I went into my Marketplace last week for MSFS 2024, then into my Library, and saw that there were incredible amounts of downloads available. Updated scenery from every part of the world, updates to the Premium version from the Standard version ( I have the Premium version), updates for various planes, etc. etc. I downloaded EVERYTHING, and wondered if I should INSTALL all of these downloads, or just LEAVE them downloaded because if I install them, they would take up many gigabytes and space that I am not happy about.

My question is this: If I don't install these complete downloads, will the SIM use them in a "streaming" fashion? OR, do I have to install them to benefit from them? Streaming them is my preference because my system is powerful enough to handle streaming in this sim. That was my original intention in getting MS 2024...the idea that most scenery and downloads could remain available in a cloud for use when I wanted to use them.

Thanks for your help.

My own view is that if, as you seem to be saying, you have
strong device and a good internet connection, all that
downloading was probably pointless.
MSFS 2024 is designed to stream, which is why its footprint
on my device is about 29 GB, versus the 477 GB that
MSFS 2020 takes up.

Naturally, there will be lots of other opinions, everyone has
one, as they say, but that's mine.

1 hour ago, spilok said:

I went into my Marketplace last week for MSFS 2024, then into my Library, and saw that there were incredible amounts of downloads available. Updated scenery from every part of the world, updates to the Premium version from the Standard version ( I have the Premium version), updates for various planes, etc. etc. I downloaded EVERYTHING, and wondered if I should INSTALL all of these downloads, or just LEAVE them downloaded because if I install them, they would take up many gigabytes and space that I am not happy about.

My question is this: If I don't install these complete downloads, will the SIM use them in a "streaming" fashion? OR, do I have to install them to benefit from them? Streaming them is my preference because my system is powerful enough to handle streaming in this sim. That was my original intention in getting MS 2024...the idea that most scenery and downloads could remain available in a cloud for use when I wanted to use them.

Thanks for your help.

Do you mean that the content was disabled and you have now enabled it? Simply enabling it will allow MSFS2024 to stream the content - without you having to install anything to your hard drive.

If you actually downloaded it all, then the hard disk space has already been filled. The downloading action in MSFS2024-speak is where the content is physically downloaded to your drive. The subsequent install simply allows your installation to use it (think of it like a final 'activation' stage).

So if you've already downloaded it, you may as well choose the 'install' option, so you can actually use it.

It's very counter-intuitive but content that is downloaded by MSFS2024 but not installed sits on your drive, doing nothing!

One last way of trying to explain it:-

Streamed - disabled

Content is available, but is disabled and won't be streamed

Streamed - enabled

Nothing is downloaded to your drive but the content is enabled and streamed.

Downloaded - not installed

Content has been downloaded but isn't yet activated.

Downloaded - installed

Content has been downloaded and activated.

9 hours ago, JYW said:

Do you mean that the content was disabled and you have now enabled it?

The answer to that is in the first post.

There are no:
"Updated scenery from every part of the world, updates to the Premium version from the
Standard version ( I have the Premium version), updates for various planes, etc. etc."
unless the content has already been downloaded.
This means that he is not streaming it and has already downloaded everything that now has an update,
despite the stated preference for streaming.
Even Simulator Updates are done elsewhere and the already updated files streamed to the device
There are no notifications that an update is available, as it has already been applied before streaming.

Edited May 27May 27 by Reader

I simply want to know how to "stream" all the content that I downloaded and resides in my Library. I don't want it to take up hard disk space. Isn't that possible? I was under the impression that EVERYTHING in MSFS 2024 could be streamed if your computer could handle it. So, upgrades to Germany, Asia, and other parts of the world have to be installed rather than streamed?

Edited May 27May 27 by spilok

7 minutes ago, spilok said:

I simply want to know how to "stream" all the content that I downloaded and resides in my Library. I don't want it to take up hard disk space. Isn't that possible? I was under the impression that EVERYTHING in MSFS 2024 could be streamed if your computer could handle it. So, upgrades to Germany, Asia, and other parts of the world have to be installed rather than streamed?

Hi Spilok, I'm not at home, so I will try to mention steps from memory that you can try (maybe I'm wrong in one of those steps):

1, go to Marketplace

2, go to my library

3, select all / and look for the option to uninstall, that's it, the add ons will be removed from your drive however they are activated, you can check any add-on and look that says streamed, if so, you're go to go.

10 minutes ago, alexcolka said:

Hi Spilok, I'm not at home, so I will try to mention steps from memory that you can try (maybe I'm wrong in one of those steps):

1, go to Marketplace

2, go to my library

3, select all / and look for the option to uninstall, that's it, the add ons will be removed from your drive however they are activated, you can check any add-on and look that says streamed, if so, you're go to go.

Stan

Edited May 27May 27 by spilok

1 hour ago, spilok said:

I simply want to know how to "stream" all the content that I downloaded and resides in my Library.

The basic principle is this:

Downloading and streaming are two opposites.

Once you have downloaded data, it is no longer streamed, it is resident on your device.
MSFS uses that data and does not look elsewhere.
This fills your local hard drive(s) with data that is mostly not in use at any given moment.

If you don't download, then the data is streamed, which means that it is taken from
the "cloud" as needed, used and then discarded in favour of the next streamed data.
This is the design behind MSFS 2024 and is the most effective way to access the needed parts of
vast amounts of data, without the need to have any of it resident on your device.

To refer back to my first answer to your question, if you want to stream data, you should not
download any.
If you want to use the data that you have already downloaded, there is nothing left to do,
except to use it.
"Streaming" means coming down the internet.
Installing means using data that has been downloaded and stored.
You cannot stream downloaded data, but you can just use it.

If you downloaded in error you can uninstall in your library.. that should give you back your disk space.

2 hours ago, spilok said:

I simply want to know how to "stream" all the content that I downloaded and resides in my Library. I don't want it to take up hard disk space. Isn't that possible? I was under the impression that EVERYTHING in MSFS 2024 could be streamed if your computer could handle it. So, upgrades to Germany, Asia, and other parts of the world have to be installed rather than streamed?

Did you read my post above? It told you everything you need to know.

Nothing needs to be installed.

You didn't respond to my attempt to help, by confirming whether you had already downloaded content or just enabled it.

Unless I'm on your ignore list which would explain why my help wasn't seen 😄

In My Library, go to the content that you're referring to and see if they are marked on the right as "streamed", "downloaded" or installed.

If you want everything streamed, then select the ones that are "downloaded" or "installed" and under the "other options" button in the bottom right, choose uninstall.

This will remove them from your hard drive and they will be streamed.

Edited May 27May 27 by JYW

No. I'm sorry I didn't respond. In my library, I did follow your advice and I uninstalled whatever I could. However, some of the things I downloaded DO NOT give you the option to uninstall. I did see that under other options, you can CANCEL the download. Would CANCELLING the download be the same as Uninstalling it in those cases?

I also read above in this thread this comment from Reader:

"To refer back to my first answer to your question, if you want to stream data, you should not
download any.
If you want to use the data that you have already downloaded, there is nothing left to do,
except to use it.
"Streaming" means coming down the internet.
Installing means using data that has been downloaded and stored.
You cannot stream downloaded data, but you can just use it."

Seems that this situation could have been better explained somewhere. Maybe it was, but I certainly don't recall seeing it or reading it.

Thanks,

Stan

Edited May 27May 27 by spilok