How do I fix MSFS stuck on authentication or Xbox sign-in?

Fix Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 when stuck on Authentication in Progress or Waiting for Authentication by fully quitting and restarting the device. On PC, refresh Xbox app and Microsoft Store sessions, synchronise Windows’ clock, repair Gaming Services and test without network filtering; on Xbox, discard Quick Resume and reconnect the correct profile.

Why is Microsoft Flight Simulator stuck on authentication?

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024 remains on the authentication screen when it cannot complete the Microsoft/Xbox account check. Common causes include an expired token, conflicting accounts, a Gaming Services fault, an incorrect system clock, blocked network traffic or an interruption affecting Microsoft account services.

Authentication happens before MSFS loads its aircraft and scenery packages. Community add-ons are therefore unlikely to cause this screen, so do not begin by deleting the Community or Official folders.

How do I fix MSFS authentication on a Windows PC?

On Windows, refresh the complete Xbox identity chain before repairing or reinstalling the large simulator package.

1. Close every related application. Exit Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Xbox app and Microsoft Store rather than leaving them minimised. Use Task Manager if an MSFS process remains active, then restart Windows.
2. Test the account outside MSFS. Open the Xbox app and confirm that it displays the intended gamertag and library. Complete any password, consent or security-verification prompt. If the Xbox app and other connected applications fail too, changing simulator files will not fix the underlying account or service fault.
3. Synchronise the Windows clock. Enable automatic date and time, select the correct time zone and run the manual synchronisation option. Even a modest clock error can invalidate a secure account token.
4. Refresh the account sessions. Sign out of the Xbox app and Microsoft Store, close both, restart Windows, then sign into Microsoft Store first and the Xbox app second. Re-authenticate fully after changing a password, account alias or recovery information.
5. Verify the entitlement. For a Microsoft Store or PC Game Pass installation, the Store account must own the game or provide active subscription access. The Xbox app should show the gamertag whose cloud profile, logbook and purchases you expect to use.
6. Install pending component updates. Update Windows, Microsoft Store, the Xbox app, Gaming Services and any offered Xbox identity components. Restart after Windows or Gaming Services updates.
7. Repair the Xbox components. Open the advanced options for the Xbox app, Gaming Services and Microsoft Store in Windows installed-app settings. Use Repair first; use Reset only if repair fails because reset clears the local session and signs the component out. If Gaming Services will not load, update or register, follow our steps to repair the Gaming Services authentication chain.
8. Check services and hidden prompts. In the Windows Services manager, confirm that Gaming Services and Xbox Live Auth Manager, where present, have not been disabled. Press Alt+Tab, try MSFS in windowed mode and temporarily disable overlays that could conceal a Microsoft account prompt. Avoid running MSFS as administrator while the Xbox app runs normally, as that privilege mismatch can block the sign-in hand-off.
9. Clear only stale Xbox credentials. If the loop persists, sign out and inspect Windows Credential Manager. Remove entries clearly labelled Xbox or Xbl, restart Windows and sign in again. Leave unrelated Microsoft and application credentials untouched.
10. Test an unfiltered connection. Temporarily disconnect VPNs and proxies and pause restrictive DNS, parental, web or network-wide advert filters. A phone hotspot is useful for a brief authentication test, but stop before MSFS starts downloading large packages. If the hotspot works, repair the home-network path rather than reinstalling the simulator.

Keep the firewall and security software enabled. Permit Microsoft Flight Simulator, Microsoft Store, the Xbox app and Gaming Services through the relevant filter, then restore anything paused during testing. Port forwarding is rarely the first answer to an authentication failure.

Which account should Microsoft Store and Steam users choose?

Use the account that supplies the required licence and the Xbox profile whose cloud data you intend to keep.

