Download MSFS 2020 on PC through the Xbox app, Microsoft Store or Steam, choose the Packages folder, and fix stuck or looping downloads.
To download Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS 2020) on PC, use the library of the account that owns it: the Xbox app or Microsoft Store for a Microsoft licence, or Steam for a Steam licence. Install the small launcher first, then let the simulator download its much larger Packages content to your chosen drive.
Which PC launcher should I use?
Use the storefront where your MSFS 2020 licence is registered; Microsoft Store and Steam licences cannot be transferred between launchers.
| Licence | Where to install | Account requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Store or digital Xbox purchase | Xbox app, with the Microsoft Store Library as a fallback | Sign into the Microsoft Store and Xbox app with the account holding the licence. Eligible digital Xbox purchases normally provide the PC version through Xbox Play Anywhere; an Xbox disc does not. |
| Steam purchase | Steam Library | Use the Steam account that bought the simulator. MSFS will also request a Microsoft/Xbox account for its online services, but that account does not move the licence to the Xbox app. |
| Boxed PC edition | Use its discs and activation instructions | The discs do not avoid later simulator and content updates. |
How do I install MSFS 2020 on Windows?
- Confirm the PC is ready. MSFS needs considerably more space than the initial storefront installer suggests. Check our MSFS 2020 hardware and storage guidance, and leave extra capacity for updates, world packages and add-ons.
- Sign into the owning account. For a Microsoft licence, open both the Microsoft Store and Xbox app and check their account details. For Steam, sign into the Steam account that purchased MSFS 2020.
- Install the simulator launcher. Find Microsoft Flight Simulator in the Xbox app or Microsoft Store Library and select Install. On Steam, select it in Library and choose Install. The first storefront download is not the complete simulator.
- Launch MSFS 2020. The Installation Manager will check for updates and ask where to place the Packages data.
- Choose the Packages location carefully. A dedicated folder such as
D:\MSFS Packagesis easier to manage than a cloud-synchronised or protected directory. Select the Packages root, not itsCommunitysubfolder; MSFS creates or uses theOfficialandCommunityfolders beneath it. - Complete the large content download. Keep Windows awake and maintain a stable connection. The progress rate can fall to zero while a package is being decompressed, so check disk activity before assuming the installer has frozen.
- Install optional owned content. After reaching the main menu, open Content Manager for aircraft and packages attached to your edition. Free world content may first need to be obtained from the in-simulator Marketplace and then installed.
The Windows application and the Packages data can live on different drives. Our explanation of the application, Official and Community folder locations shows what each location contains.
Can new users still download MSFS 2020?
Existing owners can redownload MSFS 2020 from the library of the storefront where they obtained it, but its digital editions were withdrawn from general sale on 10 December 2024.
Previous Game Pass access is not permanent ownership. If the subscription catalogue no longer grants the title and there is no purchased licence on the account, the old installation or library entry will not provide playable access.
Why is the MSFS 2020 download stuck or looping?
Most stalled MSFS 2020 downloads are caused by an account mismatch, insufficient space on the Packages drive, blocked file writes or an incorrect Packages path.
- “Please insert disc” or no ownership detected: sign out of the Microsoft Store and Xbox app, restart Windows, then sign back into the account that owns the Microsoft version. Steam owners must launch it through the purchasing Steam account.
- Stuck on “Checking for updates”: update Windows, the Xbox app, Microsoft Store components and Gaming Services, then restart the PC and router. Temporarily remove a VPN or proxy from the connection rather than disabling Windows security.
- A package repeatedly restarts: confirm that the Packages drive has enough free space. If the installer repeatedly names the same damaged package, exit MSFS and remove only that incomplete package before trying again; do not delete the entire
Officialfolder. - Download pauses during decompression: wait while disk activity continues. MSFS downloads compressed archives and then unpacks them, so network throughput is not continuous.
- Installer unexpectedly shows the default path: stop before confirming it and point MSFS to the existing Packages root. Choosing a new empty folder triggers another full content download.
- Writes are blocked: allow the simulator through Controlled Folder Access or equivalent security software. Do not disable antivirus protection globally.
Can I download it again on another PC?
You do not need to buy MSFS 2020 again when moving to another compatible Windows PC, provided you use the same owning storefront account.
The Packages folder can also be copied from the old computer and selected during first launch, although MSFS will still verify and update its files. Our new-PC reinstallation procedure covers that process and the precautions needed to preserve add-ons.