Fix an FSX logbook not logging flights or hours: check flight logging, repair Logbook.BIN, restore write access and protect old records.
In FSX and FSX: Steam Edition, flights usually stop logging because Log flight time is disabled, the simulator closes before committing the entry, or Logbook.BIN is corrupt or unwritable. Enable logging, complete and end a short test flight normally, then back up and rebuild the logbook if no new entry appears.
What stops the FSX logbook from recording?
FSX fails to record hours when logging is switched off, a flight never ends cleanly, or the binary logbook cannot be updated.
| Symptom | Likely explanation | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| No flights are recorded | Logging is disabled, or the file cannot be written | Run a controlled default-aircraft test |
| Entries stop after a particular date | Logbook.BIN may be damaged or newly blocked | Back up and rebuild the file |
| Old records vanish but new flights log | FSX created a fresh file or opened another Windows user's Documents folder | Locate the original Logbook.BIN |
| A default aircraft logs but an add-on does not | The add-on or flight-ending method is interfering | Repeat without third-party modules |
| The entry exists but the total seems wrong | Logbook time is not the same as application playtime | Compare the individual entries |
How do I test whether FSX flight logging works?
A short flight in an unmodified default aircraft separates a broken logbook from an add-on or workflow problem.
- Enable flight logging. Open FSX's general settings and make sure Log flight time is selected.
- Use a default aircraft. Start at a default airport, leave the simulation rate at normal, take off, fly for several minutes and land without using slew or repositioning.
- End the flight normally. Use FSX's End Flight command and return to the opening screen. Do not terminate the process through Task Manager.
- Check the built-in logbook. Open Pilot Records or Logbook and look for the new entry. Our explanation of how FSX creates and displays logbook entries covers the normal recording behaviour in more detail.
- Restart FSX and recheck the setting. If Log flight time switches itself off again, FSX is failing to retain its configuration as well as its logbook data.
A mistake we see constantly is treating a saved flight as a completed logbook flight. Saving stores the aircraft and scenario state so it can be resumed; it does not guarantee that FSX has committed a logbook entry.
Why do FSX hours not match my session time?
The FSX total is calculated from recorded logbook entries, not Steam playtime or the total time the application has been open.
Menus, pauses, simulation-rate changes, crashes and abandoned sessions can make the total differ from wall-clock time. A landing count also depends on FSX detecting an airborne-to-ground touchdown, so ending on approach, slewing to the ground or loading directly onto a runway may leave that part of an entry incomplete.
How do I repair a corrupt FSX Logbook.BIN?
The safest diagnostic is to preserve the original file and let FSX generate a clean replacement.
- Close FSX completely. Confirm that it is no longer running before touching its data files.
- Find the logbook. Its normal location is
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\Logbook.BIN. FSX: Steam Edition normally uses the same per-user Documents folder. If Windows redirects Documents through OneDrive or another location, use the actual redirected folder. - Make a backup. Copy
Logbook.BINto a separate folder. Do not delete the only copy, because it contains the old entries and totals. - Remove the working copy. Move it out of the Flight Simulator X Files folder or rename it so FSX no longer sees the exact
Logbook.BINfilename. - Create a clean logbook. Start FSX, confirm that flight logging is enabled and repeat the default-aircraft test. Do not create an empty text file yourself; FSX must create the binary file.
- Interpret the result. If the new flight records correctly, the original logbook was corrupt. If no replacement appears, concentrate on folder permissions and Windows security rather than the old data.
Reinstalling FSX is rarely the right first move because an uninstall or repair may leave the damaged file in Documents untouched.
Can missing FSX logbook hours be recovered?
Missing hours can be restored only if a usable or recoverable copy of the old Logbook.BIN still contains those entries.
A fresh file starts with an empty history and cannot automatically merge the damaged records. Keep the backup and check the logbook-recovery tools in our FSX utilities library; recovery success depends on which part of the binary file is corrupt. If the original entry was never committed, there is no native record to recover.
For future recording independent of the built-in file, a separate FS Logbook utility for departures, arrivals and flight time can provide an alternative history. It does not repair missing native entries by itself.
What if a clean logbook still will not record?
If a clean logbook remains empty, FSX is either unable to write to Documents or the flight is not reaching a normal completion state.
- Check the active Documents folder. Another Windows account, a redirected Documents library or cloud-folder migration can make FSX read a different copy from the one being inspected.
- Check write access. Make sure the Flight Simulator X Files folder and new logbook are writable. If Windows ransomware protection or security software is blocking FSX, grant the application appropriate access rather than permanently disabling protection.
- Remove add-ons from the test. Temporarily test without third-party flight loggers, aircraft modules or tools that close, reload or reset the flight.
- Resolve abnormal exits. A freeze, crash or forced shutdown can prevent the final entry from being committed. If that is also happening, follow our FSX crash-diagnosis steps before judging the logbook.
- Use repair options last. Verify the Steam installation or repair the boxed installation only after testing the setting, data file and write permissions. Game-file repair does not necessarily replace files stored in Documents.