Long Download & Lost my community folder #PC

Bug Reporting Hub Install, Performance & Graphics
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1

Please tag your post with #pc and/or #xbox.
#PC
Are you on Steam or Microsoft Store version?
Store
Are you using Developer Mode or made changes in it?
Do not use Dev mode
Brief description of the issue:
DL took about 8 hours, and I can not find the old community folder. All market, ORBX, and freeware DL’s are gone.
Provide Screenshot(s)/video(s) of the issue encountered:

Detail steps to reproduce the issue encountered:
I have no clue. I DL’d for hours… when I went to start-up… world map was not showing any after market content… Did a set-up at KBUR, sim starts, it is definitely not ORBX’s Burbank.
PC specs and/or peripheral set up of relevant:

Build Version # when you first started experiencing this issue:
19.0.9

2

Hello @ErraticGolf487.

Did you check, what currently is in your community folder? Here is how you can find the location.

MS Store

C:\Users[Your User Name]\AppData\Local\Packages\ Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Community

Steam

C:\Users[Your User Name]\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightDashboard_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages\Community

custom install

If you happened to use a custom location for your Flight Simulator installation, then proceed there. Example: F:\Flight Simulator\Community\

Still can’t find it?

  • While running MSFS 2020 do the following:
  • Go to Options / General
  • Click on Developers which you will find at the bottom of the list on the left
  • Switch Developers Mode on
  • On the Dev Menu select Tools / Virtual File System
  • The community folder location can be found under Watched Bases
3

May be a little late now, but #1 rule when updating (and even when not) is to BACKUP your Community Folder (to a different drive if possible)

The use of a Addon Manager with virtual Linking also helps a lot to protect the content of your community folder.

Just stop and think – IF some some reason all those file in your Community folder were to one day “Magically Disappear”, just how long it may take you to find and download them again vs coping them back from a backup .

4

A reinstall is just that so if you selected the same location for your community folder it has been overwritten. This is no bug but completely normal behaviour.

5

btw… this is not really a ‘solution’ as marked in your post.

Something occurred… it wiped my community clean…(the folder and contents are gone)… searching the drives… bring up nothing. I am certain a binary search could bring up fragments…

Did the upgrade, ran the sim… it made a new community with nothing. I have begun the process if re downloading free and payware files.

New issue is the Market place. How to get airports I bought through the market place to reload?

6

The community folder and the main MSFS 2020 installation folder are disappearing from users PC’s. This problem is accelerating in terms of reports. Just search the forum.

Remove any freeware add-on for MSFS 2020 that manages your community folder, FS Add-on Linker is OK to keep. I have had some very worrying behaviour from a freeware application on my computer and lost my entire installation. If you have no such add-on, then don’t worry. My advise is just precautionary based upon my experience.

Charles.

7

You’re wrong :wink:

[Dev menu] > Tools > Virtual File system.
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Packages Folders > Open Community Folder
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