Frequently Asked Questions

Prepar3D is offered for simulation, training and learning. Example uses of Prepar3D are by professionals, students, or developers:

• Professionals – This license is intended for professional skills training. This group could include private pilots, commercial flight schools, military personnel, civil organizations such as firefighters/emergency response or students pursuing a technical degree or an advanced degree such as a masters or PhD.
• Students – An academic license at a reduced price is available for educational purposes at the undergraduate college level and below (students in elementary, middle, high school or pursuing a bachelor’s degree). This is an extension of our philanthropic support for STEM education to engage the next generation of technologists and engineers.
• Developers – For the individuals or companies who are interested in developing aircraft models, scenery, terrains and weather effects for Prepar3D, we offer a Prepar3D developer license.

Please be aware that the three license types have different end-user license agreements (EULAs) and usage restrictions. For more details, please review the License Comparison page.

No, Lockheed Martin does not offer Prepar3D for entertainment, and we have no plans to enter the entertainment space. The EULAs explain that Prepar3D can be used for purposes other than personal/consumer entertainment.

The only technical differences in the software are that the Academic version has a different splash screen and a small watermark in the top-right corner of the main window. Please be aware that they have different EULAs and usage restrictions. Full details can be found on the License Comparison page.

The major difference is the Prepar3D Professional Plus has additional features specific for advanced training. Please visit the Product Overview and What’s New pages for more information on Prepar3D Professional Plus.

Prepar3D can be used in any location. Where you intend to use Prepar3D is not a consideration in the licensing EULAs; it only matters how the software will be used. As specified in the EULAs, Prepar3D can be used for purposes other than personal/consumer entertainment.

Thank you for your interest, but we do not offer demo or trial copies of Prepar3D to the public. Prepar3D can be purchased directly from our store.

Prepar3D is only available as a digital download from our website. We chose this method of delivery because it allows you to receive the software quickly and it gives us the ability to provide frequent updates. We do not plan on releasing DVDs in the future.

To see which version of Prepar3D is right for you, please reference the License Options page. Please remember to read the EULA carefully before making your purchase.

Prepar3D v5 was developed with backwards compatibility in mind. A considerable effort was spent in exposing new SDK capabilities and maintaining backwards compatibility to ensure most third-parties can update to v5 with minimal effort. Therefore, many of the add-ons customers have used in previous versions of Prepar3D can be used in Prepar3D v5. Be sure to contact the content developers of your add-ons to confirm whether or not their product can be used in Prepar3D v5.

Prepar3D v5 requires a DirectX12 fully compatible video card supporting feature level 12_0 or higher. If there is not a DirectX12 video card, Prepar3D v5 will not run. Refer to your video card manufacturer’s website for additional information including feature level support.

Yes! Two conceptual aircraft, the Lockheed Martin Civilian Utility Single Engine (CUASE) and Lockheed Martin Turboprop Trainer Aircraft (TTA) are brand new vehicles to Prepar3D. Also F-35B and F-35C variants are now included. In addition, we have updated many existing vehicles including the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, and F-16.

Prepar3D v3 and v4 will still be available for purchase to support legacy 32-bit and DirectX 11 systems respectively. Prepar3D v1 and v2 are no longer available for purchase. Customers that purchased v1 and v2 can still download and install these versions if needed.

If you have purchased Prepar3D within 14 days, per the refund policy, you can request a refund and then purchase the desired license of Prepar3D v5. There are no exchanges, upgrades, or discounts available.

If you are a monthly subscriber, you can cancel your current subscription and purchase a new Prepar3D v5 developer subscription. If you wish to keep your v1/v2/v3/v4 monthly subscription you can keep renewing it and purchase a new Prepar3D v5 developer subscription. All major versions can be concurrently installed on the same machine. If you have purchased a pre-paid developer subscription and wish to change it out to a v5 developer subscription, please email licensing@prepar3d.com with your request.

Yes, any major versions of Prepar3D can coexist on the same computer; however, you cannot install minor versions (v5.x and v5.y) on the same computer.

To see which version of Prepar3D is right for you, please reference the License Options page. Please remember that each version has its own EULA and to read the EULA carefully before making your purchase.

Prepar3D v4 was developed with backwards compatibility in mind. A considerable effort was spent in exposing new SDK capabilities and maintaining backwards compatibility to ensure most third-parties can update to v4 with minimal effort. Therefore, many of the add-ons customers have used in previous versions of Prepar3D can be used in Prepar3D v4. Be sure to contact the content developers of your add-ons to confirm whether or not their product can be used in Prepar3D v4.

Yes! The F-16A, F-16AM, F-16C, Lockheed Electra 10A, and the Milviz P-38L are all brand new vehicles to Prepar3D. In addition, we have updated many existing favorites. The updated vehicles include F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, Sikorsky S-70A, and Sikorsky H-60 variants.

Yes, Prepar3D v3 is compatible with Windows 10. However not all hardware drivers have been updated for Windows 10 so it is important to check with the manufacturer of your hardware when upgrading to Windows 10.

To see which version of Prepar3D is right for you, please reference the License Options page. Please remember that each version has its own EULA and to read the EULA carefully before making your purchase.

Yes. The Prepar3D development team has partnered with several developers to ensure that most legacy content is backwards compatible. That being said there are many different ways to build content, so there are possibilities that some content might not be fully backwards compatible. Your best bet is to check the license of your add-on content to ensure it is licensed to be used in Prepar3D, and to check with the developer of that add-on content.

All software can be downloaded immediately after purchase from the Purchased Downloads page. Please be aware that the credentials you enter should match exactly what is in your invoice.

