Fix slow Microsoft Flight Simulator downloads on PC, Xbox and PS5 by checking bandwidth caps, Wi-Fi, storage, unpacking and stuck updates.
To fix slow Microsoft Flight Simulator downloads, remove bandwidth caps, use Ethernet, stop other traffic, ensure the package drive has ample free space, and restart the simulator and router. On PC, also check Windows Delivery Optimisation. If network use falls while disk or CPU use rises, the installer is unpacking files rather than downloading slowly.
Is the MSFS download actually slow?
Microsoft Flight Simulator alternates between downloading, decrypting, decompressing, verifying and writing large packages, so its reported download speed does not always describe the whole job. Check network, disk and CPU activity in Task Manager rather than relying only on the installer’s speed display.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Low network and disk activity | Connection cap, Wi-Fi problem, poor routing or server congestion | Work through the network checks below |
| Network drops to zero but disk or CPU is busy | The installer is unpacking or verifying a package | Wait; restarting can make it repeat work |
| Progress rises in bursts | Normal download-and-install cycling | Leave the installer running |
| The same package repeats with no network or disk activity | A stalled or damaged update | Restart once, then treat it as an update fault |
Remember that connection speeds are normally advertised in megabits, while some software reports megabytes. A 100 Mbit/s connection has a theoretical ceiling of about 12.5 MB/s before protocol overhead. Our explanation of normal downloading, unpacking and installation time helps distinguish a slow transfer from ordinary package processing.
How do I speed up MSFS downloads on PC?
- Restart the complete download chain. Quit Microsoft Flight Simulator and its launcher, restart Windows, and power-cycle the router. Resume the download once rather than repeatedly pausing and cancelling it.
- Stop competing traffic. Pause cloud backups, operating-system updates, video streaming and downloads on other devices. Task Manager can reveal another process consuming the connection.
- Use Ethernet where possible. If Wi-Fi is unavoidable, use a strong, uncongested connection close to the router. Packet loss and retransmissions can make an apparently fast Wi-Fi link perform badly during large package transfers.
- Remove Windows download caps. Search Windows Settings for
Delivery Optimisationand inspect its advanced bandwidth limits. These limits can affect the Microsoft Store or Xbox app portion of an installation. A Steam bandwidth limit affects the Steam-delivered base application, but it does not normally control packages downloaded inside the simulator. - Check the simulator’s data limit. Where the Data settings provide a bandwidth or monthly data limit, set it to unlimited while troubleshooting. This setting is most relevant to live data, streamed scenery and optional content; it may not govern the initial store download.
- Give the package drive room to work. Keep substantially more free space than the displayed download size because compressed packages need temporary room while being installed. An SSD helps when disk activity, rather than the network, is the bottleneck.
- Test without a VPN or proxy. VPN encryption and indirect routing commonly reduce throughput. A VPN helps only in the narrower case where an ISP has a poor route to Microsoft’s content network, so compare results rather than assuming it will be faster.
Changing DNS rarely improves sustained download speed after the content server has been resolved. Likewise, deleting the Rolling Cache is not a sensible first fix for an installation download.
Should I change Windows TCP settings?
Leave Windows TCP receive-window auto-tuning enabled unless it was previously disabled by a tweak, utility or old troubleshooting guide. In an elevated Windows Terminal, netsh interface tcp show global displays its state; if it says disabled, netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal restores the normal setting. Restart Windows afterwards.
Do not disable auto-tuning to fix MSFS download speed; that widely repeated tweak can restrict throughput on fast or high-latency connections. If every application downloads slowly, investigate Windows, the router or the ISP. If only Microsoft Flight Simulator is affected, its content service, package processing or launcher is the more likely cause.
Why does the download speed keep dropping to zero?
Brief drops to zero are usually caused by package installation, not a lost connection. Microsoft Flight Simulator often downloads a compressed block, processes it locally and then requests the next one; slower drives and real-time security scanning make those pauses longer.
Watch the package name, total progress and disk activity. If any of them continues changing, leave it alone. If the same package remains unchanged and both network and disk activity stay idle, fully quit the simulator and resume after a reboot. Do not delete the entire Official or package directory, because that can turn one damaged package into a complete re-download.
What should Xbox and PlayStation users try?
Console downloads are controlled partly by the platform’s download queue, so fully close running games, pause other queued items, restart the console and router, and use Ethernet if available. Make sure the installation drive has enough free space and avoid repeatedly deleting and reinstalling the simulator.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is available on PC and Xbox, while Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is also available on PlayStation 5. On every console, a slow base-game download and slow cloud-delivered content are different faults. If MSFS 2024 displays a connection warning after launch, use our targeted checks for the “bandwidth too low” message.
If other devices are fast but the console’s download queue remains slow after a restart, the platform or content-delivery service may be congested. Waiting and trying again later is safer than reinstalling and losing completed data.
When is a slow download actually stuck?
A download is probably stuck when the same package repeatedly restarts, byte progress does not change, network and disk activity remain idle, or resuming produces the same error. That is no longer a simple speed problem.
Check free space first, confirm that the correct Microsoft, Xbox, Steam or PlayStation account is active, and install pending launcher or system updates. Then follow our recovery steps for stalled, looping and failed MSFS updates rather than applying more network tweaks.
Once the download has completed, long delays after selecting an aircraft and pressing Fly are a separate issue involving add-ons, storage, cache and streamed content. Use the MSFS 2024 slow flight-loading checks if that is the stage causing the delay.