How do I download and install Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020?
Download and install Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on PC or Xbox, choose the right package folder, and fix common launcher and update problems.
To download and install Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, install its launcher from Steam, the Microsoft Store/Xbox app, or your Xbox library, then start it and download the main simulator packages. On PC, keep the same purchase account signed in, choose a package folder with ample space, and let every mandatory update finish.
Downloading and installing MSFS 2020 on PC
- Use the storefront that owns your licence. If you bought Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 through Steam, install it from your Steam Library. For a Microsoft Store licence, sign into the Microsoft Store and Xbox app with the account that owns the simulator, then install it through the Xbox app.
- Prepare enough storage. MSFS uses separate space for its launcher and its much larger simulator packages. Allow extra capacity for mandatory updates, optional scenery and temporary files rather than filling the drive to its limit.
- Install the launcher. Select Install in Steam or the Xbox app and choose the application drive. This first download is not the complete simulator.
- Launch MSFS 2020. Sign into the required Microsoft/Xbox account when prompted. Steam users still need a Microsoft account inside the simulator.
- Choose the Packages location. The Installation Manager will ask where to place the main content. Use a local, writable folder on a drive with ample free space. Select the parent package folder, not its eventual
CommunityorOfficialsubfolder. - Download the mandatory packages. Keep the computer awake and maintain a stable connection until installation and decompression have completed. Interrupting this stage can leave partial package files.
- Install owned and optional content. Once the simulator opens, use Content Manager to check that your edition-specific aircraft and scenery are installed. World Updates and other optional regions can be added separately.
The Standard, Deluxe and Premium Deluxe editions use the same basic procedure. The higher editions simply unlock additional content under the account that owns them.
Steam or Microsoft Store for MSFS 2020?
Install through the platform where you already own Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 because Steam and Microsoft Store licences are not interchangeable.
| PC version | What installs the launcher | Account requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | Steam Library | Steam plus a Microsoft/Xbox account inside MSFS |
| Microsoft Store | Microsoft Store entitlement and Xbox app | The Microsoft account that owns the licence |
Both versions download most simulator content after the launcher opens. Our comparison of the Steam and Microsoft Store installation routes explains the ownership and launcher differences in more detail.
Why does Microsoft Flight Simulator download twice?
MSFS 2020 appears to download twice because the storefront installs the application and launcher first, while the simulator's Installation Manager downloads the aircraft, scenery and other core packages afterwards.
Updates can follow the same two-stage pattern: Steam or the Xbox app updates the launcher, then MSFS checks and downloads package updates after starting. Verifying files through Steam may check the launcher without validating every package in the separate Official folder.
Where should the MSFS 2020 packages be installed?
Install the Packages folder on a fast local drive with plenty of free space; an SSD gives better loading and streaming behaviour than an HDD, although an HDD can still hold and run the simulator.
The application and Packages folder are separate. The latter contains the Official and Community folders, and its location varies by storefront and the choice made during setup. See our guide to finding the application and Packages locations on PC before moving files or responding to an unexpected reinstall prompt.
A mistake we see constantly is selecting a new empty folder after an update or launcher repair. MSFS then assumes its packages are missing and offers to download everything again. Point the Installation Manager at the existing parent folder instead.
Installing MSFS 2020 on Xbox Series X|S
On Xbox Series X|S, open the owned-games library or Store entry for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, select Install and let the console download the base game and mandatory updates. Additional owned content can then be managed inside the simulator.
The Series X|S version needs compatible high-speed storage to run; a standard external USB drive may be suitable only for storing it. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 cannot be installed locally on Xbox One and was never released for PlayStation.
What if the MSFS 2020 download is stuck or fails?
First check the account, available storage and package path because these cause many apparent installation failures.
- Microsoft Store version: confirm that the Microsoft Store and Xbox app are signed into the account that owns the simulator, then restart both apps.
- Steam version: confirm that Steam has finished updating the launcher and that the correct Microsoft account is used when MSFS opens.
- Repeated full download: select the existing Packages parent folder rather than creating a new location.
- Download loop or decompression failure: free additional space on both the application and package drives, restart the PC and resume without moving partial files.
- Essential Packages error: follow our targeted fixes for the mandatory package download and update failure.
- Installation completes but nothing opens: work through the account, platform, package and add-on checks for launch failures.
Do not delete the existing Official folder as a first response. It holds most of the downloaded simulator, and removing it usually converts a repairable path or account problem into another complete download.