• Microsoft Store purchase or PC Game Pass: the Store account must hold the purchase or active subscription. The Xbox app should normally use the same Microsoft account, although deliberately separated purchasing and gaming accounts can work. If the arrangement is uncertain, test with the owning account in both applications.
• Steam purchase: launch MSFS from Steam. Steam supplies the game licence, while Microsoft Flight Simulator still needs a Microsoft/Xbox profile for its gamertag, cloud profile and online services. Microsoft Store does not need to own a second copy.
• Changed credentials: after changing a password, alias or security information, sign out everywhere and authenticate again instead of relying on cached tokens.

A mistake we see constantly is selecting a fresh gamertag simply to escape the sign-in screen. That account has a different profile, logbook, settings and entitlements, so expected Marketplace purchases or progress may appear to be missing.

How do I stop the sign-in loop on Xbox Series X|S?

On Xbox Series X|S, fully quitting Microsoft Flight Simulator and discarding its suspended Quick Resume session usually clears an expired profile token.

1. Remove the Quick Resume session. Highlight MSFS in the console guide, open its options, choose Quit and remove it from Quick Resume if listed.
2. Restart the console. Use the console’s restart command rather than putting it into standby and immediately resuming the game.
3. Refresh the correct profile. Confirm that the intended profile is active and can access other online Xbox features. Sign out and back in before considering profile removal.
4. Test console networking. Run the built-in network and multiplayer tests. If other Xbox services also fail, restart the router and briefly remove custom DNS or network-level filtering.
5. Update and verify access. Install pending console and simulator updates. If login succeeds but MSFS displays an ownership message, confirm that the active profile owns the game or has valid subscription access; that is a licence problem, not failed authentication.

Remove and add the Xbox profile again only when normal sign-out has failed and you know its email address, password and recovery details. For more detail, use our Xbox profile, entitlement and console-network checks.

Will signing out delete my logbook or purchases?

Signing out and adding the same Xbox account again should not remove cloud-synchronised progress or account entitlements. Let synchronisation finish on the next launch, especially if MSFS asks you to choose between local and cloud data. Do not delete saved data everywhere merely to refresh a login token.

Using another gamertag is not equivalent to reconnecting the original account. Purchases, progress and profile data do not transfer simply because both accounts use the same PC or console.

Can the Xbox authentication error appear on Steam or PS5?

The Xbox wording refers to Microsoft’s identity service, not necessarily an Xbox console, so the authentication screen can appear in Steam and PlayStation installations.

Steam users still authenticate a Microsoft/Xbox profile inside MSFS even though Steam holds the licence. On PS5 and PS5 Pro, this applies only to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024; MSFS 2020 was never released for PlayStation. Fully close MSFS 2024 instead of leaving it suspended, restart the console and use the Microsoft account previously associated with the simulator profile when prompted.

What if MSFS gets past authentication but still hangs?

If the Xbox profile appears and MSFS advances to an update, content or loading screen, authentication has succeeded and the new screen needs a different fix.

A hang at Checking for updates requires the separate update and content-connection checks, not another round of account resets. An offline message points towards service connectivity or filtering, while a purchase message indicates an entitlement mismatch.

Community add-ons rarely freeze the account prompt because identity checks occur before normal aircraft and scenery loading. If authentication finishes and MSFS then freezes during loading, temporarily empty the Community folder; do not remove the Official package folder as an authentication test.

Should I reset or reinstall Microsoft Flight Simulator?

Reinstall Microsoft Flight Simulator only after the account, clock, Gaming Services and network checks fail, because most Xbox authentication data sits outside the simulator package.

On PC, use Repair before Reset where Windows provides those controls. Reset can remove local preferences and may ask where existing content packages are stored, so record that location first. Do not delete the large package folder without evidence that its contents are damaged.

Reinstallation becomes reasonable only when the Xbox app signs in reliably, the correct entitlement appears, another network produces the same failure and component repair has not helped. On Xbox, remove Quick Resume and refresh the profile first. If one Microsoft account fails while another authenticates on the same device and connection, the evidence points to an account-level fault rather than damaged simulator files.