You can use our account information retrieval tool by clicking here. You can search for your license by entering the email address you used when purchasing Prepar3D. If you have a license under the email address you entered, you will receive an email with your activation information.

Please make sure you are using the email address or licensing ID from your invoice. This is not always the same information as your Prepar3D.com forum account. To purchase a license please visit our Store. For any account issues, please email the details to licensing@prepar3d.com.

Before making any major changes to your computer (hardware swaps, operating system changes, etc.,) please uninstall Prepar3D through the Windows Control Panel. Note: Clearing your registry will not release your activation. If you still get error 5013, please email licensing@prepar3d.com with your License ID and a brief explanation.

Depending on the license you have, it is likely that you have reached the limited number of activations for your specific license. While the licensing software does recognize that the installs are being done on the same computer, if enough of the computer’s information changes (operating system, external hardware, graphics cards, etc.), it will flag your setup as a different computer. If you need an additional activation, because of a hardware change or you are moving the license to a new computer, please e-mail licensing@prepar3d.com with your License ID and a very brief explanation of the reason you need your license reactivated. Your request will be fulfilled within two business days.

Error 5022 occurs when your system time does not match our server’s time. In order to activate Prepar3D, you will need to adjust your system time to the correct time for your region.

This error typically occurs if you have modified your system clock. If you have modified your system clock forward/backward it could be causing this failure. Please check and make sure your system clock is correct. This may require you to restore your computer to a previous restore point to fix the issue.

That error occurs when trying to activate a copy of Prepar3D with an incompatible license type. For example, if you try to activate a Professional version of Prepar3D, but you use an Academic version license ID. You will need to make sure you install the correct version of Prepar3D and use the correct license for that version.

The License ID or the Password cannot be validated. Likely this is because you are entering the wrong activation password. Make sure you are using the activation password that is contained in your invoice email and not your Prepar3D.com forum account password.

There are many things that could be causing the issues. If you use software that allows downloads to be resumed, IE 8+ or Firefox for example, you might be able to resume your download and continue on if the download is interrupted.

You can purchase Prepar3D with a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover credit card. We are unable to accept PayPal payments at this time, and have no plans to accept PayPal payments in the future.

Your best option is to go to the store and simply purchase a new license. Once a license is cancelled or expired, your credit card will not be charged again.

Your original invoice email contains a direct link to a website to cancel your subscription. It can also be canceled through our License Information page by clicking on the ‘License Type’ that you wish to cancel and following the customer service options.

Our refund policy is available for viewing here. If you qualify for a refund, you can request a refund through refunds@prepar3D.com. Please send your license ID and invoice number along with your request. Please allow 2 business days for confirmation and up to 2 weeks for the refund to process.

No, your Prepar3D customer account and forum account are two separate accounts. If you would like to create a post on the forum, you can create an account by registering here.

Hard crashes of Prepar3D are typically associated with administrator rights and permission incompatibilities on the computer. Navigating to Prepar3D’s install directory, right clicking on Prepar3D.exe, and selected ‘run as administrator’ will allow Prepar3D to access and write in the locations required.

Please refer to the system requirements page for specific hardware requirements. Prepar3D is only compatible with Microsoft Windows operating systems and will not be ported to Apple or Linux operating systems.

Ensure the proper graphics card is set to run Prepar3D. If an onboard video card (Intel HD) is told to run Prepar3D, these issues will likely occur. To correct, use the appropriate video card software to configure the graphic card’s control of Prepar3D. For NVIDIA graphics cards, open the NVIDIA Control Panel, select Manage 3D settings, and set the Preferred graphics processor to High-performance NVIDIA processor. You can also set Prepar3D.exe’s preferred graphics processor directly under the Program Settings tab under Manage 3D settings.

Often you might need to delete the following generated folders/files to have Prepar3D respect your changes. This will result in any add-ons being removed/disabled.

• %PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4
• %APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4

Verify the fix was successful by opening Prepar3D and selecting Options, Settings, and under Full Screen Settings you should see the correct graphics card listed under Display.

I receive an error stating that, “Prepar3D® was unable to load some program files and will now exit. Please reinstall Prepar3D to restore or repair the program installation.” What is causing this and how can I fix it?

This error can be caused by a handful of issues. First, it is suggested you attempt to start Prepar3D using the executable (Prepar3D.exe) from the installation directory, rather than a shortcut. If that works, it means your shortcut is not linked correctly and you should manually create a new shortcut pointing to the Prepar3D.exe. If that does not work, make sure your computer is fully updated and that you have the most recent DirectX redistributables, Visual C++ redistributables, and .NET 4.0 libraries installed.
Finally, you should delete the generated files by navigating to your Prepar3D v4 installation directory (C:\Program Files\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4 by default) and double-click Delete Generated Files. You can also manually delete your generated files by deleting the following folders:

• C:\Program Files\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4 (or the modified install location)
• %PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4
• %APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4
• %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Prepar3D v4 Files

Or these folders for v3:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3 (or the modified install location)
• %PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3
• %APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3
• %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Prepar3D v3 Files

Or these folders for v2:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2 (or the modified install location)
• %PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2
• %APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2
• %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Prepar3D v2 Files

Or these folders for v1:

• C:\Program Files (x86)\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D (or the modified install location)
• %PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D
• %APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D
• %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Prepar3D Files

After those folders are removed, you can reinstall Prepar3D and everything should work as expected.
Note: Before installing any add-ons or third party content, confirm Prepar3D works from the clean install.