Fix MSFS photogrammetry not loading by checking online data, Bing imagery, data limits, connection, rolling cache, add-ons and graphics settings.
Microsoft Flight Simulator photogrammetry usually fails because Online Functionality or Photogrammetry is disabled, a data limit has been reached, the internet connection or scenery-streaming service is unavailable, or the rolling cache is corrupt. Re-enable streamed data, remove the limit, restart the simulator, then rebuild the cache if the fault remains.
In both Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024, photogrammetry is streamed rather than installed with the base simulator. It also covers selected cities and landmarks, not the whole world, so generic autogen buildings outside covered areas are normal.
Is photogrammetry actually missing?
Photogrammetry is genuinely missing when an area that previously displayed scanned buildings now shows generic autogen despite online data being enabled.
| Symptom | Most likely explanation |
|---|---|
| Generic buildings in every covered city | Online data is disabled, a data cap has been reached, or streaming is unavailable |
| Only one district or airport looks wrong | Coverage boundary or conflicting custom scenery |
| Buildings look melted at close range | Slow streaming, a damaged cache or temporary service congestion |
| Buildings are detailed nearby but coarse in the distance | Normal level-of-detail behaviour or low graphics settings |
| The entire flight stops loading | A broader package, add-on or connection problem rather than photogrammetry alone |
How do I fix MSFS photogrammetry not loading?
- Test somewhere it previously worked. Use a city where you have already seen photogrammetry. Testing an uncovered rural area can send you troubleshooting a fault that does not exist.
- Enable the online scenery controls. In MSFS 2020, open
General Options > Dataand enableOnline Functionality,Bing Data World GraphicsandPhotogrammetry. MSFS 2024 uses a different menu layout; enable its online world-data and photogrammetry options. Apply the changes before returning to the flight. - Check the simulator’s data limit. Open the data-consumption or bandwidth settings and see whether the configured allowance has been exhausted. Reset or increase it if acceptable for your internet plan. Also confirm that the platform account is signed in and permitted to use online features.
- Restart the simulator completely. Returning to the main menu may not reset a failed online session. Close MSFS and its launcher or console session, reopen it, and retest. If live weather, Marketplace content and Bing imagery have all failed together, the problem is more likely to be the account, network path or Microsoft’s online services.
- Reset the rolling cache. Delete it through the simulator’s own settings, restart MSFS and test once with the cache disabled. If scenery then loads, create a fresh cache rather than reusing the old file. Use our MSFS 2020 rolling-cache troubleshooting advice or the MSFS 2024 cache rebuild procedure. Do not delete unfamiliar files from the Official or Community packages.
- Rule out the connection. Pause downloads and cloud synchronisation, disable any VPN or proxy, and allow the simulator and its platform services through security software. Prefer Ethernet or a strong wireless connection. A brief mobile-hotspot test can distinguish a router or ISP-routing problem from a simulator fault, but watch the data usage.
- Test without local scenery add-ons. With MSFS closed, temporarily rename or empty the Community folder on PC. On consoles, disable custom scenery for the affected area. If only one city or airport is broken, an add-on exclusion area or overlapping scenery is more plausible than a global streaming fault.
- Check level-of-detail settings. Very low
Terrain Level of DetailandObjects Level of Detailsettings make distant geometry coarse. Raising them within your hardware’s limits improves draw distance, but it cannot restore photogrammetry that is not being streamed.
Why do photogrammetry buildings look melted or blurry?
Melted buildings mean MSFS is displaying a low-detail mesh while it waits for finer streamed data, or that the higher-detail data failed to arrive. This is common during fast, low-level flight, on a congested connection or when the rolling cache contains damaged tiles.
Remain over the same area briefly. If the buildings sharpen, streaming throughput is the bottleneck; if they remain malformed at close range after a cache reset, test another covered city to separate a local data problem from a global one. Raising graphics settings does not compensate for missing streamed data.
Photogrammetry can also introduce pauses as new tiles arrive. If the scenery eventually appears but the simulator hesitates while loading it, use our diagnosis for streaming-related stutters and micro-pauses.
Should the rolling cache be on or off?
The rolling cache is useful when you revisit the same areas or have limited bandwidth, but leaving it off is a valid choice with a fast, stable, unrestricted connection. For troubleshooting, test with it off first: if photogrammetry returns, the old cache was probably stale or corrupt.
Place a new cache on a drive with adequate free space. An oversized cache does not improve the source photogrammetry, and a cache on a slow or nearly full drive can exchange network delays for storage delays.
Should I reinstall Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Reinstalling MSFS is rarely the right first fix because photogrammetry comes from online servers rather than the base installation. Reinstall only after checking settings, account access, the connection, cache and add-ons, and only when other simulator packages also appear damaged.
If the progress bar hangs before entering any flight, follow the separate checklist for flights that will not load; that fault can involve aircraft, packages or add-ons rather than photogrammetry.