Asked

I reactivated my Pro account and I’m trying to download the New Zealand scenery in X-Plane 12, but none of my attempts get past 874 MB before it stops. What am I doing wrong?

I previously downloaded California, Washington, and the Grand Canyon without any problems.

Expert Answered

Ian Stephens

That “stops at the exact same number every time” (874 MB) usually points to one of two things: either the installer is hitting a repeatable download/corrupt file issue on that package, or something local is cutting the connection/locking the partially-downloaded file right at that point.

Here’s how I’d tackle it, step-by-step.

1) Make sure you’re using the current X-Plane 12 installer
If you’ve had the installer sitting around since you first grabbed CA/WA/GC, re-download/replace the installer app and run that fresh copy. Older installers can be more finicky when a CDN node or package changes.

2) Try forcing a clean re-download of just that region
The installer will try to resume, but if the partial file is corrupted it can keep failing at the same byte count.

  1. Close the installer completely.
  2. Go to your X-Plane 12 folder and look for the scenery download cache / temporary download area (where it stores partially downloaded scenery).
  3. Delete the partial New Zealand scenery download files (or the installer’s temp/cache for that region), then run the installer again and re-select New Zealand.

I’m being a bit general on folder names because they can vary by OS and installer build, but the idea is: remove the half-downloaded chunk so it doesn’t keep resuming from a bad piece.

3) Rule out something on the PC/network killing the transfer
Since your earlier downloads worked, something may have changed when you reactivated Pro (security software sometimes re-checks/changes rules when an account/licensing state changes).

  1. Temporarily disable any “web shield / download scanner” feature in your antivirus (or add an exception for the X-Plane installer), then retry.
  2. If you’re on a VPN, turn it off for the download (or try the opposite: if you’re not on one, try a different network like a phone hotspot just to test).
  3. Avoid Wi-Fi if you can; use wired for the download test.

4) Check available disk space and drive health
A hard stop can happen if the drive is near full or there’s a write error right when a file hits a certain size.

  1. Confirm you have plenty of free space on the drive where X-Plane is installed (not just “barely enough”).
  2. If you can, run a basic disk check (especially if it’s an older HDD).

5) Do a “small control test” download
In the installer, select a tiny area you don’t have yet (something small) and see if it completes. If small areas complete but NZ consistently fails at 874 MB, that leans toward a bad cached partial or a problem with that specific package/server route.

A couple quick questions so I don’t send you on a wild goose chase

  • What OS are you on (Windows/macOS/Linux), and is X-Plane installed on an internal drive or external/USB drive?
  • Does the installer give any error message when it stops (even a small one at the bottom), or does it just freeze/quit?
  • Are you running the installer as admin (Windows), and are you on Wi-Fi, wired, or VPN?
  • When it stops at 874 MB, if you hit “retry,” does it immediately fail again or does it download a bit more and then stop again?

If you can paste the last few lines of the installer log/output from the moment it stops (just the tail end), that usually gives away whether it’s a network timeout, write failure, or a checksum mismatch.

Still need help?

Ask a new question

If the answers above don't cover your specific issue, ask your own. Our community and flight simulator experts will give you a dedicated, unique answer. You don't even need to register to post.

Ask new question