveries, navigation tools. 
2. Tailor Your Simulator Experience - Create a personalized setup for: - Bush flying - IFR training - Military ops - VR optimization - Only load what you need for a specific flying style or session. 
3. Improve Performance - Reduce load times and memory usage by removing or disabling unused add-ons. - Use tools like Addon Linker to manage content dynamically without bloating the sim. 
4. Organize Content on a Separate Drive - Move the Community folder to a different drive to: - Save space on your system drive - Improve disk access speed - Avoid long path errors 
5. Troubleshoot Conflicts - Isolate problematic add-ons causing crashes or CTDs. - Temporarily remove or disable mods to identify compatibility issues. 
6. Enable Legacy Compatibility - Some MSFS2020 mods may still work in MSFS2024 if manually transferred and adjusted. - You can experiment with older content and tweak it for compatibility. 
Tips & Cautions - Always back up the Community folder before making changes. - Some mods may not be compatible with MSFS2024—check developer updates. - Avoid clutter: too many add-ons can slow downloading or cause instability. 
Why Clean Cache Files in MSFS2024? 
1. Boost Performance - Removes outdated or corrupted shader and scenery cache files. - Reduces stuttering and lag, especially after sim updates or GPU driver changes. 
2. Fix Graphical Glitches - Clears DirectX and GPU shader caches (NVIDIA/AMD), which can cause visual artifacts if 
left uncleared. - Helps ensure smoother rendering and better texture loading. 
3. Resolve Compatibility Issues - Sim updates and world updates may conflict with old cache data. - Cleaning cache ensures the simulator loads fresh, compatible assets. 
4. Free Up Disk Space - Cache files (especially rolling cache) can grow large—sometimes over 100 GB. - Deleting or resizing them can reclaim valuable storage. 
5. Improve Load Times - Reduces the time MSFS takes to index and load scenery and assets. - Especially helpful if you fly in different regions frequently. 
6. Troubleshoot Problems - If you're experiencing crashes, missing scenery, or odd behavior, clearing cache is a first
line fix. 
What to Watch Out For 
Rolling Cache: If you fly in the same area often, keeping it may improve performance. 
But if you fly globally or stream scenery, clearing it can help 
How to use MSFS 2024 -CCCM 
1. When running for the first time, MSFS 2024 -CCCM will detect the active 
Content.xml and Community folder content and saving those profiles automatically 
for you. You can rename these profiles by clicking the right mouse button. 
2. Changes to active profiles can be made directly in the respective DataGrid either by 
clicking the left mouse button or selecting several lines. Filter and Toggles can be 
used for more easily changes. 
3. After changes to a Content profile are made, save it by clicking the Save/Activate 
button. 
4. Changes to the Community profile are immediately reflected in the Community 
folder. Save the new changed Community profile by clicking the Save button. 
5. Load desired profiles and start MSF 2024 by clicking the Launch MSFS 2024 button. 
6. Cleaning up cache files is made by clicking the Clean all Caches and selecting 
desired cache type. 

 

8 hours ago, Virtual-Chris said:

I guess what I want to know, is if there's any point to installing and uninstalling scenery on a session basis, or if that's completely unnecessary with 2024.

Completely unnecessary, unless you encounter issues, and need to find the culprit. 

2 hours ago, Ricardo41 said:

Completely unnecessary, unless you encounter issues, and need to find the culprit. 

Thanks. That makes sense to me... It’s not like MSFS 2020 that’s loading everything in at startup whether you need it or not… it’s only loading assets it needs at run time. Right?

44 minutes ago, Virtual-Chris said:

Thanks. That makes sense to me... It’s not like MSFS 2020 that’s loading everything in at startup whether you need it or not… it’s only loading assets it needs at run time. Right?

I am not sure that is what is happening... we are mixing up "Official" sim content and "Community" user content.

Official sim content is listed in the content.xml file, or accessible via your sim Library.  You can enable and disable items as you please, but most users do not touch this.  In 2020, this content was loaded from the Official folder on your PC, in 2024 it is streamed from the cloud. 

What most of this discussion has been about, is managing the ever growing list of addon sceneries, payware and freeware, that are found in, and loaded from the Community folder.  Like many, I use Addons Linker to move items into and out of the Community folder, to keep it limited in size and scope..   Good housekeeping, as far as I am concerned.  😊   Some have stated that they have the disk space, so why not keep it all active.. That is not the way I organize my addons.  Loading times and potential conflicts go up when loading hundreds of items from the Community folder.  YMMV though..

Edited July 21, 2025Jul 21 by Bert Pieke

19 minutes ago, Bert Pieke said:

I am not sure that is what is happening... we are mixing up "Official" sim content and "Community" user content.

Official sim content is listed in the content.xml file, or accessible via your sim Library.  You can enable and disable items as you please, but most users do not touch this.  In 2020, this content was loaded from the Official folder on your PC, in 2024 it is streamed from the cloud. 

What most of this discussion has been about, is managing the ever growing list of addon sceneries, payware and freeware, that are found in, and loaded from the Community folder.  Like many, I use Addons Linker to move items into and out of the Community folder, to keep it limited in size and scope..   Good housekeeping, as far as I am concerned.  😊   Some have stated that they have the disk space, so why not keep it all active.. That is not the way I organize my addons.  Loading times and potential conflicts go up when loading hundreds of items from the Community folder.  YMMV..

Yeah, I'm just wondering if anyone actually knows how 2024 loads add-on scenery.  It doesn't sound like anyone actually knows and are just following best practices from 2020... which probably won't hurt in 2024, but may also maybe unnecessary if 2024 is loading add-ons as it needs them rather than all at once.