Fix a Microsoft Flight Simulator black screen by checking display mode, drivers, DirectX, caches, add-ons, sign-in and game files in the right order.
Microsoft Flight Simulator usually shows a black screen because its display mode, graphics driver, DirectX renderer, cache, add-on, sign-in state or installation has failed. Start by restarting the sim and PC, then test windowed mode, remove Community add-ons, clear caches, update or roll back the GPU driver, and verify the installation.
These checks apply to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, but some steps are PC-only. A completely black simulator window is also different from cockpit displays that are blank because of aircraft power or avionics settings. If the problem exists only in a headset, use our separate VR black-screen troubleshooting steps.
What does the timing of the black screen mean?
The point at which the screen turns black usually identifies the part of Microsoft Flight Simulator that has failed.
| When it happens | Likely causes | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Before the main menu | Display mode, GPU driver, DirectX, shader cache or sign-in failure | Try windowed mode and restart the PC |
| During the initial loading screen | Stalled update, account services, streamed content, cache or add-on | Check network activity and launch without add-ons |
| After selecting Fly | Aircraft, airport or scenery conflict; excessive GPU or VRAM load | Load a default aircraft at a default airport |
| Black screen with sound or a visible pointer | Fullscreen, HDR, monitor selection, overlay or refresh-rate problem | Press Alt+Enter on Windows |
| Only instrument panels are black | Aircraft power, avionics master, dimmers or conflicting controls | Check the aircraft electrical system |
If an update or first-time content process is visibly transferring data, let it finish. Repeatedly terminating the simulator during package installation can leave incomplete files and turn a temporary delay into a persistent loading failure.
How do I fix the black screen?
The safest fix order is to rule out a stalled update, then display, add-on, connection, driver, cache and installation faults.
Perform a clean restart. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator and its launcher completely, restart the computer, and launch it without browser windows, capture tools, hardware-monitoring overlays or other GPU-heavy applications. On a console, shut it down fully rather than merely suspending the game.
Test windowed mode. If the simulator is black but still produces sound, press
Alt+Enter. Disconnect unnecessary displays, temporarily disable HDR and confirm that Windows has not opened the simulator on a disconnected monitor. Our guide to fullscreen, monitor and HDR problems in Windows 11 covers the display-specific fixes.Launch without third-party content. Choose Safe Mode if Microsoft Flight Simulator offers it after a failed start. On PC, close the sim and temporarily rename the active
Communityfolder to something such asCommunity.off. Its location varies between Microsoft Store, Steam and custom package installations, so make sure you change the folder the simulator actually uses.If the black screen disappears, restore add-ons in small groups until the failure returns. Aircraft, avionics packages, airport scenery and utilities that inject menus or displays deserve checking first.
Check the account and connection. Sign back into the platform account that owns the simulator, then restart its launcher. Test without a VPN or proxy and, where possible, try a wired connection. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 relies more heavily on authenticated and streamed content than MSFS 2020, so a connection or service problem can leave it at a black or apparently frozen loading stage.
Repair the graphics path. Install a stable driver for the correct GPU, or roll back if the black screen began immediately after a driver update. Restore stock GPU and CPU clocks, disable frame-generation tools and overlays, and ensure a laptop is assigning the simulator to its dedicated GPU.
Only change DirectX renderer where the installed simulator exposes that option. In MSFS 2020, testing DirectX 11 can help when DirectX 12 is unstable. If there are driver-reset messages, coloured artefacts or a graphics-device error as well as the black screen, follow our GPU, VRAM and driver-reset checks.
Clear rebuildable caches. If the menu remains accessible, delete and recreate the Rolling Cache from the simulator's data settings. Windows and the GPU driver also maintain shader caches that can be cleared through their own storage or driver controls; the next launch may take longer while shaders are rebuilt.
Reduce rendering load. For a black screen that appears only when entering a flight, lower output resolution, render scaling, terrain detail and texture demand. Disable frame generation and third-party visual filters while testing. This is especially relevant when the menu works but a dense airport, complex aircraft or high-resolution display exhausts available VRAM.
Repair or verify the installation. Update the launcher and platform components, then use the platform's repair or file-verification function. Be prepared for package verification to trigger a substantial content download, particularly if the package path has changed.
Do not delete the Official package folder blindly. A mistake we see constantly is removing installed packages or pointing the launcher at an empty folder while trying to clear a cache. That does not merely reset graphics data; it can force the simulator to download its content again.
What if the screen turns black only after clicking Fly?
A black screen after clicking Fly usually points to the selected aircraft, airport, scenery or graphics load rather than the launcher itself.
Load a default aircraft with its standard livery at a default airport.
Use a simple daytime weather preset and avoid a complex departure airport during the test.
Keep the
Communityfolder empty and disable recently installed marketplace content where the content manager is accessible.Test the same aircraft at another airport, then the same airport with another aircraft.
If only one aircraft fails, reinstall or remove that aircraft and its dependencies. If every aircraft fails at one location, suspect airport scenery, terrain data or the Rolling Cache. A failure everywhere is more likely to involve graphics settings, drivers or core files.
Do console users need different black-screen fixes?
Xbox and PlayStation 5 users should concentrate on power cycling, account access, downloads, storage and installed content because PC driver and Community-folder fixes do not apply.
Confirm that no simulator or content update is paused, check that adequate storage remains, and remove the most recently added aircraft or scenery if the platform permits it. A full console restart can clear a suspended session that repeatedly resumes to a black screen. PlayStation 5 support applies to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024; MSFS 2020 was not released for PlayStation.
Should I reinstall Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Reinstall Microsoft Flight Simulator only after windowed mode, an empty Community folder, account checks, driver repair, cache rebuilding and file verification have failed.
On Windows, use the platform's non-destructive repair option before Reset, because Reset may remove local settings or require packages to be downloaded again. Back up custom add-ons and record the active package location first. Reinstallation is most useful when verification reports missing files, the launcher cannot recognise installed content, or the black screen survives a completely clean configuration.