Why is Microsoft Flight Simulator not opening or loading?

Microsoft Flight Simulator usually will not open or finish loading because an update is incomplete, the platform cannot authenticate your account, a Community add-on is faulty, package or cache data is damaged, storage is short, or a driver or overlay conflicts. Restart cleanly, test without add-ons, check sign-in and updates, then repair before reinstalling.

These checks cover MSFS 2020 on PC and Xbox, plus MSFS 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro. The likely causes are similar, but each platform has different repair tools.

What does the game-opening or loading error tell you?

The point where Microsoft Flight Simulator stops is the best clue to what has failed.

Record the exact error message or code before resetting anything. On PC, Task Manager can also distinguish a slow package scan from a frozen game: continuing CPU, disk or network activity suggests work is still taking place, while prolonged inactivity at the same screen points to a hang.

How do I fix Microsoft Flight Simulator not opening or loading?

Work through these checks in order and test the simulator after each one, leaving reset and reinstallation until last.

1. Force a clean restart. Close Microsoft Flight Simulator and its platform client. In Task Manager, end any remaining simulator, Xbox app, Microsoft Store, Steam or gaming-service process, then restart Windows. On a console, fully quit the game before restarting rather than resuming its suspended session.
2. Launch from the correct platform. Start the game from the Xbox app, Microsoft Store, Steam or console library instead of an old desktop or home-screen shortcut. Confirm that the platform shows the game as installed and that the signed-in account still has ownership or a valid subscription entitlement.
3. Install pending updates and check storage. Update the operating system, platform client and simulator, then restart again. Keep free space on both the system drive and the drive containing the simulator packages; an update may need temporary working space beyond its displayed download size.
4. Test without optional content. Select Safe Mode if it appears after an abnormal shutdown. Otherwise, close the game and rename the active Community folder rather than deleting it. If you are unsure which of several folders is active, use our instructions for locating the Community folder MSFS actually reads and checking its permissions.
5. Check authentication and the connection. Set the system date and time automatically, restart the router and temporarily remove any VPN or proxy. Security software should not block the simulator, its launcher or gaming services; disable protection only long enough to test, then restore it and create a specific exception if necessary.
6. Stop overlays and external utilities. Disable recording overlays, monitoring hooks, frame-generation tools, traffic injectors and companion applications for one launch. Safe Mode does not necessarily prevent a separate Windows application from starting alongside the simulator.
7. Return hardware settings to stable defaults. Remove CPU, GPU and memory overclocks or undervolts. Update the graphics driver through its normal control utility; if the failure began directly after a driver update, a clean installation or rollback is the more useful test.
8. Repair the platform installation. Microsoft Store/Xbox app users should repair the Windows gaming components, while Steam users should verify installed files. Use Reset only after Repair because reset can remove local data or trigger a large package download.

How do I fix the Microsoft Store version of Flight Simulator?

For a Microsoft Store or Xbox app installation on Windows, repair the Store and Xbox gaming stack before reinstalling Microsoft Flight Simulator.

1. Update the Store and Xbox app. Check the Store library for application updates, including Xbox and Gaming Services, and finish any pending Windows updates.
2. Verify the accounts. The Microsoft Store must recognise the account holding the purchase or subscription entitlement, while the Xbox app must be signed into the intended gaming profile. Sign out and back in if ownership is missing or the launch button does nothing.
3. Use Repair first. In Windows app settings, repair Microsoft Flight Simulator and test it. If the problem remains, repair the Xbox app and Gaming Services one at a time, restarting Windows between changes.
4. Reset the Store cache if the Store itself is stuck. Run the built-in wsreset.exe command, allow the Store to reopen and check for updates again.
5. Use Reset only with a recovery plan. Resetting the simulator or Gaming Services can clear local settings, invalidate package references or force content to be checked again. Record the package-library location and back up irreplaceable add-ons first.

What should Steam users verify?

Steam users should verify the game files in Steam, then check the separate Microsoft account sign-in and simulator package library.

Steam verification repairs the launcher and files managed directly by Steam. It may not replace a damaged package held in the simulator’s separate content location, so confirm that its drive is connected, readable and has enough space. If Steam cannot install or download the game at all, follow our Steam-specific download and installation checks instead.

What should Xbox and PlayStation users do?

