Fix the MSFS 2020 “Please insert game disc” error by restoring your Store, Xbox, Game Pass or Steam licence, plus boxed-DVD checks.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 shows “Please insert the Microsoft Flight Simulator game disc” when it cannot verify your licence. Digital copies need no disc: restore the correct Microsoft Store, Xbox app, Game Pass or Steam entitlement and sign-in. A boxed PC DVD copy normally requires Disc 1 in the drive.
What causes the MSFS 2020 game disc message?
The message usually indicates an entitlement or authentication failure, not missing simulator files. Microsoft Flight Simulator checks that the account or physical media launching it owns a valid licence before loading the installed content.
- The Microsoft Store, Xbox app or Steam is signed into the wrong account.
- A cached Xbox authentication token has expired or become corrupted.
- Gaming Services, the Xbox app or an associated Digital Ownership package is missing or outdated.
- A Game Pass subscription has expired or belongs to another account.
- Steam is closed, offline or signed into an account that does not own MSFS 2020.
- The computer's date and time are wrong, preventing secure authentication.
- A connection problem, VPN, proxy or temporary service interruption is blocking the licence check.
- The boxed PC edition is being started without Disc 1.
| Licence type | What MSFS must verify | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Store or Xbox app purchase | The Store account that owns the game, plus working Xbox authentication and Gaming Services | Signing into the Xbox app or Store with a different account |
| PC or Xbox Game Pass | An active eligible subscription on the entitled account | Using an expired subscription or another household member's profile |
| Steam purchase | The owning Steam account and a valid Microsoft/Xbox profile sign-in | Starting the executable directly or expecting a Microsoft Store account to supply the Steam licence |
| Boxed PC DVD edition | A readable Disc 1 in the optical drive | Removing the disc after installation or inserting one of the content discs instead |
How do I fix “Please insert game disc” in MSFS 2020?
Restore the licence at the platform where MSFS 2020 was purchased before repairing or reinstalling the simulator itself.
- Confirm where you own the simulator. Open the Microsoft Store, Xbox app or Steam library and check that MSFS 2020 appears as owned or included with an active subscription. Do not buy it again merely because the disc message appears.
- Restore a clean internet connection. Disable any VPN or proxy temporarily, then set Windows to adjust its date, time and time zone automatically. Restart the PC after correcting the clock.
- Refresh the account session. Close MSFS completely. For a Store or Game Pass installation, sign out of both the Microsoft Store and Xbox app, restart Windows, then sign back into the account that owns the licence. The Store account supplies the purchase entitlement; using the same account in the Xbox app avoids the mismatch we see most often.
- Update the licence components. In the Microsoft Store library, check for updates to the Store, Xbox app, Gaming Services and the MSFS launcher. If the owned edition's installation manager lists a Digital Ownership component, make sure it is installed rather than purchasing another edition.
- Repair the Store and Xbox services. Find Microsoft Store, Xbox and Gaming Services under Windows Installed apps and use Repair where available. If the Store cache appears stuck, run
wsreset.exe. Use Reset only after Repair fails, and avoid resetting MSFS itself at this stage because it may lose track of the installed package location. - Use the correct platform launcher. Start a Steam purchase from the Steam library with Steam online and signed into the owning account. Steam owns that copy; the Microsoft/Xbox account used inside the simulator does not also need to own a Store copy. On Xbox, restart the console and launch from the entitled profile or a console with valid home-console sharing.
- Restart and test once. Reboot after completing the account and service repairs, then launch MSFS normally. Repeatedly opening the simulator while changing accounts can create another stale authentication session.
If the screen changes to “Waiting for Authentication”, the licence is reaching the Xbox sign-in stage but that session is not completing. Follow our steps to repair the Xbox authentication loop and mismatched account tokens.
If Windows reports access denied or error 0x80070005 while updating Gaming Services or ownership components, use the targeted Store, permissions and security fixes for error 0x80070005.
What should boxed DVD owners do?
The physical PC edition normally needs Disc 1 present whenever the simulator starts. The remaining discs contain installation data and cannot satisfy the launch check.
Insert Disc 1 into a working optical drive, allow Windows to recognise it, then start the boxed installation. Cleaning or replacing a damaged drive may be necessary if Windows cannot read the disc. Reinstalling from the DVD set does not convert the physical licence into a digital, disc-free entitlement; that requires a separate digital purchase or eligible subscription.
Why can the disc error appear after an update?
An update can expose a stale account token or update the launcher before Gaming Services and its entitlement components have finished updating. It does not usually mean the aircraft, scenery or other large content packages have been deleted.
Once the licence check works, the next screen may remain on Checking for Updates while it reconciles installed packages. That is a separate problem covered by our launcher and network fixes for a stalled update check.
Can MSFS 2020 run offline without asking for a disc?
A digital copy can run offline only after it has authenticated online and the platform's offline permissions have been prepared. Going offline before the first successful licence check can produce the disc message even when all simulator content is installed.
Reconnect, launch successfully once and configure offline access while still online. Our MSFS 2020 offline setup and limitations explain what must be cached and which streamed features remain unavailable.
Should I reinstall Microsoft Flight Simulator?
Reinstallation is rarely the correct first fix for a game-disc prompt because the failure happens before MSFS checks its main content packages. Moving the Community folder, deleting scenery or downloading the simulator again will not repair an account entitlement.
Consider reinstalling only after the correct platform confirms ownership, authentication works, Gaming Services has been repaired and the launcher itself is demonstrably damaged. Start with the small launcher or platform file-verification process rather than deleting the full Official packages folder.