Download and install Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X|S or PS5, choose the right drive, and fix stuck or failed setups.
To download and install Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, buy, redeem or activate it on the platform account you intend to use, start the installation from that account’s game library, then launch the simulator and let it complete its mandatory updates, content downloads and licence checks before beginning a flight.
Where can I download MSFS 2024?
Download Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 only from the official game library attached to your purchase, redemption or subscription entitlement. Our downloads library contains add-ons for the simulator, not the Microsoft base game or a bypass for its licence.
| Platform | Installation source | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | The same desktop client and account used to obtain the simulator | A Windows PC meeting the published system requirements |
| Xbox | Your console game library | Xbox Series X or Series S; not Xbox One |
| PlayStation | Your console game library | PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro; not PS4 |
On PC, a Microsoft-distributed copy is managed through the Xbox app and relies on Gaming Services. A copy obtained through another PC client remains tied to that client and its account; the installers are not interchangeable.
How do I install MSFS 2024 on each platform?
Installing MSFS 2024 has two parts: downloading the platform application and completing the simulator’s first-launch setup.
Windows PC
On PC, install MSFS 2024 from the library of the client that owns your entitlement.
- Check the account. Sign into the desktop client with the account that purchased, redeemed or activated the simulator. If the game is missing, correct the account before downloading anything.
- Prepare the storage. Choose a fast SSD and leave free space beyond the displayed download size because temporary installation files and local content need additional room. Our guide to choosing or changing the MSFS 2024 installation drive covers the drive decision in detail.
- Keep 2024 separate from 2020. Both simulators can coexist, but do not point MSFS 2024 at MSFS 2020’s
OfficialorCommunityfolders. Their package structures and add-on folders should remain separate. - Start the platform download. Select Install in the owning client and confirm the destination. The first download installs the application and core data, not a local copy of the entire streamed world.
- Run the simulator once without add-ons. Launch it from the same client, complete any account prompts and permit network access if Windows asks. Reach the main menu successfully before copying third-party packages into the new installation.
- Finish all update stages. A fresh download may still require platform and in-simulator packages. Keep the PC awake and follow our MSFS 2024 update procedure if another download appears after launch.
Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5
On a supported console, install MSFS 2024 directly from the game library of the account that holds the entitlement.
- Open the game library. Find Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 under your owned or available games and select the download option.
- Choose compatible storage. Use the console’s internal SSD or expansion storage approved for running native games. Ordinary USB storage may be suitable only for archiving, not launching, a current-generation console game.
- Allow the platform update. Install any queued game or system update before the first launch.
- Complete first-launch setup. Keep the console online while the simulator validates the licence, synchronises entitlements and obtains mandatory content.
Why does MSFS 2024 keep downloading after installation?
Further downloads after the base installation are normal because MSFS 2024 separates its platform application, mandatory updates and streamed or locally stored content.
There is no single download size that remains accurate for every user. The total changes with the platform build, update level, edition entitlements, language data and any aircraft, airports or scenery selected for local storage. Trust the requirement displayed by the platform for the core installation, but retain extra SSD space for staging and later packages.
Most world data is designed to stream while you fly. Eligible content can instead be stored on the device; our explanation of downloading MSFS 2024 content for local use shows what can be installed and why this does not make every online feature available offline.
How do I fix a stuck or failed MSFS 2024 installation?
First identify whether the failure is in the platform download, PC gaming services or the simulator’s own content stage; reinstalling the entire game rarely fixes all three.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The game is absent or Install is unavailable | Wrong account, unsynchronised entitlement or unsupported hardware | Confirm the owning account and check that the console is Xbox Series X|S or PS5 rather than an older model. Sign out, restart the platform and sign in again. |
| PC opens Gaming Services or repeatedly asks for a repair | Gaming Services is damaged, outdated or not registered correctly | Use our targeted steps for repairing MSFS Gaming Services problems before reinstalling the simulator. |
| Network speed falls to zero while disk use continues | The client is unpacking, verifying or moving downloaded data | Wait while storage activity continues. Repeatedly cancelling at this stage can discard valid progress. |
| The download is idle with no disk activity | Interrupted connection, sleeping device or stalled client | Pause and resume once, check the network, then restart the client and device if it remains idle. Make sure no platform update is waiting separately. |
| There is insufficient space despite selecting another drive | Temporary files are being staged on the system drive | Free space on both the destination SSD and the Windows system drive, or select a roomier destination. |
| Owned aircraft or airports are missing | Entitlements have not synchronised or the content is not installed locally | Confirm the correct account and edition, finish every update, then inspect the simulator’s content library. Do not repurchase or reinstall the whole simulator first. |
If MSFS 2024 reaches a repeated update or loading loop, close it fully, restart the device and verify that the platform download has finished. On PC, remove any add-ons installed before the first successful launch and use the client’s repair or file-verification function before attempting a complete reinstall.