On consoles, fully quitting the game and restarting the system is more effective than repeatedly reopening a suspended session.

• Xbox Series X|S: Quit Microsoft Flight Simulator from the system menu, restart the console, check for game updates and temporarily disable recently added optional content. Clearing reserved space can remove downloaded data, so it is not the first repair step.
• PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro: Close MSFS 2024, restart the console, check for updates and restore licences if ownership is not recognised. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 was never released on PlayStation.

Users dealing specifically with the newer simulator can follow our MSFS 2024 launch checks for PC, Xbox and PlayStation.

Will Safe Mode fix MSFS 2020 or MSFS 2024 not loading?

Safe Mode is a diagnostic test: if Microsoft Flight Simulator loads there, optional content or a changed setting is the leading suspect.

Keep the active Community folder empty and restore add-ons in small batches until the failure returns. Begin with recently installed or updated aircraft, avionics, scenery libraries, traffic packages and utilities. An add-on that worked before a simulator update is not automatically compatible afterwards.

A mistake we see constantly is emptying a Community folder that belongs to another installation. Store, Steam, custom package locations and different simulator generations can all point elsewhere. If the packages were moved to another or removable drive, reconnect it with the expected drive letter or follow the correct procedure for moving the MSFS Community folder without breaking its path.

If the main menu opens but one flight still hangs, test a default aircraft at a default airport with live traffic and third-party scenery disabled. Success there means the simulator startup is fixed; the remaining fault belongs to the selected aircraft, airport, scenery or traffic configuration.

What if the game is not opening after Windows resume or Xbox Quick Resume?

Windows sleep, hibernation and Xbox Quick Resume can preserve stale processes or expired online sessions, so a complete quit and restart should be the first test.

On Windows, choose Restart rather than only shutting down and switching the PC back on. Restart forces a fuller reload of drivers and services even when Windows Fast Startup is enabled. If the problem repeatedly follows sleep or resume, close the simulator before suspending the PC and launch it afresh afterwards.

On Xbox, remove Microsoft Flight Simulator from Quick Resume by fully quitting it. The simulator depends heavily on online account, weather, traffic and content services, and a suspended session may no longer have valid connections when restored.

What if FSRealistic is not autostarting from a custom download location?

FSRealistic failing to autostart is usually a stale executable path, moved installation or permission mismatch rather than a Microsoft Flight Simulator loading fault.

• Separate download and installation locations. The installer stored in Downloads is not necessarily the executable Windows should start. Confirm that FSRealistic opens manually from its actual installed location.
• Recreate its autostart entry. Disable and re-enable the utility’s supported autostart option after changing locations. Do not manually drag an installed application folder to another drive and expect its shortcuts, updater and startup entry to follow it.
• Match permission levels. Avoid running either application as administrator unless required. An unelevated autostart process may not interact correctly with an elevated simulator, and Windows can block elevated applications from ordinary automatic startup.
• Check security controls. Confirm that the executable has not been quarantined or blocked after an update or move.
• Test manual startup. Launch MSFS first, wait for the main menu, then open FSRealistic manually. If that works, the simulator is healthy and only the companion application’s process detection or startup path needs attention.

If FSRealistic works only from its supported default installation location, reinstall it there rather than using copied folders or symbolic redirects. Changing the MSFS Community folder will not repair a Windows autostart entry that points to the wrong executable.

What if it still doesn’t work?

If every clean-start test gives the same result, use the exact failure point to decide between deeper platform repair and reinstallation.

A reply such as “it still doesn’t work” or “pareil” (“the same”) is not enough to isolate the cause. Record whether no window appeared, the logo closed, the update check looped or the main loading bar froze, along with any error code. On Windows, Reliability Monitor can identify the faulting module; a named driver or third-party component is more useful evidence than a generic reference to the simulator executable.

Reinstall only after the game fails with no optional content, all overlays and companion tools disabled, a confirmed entitlement, adequate storage and repaired platform files. Back up the Community folder, record the main package-library location and preserve any local files you cannot replace. Cloud synchronisation should not be treated as a backup of add-ons or every setting.

If a completely clean installation still will not open, the cause is probably outside the simulator: the platform service, account entitlement, security software, graphics driver, storage device or unstable hardware configuration.