The X-Plane simulator is designed for both realism and longevity. Maximizing both of these requires that X-Plane be updated often. Newer versions of X-Plane often contain feature enhancements, bug fixes, stability improvements, aircraft and resource updates, flight model improvements, and even new feature additions.
A purchase of X-Plane entitles you to free updates through that full X-Plane version run. This means that if you purchased Version 11.00, you will get the Version 11.10 update, the Version 11.20 update, etc., all the way through Version 11.99 if it exists—all free of charge.
Updating via the Laminar Research Installer
Contents
To update X-Plane, do the following:
- Launch the copy of X-Plane that you wish to update. If there is a newer version available, the sim will automatically provide you the choice to install it.
- Click “Quit & Update Now” and it will automatically download the latest version of the installer.
- Click “Quit & Update Now” a second time to launch the installer.
- Click Continue for the program to begin scanning your X-Plane directory. This allows it to determine which files need to be updated.
- Assuming there is enough disk space to download the required updates, click Continue to begin the installation.
- The installation files will be downloaded and installed. When the installation finishes, you’re ready to fly.
Updating via Steam
Steam automatically keeps your install of X-Plane up to date on the latest stable, non-beta version.
Do I Have to Re-Download the Demo to get the Update?
NO! You can update X-Plane in a number of ways.
- See the instructions above to automatically update from the “About” box within the simulator.
- If you have the full sim, the latest installer has an “update” option for full installs.
- If you have the demo, the latest demo installer has an “update” option for demos.
These updates are always incremental and are often < 30 MB total; only the files you need are downloaded, and they are downloaded in compressed format to save bandwidth.
How Long Will the Update Take?
The download time depends on the size of the patch, how long it’s been since you’ve updated, and how fast your net connection is. Generally, it should be a lot faster to update than to download the demo or full simulator; updates are usually less than 150 MB.
How Do I Update X-Plane if X-Plane Crashes on My Computer?
Even if you cannot run X-Plane (for example, if it crashes due to an incompatibility with your graphics card) you can still download the X-Plane installer application directly from the Try It page and run it to update X-Plane.
Download, unzip, and run the installer application. Pick update and it will prompt you to select your copy of X-Plane to update.
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