How do I fix an MSFS 2020 Essential Packages update error?

To fix an MSFS 2020 Essential Packages update error, close Microsoft Flight Simulator, install its Microsoft Store or Steam client update, restart Windows, isolate Community add-ons and retry with free space. Only when the simulator repeats the same content-download failure should you quarantine its named package or a clearly incomplete .fspackage/.fspatch file.

What causes the Essential Packages update error?

Essential Packages are mandatory first-party files that must match the installed MSFS 2020 client before the simulator can reach its main menu.

The usual causes are:

• A pending Microsoft Store, Xbox app or Steam client update.
• Microsoft Store, Xbox and in-simulator accounts that do not match the account owning MSFS or Game Pass entitlement.
• An interrupted download that left an incomplete package or patch file.
• Insufficient space on either the Packages drive or Windows system drive.
• MSFS reading an abandoned Packages folder after an installation was moved.
• A Community add-on interfering with the package scan.
• Gaming Services, network or file-permission problems.

These downloads are separate from optional aircraft and scenery updates shown later in Content Manager. They are also separate from the platform update installed by Microsoft Store or Steam.

Microsoft Store: how do I fix “Something went wrong”?

A Microsoft Store “Something went wrong” message requires a different repair depending on whether it appears in the Store or inside Microsoft Flight Simulator.

If it keeps on saying “Something went wrong”, do these checks before deleting any simulator files:

1. Record the full message and error code. A code such as 0x80070005 points to a specific permissions problem; do not discard it before beginning repairs.
2. Match all Microsoft accounts. Microsoft Store, the Xbox app and the Xbox profile used inside MSFS must match the account that owns MSFS 2020 or holds the active Game Pass entitlement.
3. Check the Microsoft Store Library. Run its update check and install offered updates for MSFS, the Xbox app and Gaming Services. The same applies when looking for an “MS Store” update fix.
4. Restart Windows. Restart after the updates finish, then open Microsoft Store and the Xbox app before launching MSFS.

Repair Microsoft Store, Xbox, Gaming Services and MSFS

Use Windows Repair before Reset because Repair is intended to preserve local application data and settings.

1. Close MSFS and its platform apps. Exit Microsoft Flight Simulator, Microsoft Store and the Xbox app, including any Xbox app icon left in the notification area.
2. Run wsreset.exe. Press the Windows key, search for wsreset.exe and run it. A blank command window may appear briefly before Microsoft Store opens.
3. Confirm what the command did. Treat the reset as completed only if the command finishes without an error, normally followed by Microsoft Store opening. If it displays an error or never completes, copy the exact output before continuing.
4. Open the Windows application settings. Under Installed apps, or Apps & features on some Windows installations, open Advanced options for Microsoft Store, Xbox, Gaming Services and Microsoft Flight Simulator where those entries and options are available.
5. Select Repair, not Reset. Repair each available entry separately. Reset can remove cached credentials, local app data, preferences and sign-in state. Resetting MSFS may also remove local configuration or make the installer ask for the Packages path again, potentially causing a large redownload if the wrong folder is selected.
6. Restart before testing. Restart Windows after repairing Gaming Services or MSFS, and whenever Windows explicitly requests a restart. Then check Store Library updates again and launch MSFS from the Xbox app or Start menu.

The command did not work — o comando não funcionou

If wsreset.exe or another command did not work, copy its exact output and any error code rather than repeatedly running it.

Confirm that Windows is signed into the intended account and that the operation has the permissions it requires. Proceed to the Microsoft Store, Xbox and Gaming Services Repair options instead of repeatedly using unsupported AppX package-registration commands. If the result contains 0x80070005 or “access denied”, follow our account and permissions checks for error 0x80070005.

Warning: CustomInstallActions will be ignored for a loose registered package

This message is normally an AppX or PowerShell registration warning, not proof that an MSFS Essential Packages download is corrupt.

It can appear even when the surrounding registration command otherwise completed. Do not re-register applications, delete MSFS packages or remove the Official folder solely because of this warning; return to the supported Store and Gaming Services repair path and test the simulator first.

How do I clear the MSFS 2020 Essential Packages update loop?

A Microsoft Flight Simulator update fix depends on whether the failure is in the launcher, during authentication or on a named in-simulator package download.

1. Update the client before touching content. Complete the Microsoft Store, Xbox app or Steam update first. A newer Essential Package cannot reliably install against an older simulator client.
2. Restart the PC. Do not force-close MSFS merely because the progress display pauses while files are being decompressed, but restart if the same error has already returned after a failed attempt.
3. Check both drives for free space. The Packages drive needs room for the downloaded and unpacked content, while the Windows drive may hold temporary data. Required headroom can exceed the displayed download size. If MSFS reports a storage error, use our MSFS disk-space repair steps before retrying.
4. Isolate the Community folder. Move its contents to a temporary folder outside the MSFS Packages directory; do not move the Official folder. Our Community-folder and add-on location guidance helps when the active folder is not obvious.
5. Retry on an unrestricted connection. Disable any VPN or proxy temporarily, remove an in-simulator bandwidth limit you previously configured and confirm that security software is not blocking MSFS. Do not leave antivirus protection permanently disabled.
6. Identify the repeated failure. If MSFS reaches the Essential Packages downloader and repeatedly identifies the same package, close it and use the targeted recovery below. For a Store, Xbox app or Steam launcher error, repair that client instead.

Which MSFS Official package folder should I repair?

Repair the Official folder only when MSFS itself identifies a repeating content-download failure, not when Microsoft Store, Xbox or Steam cannot update the launcher.

The correct Packages location is the path named by InstalledPackagesPath in the active UserCfg.opt file. It is not necessarily the default folder or the protected Windows application directory. A mistake we see constantly is editing an old Packages folder left behind after MSFS was moved to another drive.

1. Close MSFS and its launcher. Confirm that the simulator is no longer running before moving package files.
2. Confirm the active Packages path. Read InstalledPackagesPath from the configuration used by the installation you just launched. If several copies of UserCfg.opt exist, do not assume the first search result is active.
3. Open the matching Official folder. Microsoft Store and Game Pass installations normally use Official\OneStore; Steam installations normally use Official\Steam.
4. Quarantine the named package. If the MSFS downloader repeatedly names a package, move only that package's folder outside the Packages directory. Keep it until the clean replacement has downloaded successfully.
5. Move only clearly incomplete loose files. If the same in-simulator download fails without naming a folder, look for a loose file with .fspackage or .fspatch in its name whose time and incomplete size clearly correspond to that failed attempt. Move it to a temporary folder; do not remove unrelated files merely because they were modified recently.
6. Relaunch and let MSFS reacquire the content. The removed package will be downloaded again. Progress can pause while the download is unpacked, so check network and disk activity before assuming it has frozen.

Can I delete the entire Official folder?

No. Deleting or renaming the complete Official folder forces MSFS to reacquire its core content and installed Marketplace packages, turning a targeted repair into a very large download.

Do not remove fs-base directories at random. If the platform launcher is failing, deleting Official content will not repair Microsoft Store, Gaming Services or Steam.

What should Steam users do?

Steam users should repair the launcher installation before changing anything under Official\Steam.

1. Close MSFS and restart Steam. Check Steam Downloads and the MSFS library entry for a pending client update.
2. Verify the installed files. Use Steam's local-file verification for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
3. Launch and check the Microsoft account. Sign into the intended Xbox profile inside MSFS.
4. Use package recovery only for an in-simulator failure. Steam verification checks the launcher-side installation; it does not necessarily validate every streamed package in the Official folder.

How do I fix games on Xbox (Spiele auf der Xbox)?

For the native MSFS 2020 version on Xbox Series X|S, install the console game update and restart the console; the Windows folder and command repairs do not apply.

If Essential Packages still fail, confirm that the console profile owns the game or has the required entitlement. Under Manage game and add-ons, temporarily remove optional add-ons rather than deleting the base installation. Do not attempt wsreset.exe, UserCfg.opt edits or Official-folder repairs on Xbox.

What does “You are missing packages that are essential to run Microsoft Flight Simulator” mean?

This message means MSFS cannot find or validate one or more mandatory packages, often because of a wrong account, an incorrect InstalledPackagesPath or an interrupted core-content download.

Recheck the ownership account and active Packages path before reinstalling. If that exact message remains after the client and Essential Packages update complete, use our focused recovery steps for missing mandatory MSFS packages.

What if it has been two days and the update still has not finished?

An update taking two days is not by itself proof of corruption, but the same package name or error returning with no increase in downloaded data indicates a loop rather than normal unpacking.

If network or disk activity continues and the downloaded amount rises, allow the installer to finish. If the same failure repeats after each launch, record the package name or error code and follow the matching Store, Steam or targeted package repair above.

Reinstallation should remain the last step. Reinstalling only the small launcher while leaving a damaged or incorrectly selected Official folder in place can reproduce the same Essential Packages error.