Fix MSFS 2020 crashing while loading a flight by isolating add-ons, clearing cache, repairing packages and checking drivers, memory and saved flights.
MSFS 2020 usually crashes while loading a flight because an aircraft, livery or scenery package is incompatible or damaged. Start in Safe Mode, test a default aircraft with an empty Community folder, then clear the rolling cache and repair sim content. If that stock test fails, check drivers, memory and overclocks.
Run this stock-flight test first
A clean stock flight separates a content conflict from a simulator or PC fault in a few minutes.
- Restart the PC: Close aircraft utilities, SimConnect clients, recording software, overlays and hardware-control applications before opening Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 again.
- Use Safe Mode: If MSFS offers Safe Mode after the crash, select it. This temporarily suppresses Community packages and third-party Marketplace content. If that option does not appear, move everything out of the active
Communityfolder; do not delete the packages. - Build a basic flight: Select a default aircraft, a small default airport, clear weather and no imported flight plan. Avoid the aircraft and airport involved in the original crash.
- Change one variable at a time: If the basic flight loads, try the original airport with the default aircraft, then the original aircraft at the basic airport. Test the saved flight or imported route last.
A mistake we see constantly is clearing an old Community folder while MSFS is using a different packages location. If removing add-ons changes nothing, confirm that you are checking the Community folder MSFS actually uses.
What does the loading-crash pattern tell you?
The pattern of successful and failed loads usually identifies the fault category.
| Test result | Likely cause | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Safe Mode loads the flight | Community or third-party Marketplace content | Restore packages in batches until the crash returns |
| Only one aircraft crashes | Aircraft, livery, avionics mod or missing dependency | Remove liveries first, then repair or reinstall the aircraft |
| Only one airport crashes | Conflicting airport, scenery, mesh or object library | Disable packages covering that airport or surrounding area |
| Only a saved flight crashes | Stale aircraft, route or scenery references in the save | Rebuild the flight from the World Map |
| Every stock flight crashes | Core content, cache, driver, memory or system instability | Continue with the non-add-on checks below |
How do you find the add-on causing the crash?
Restore add-ons in batches rather than reinstalling the entire Community folder at once.
- Keep the clean test working: Confirm the same stock flight loads repeatedly before restoring anything.
- Add back half the packages: If the crash returns, the culprit is in that half. If it does not, test the other half.
- Divide the failing batch again: Repeat until one package or combination remains.
- Check dependencies and duplicates: An aircraft may require a separate library, while two versions of the same airport or avionics modification can conflict even though each works alone.
- Test Marketplace content separately: An empty Community folder does not remove installed Marketplace packages during a normal launch. Disable or uninstall the suspect third-party item through Content Manager, or repeat the test in Safe Mode.
Do not copy compressed download archives into Community, and avoid leaving an old version beside its replacement. Nested package folders and duplicate scenery are common causes of a crash near the end of the loading bar.
Why does only one aircraft, airport or saved flight crash?
Why does one aircraft crash while loading?
An aircraft-specific crash normally comes from the aircraft package, one of its liveries, an avionics modification or a required library. Remove every livery and panel modification associated with that aircraft, update its dependencies, and test the unmodified aircraft at a default airport.
If a complex aircraft fails while simpler default aircraft load correctly, follow our aircraft-specific WASM troubleshooting steps. A WASM fault is especially likely when the crash started after an aircraft or simulator update.
Why does one airport crash while loading?
An airport-specific crash usually means two packages cover the same location or a nearby scenery library is incompatible. Test without the custom airport, local landmarks, mesh and regional object libraries, then restore them individually.
Also test the airport once as the departure and once as the destination. A flight that loads elsewhere but crashes only when approaching the destination points more strongly to scenery than to the aircraft.
Why does a saved flight crash?
A saved flight can retain references to an aircraft, livery, airport or avionics state that changed after an update. Recreate the route from the World Map with the same aircraft rather than loading the save; if that works, the saved flight is the problem.
An imported flight plan can also be isolated by loading the same aircraft and airports without the plan. Add the route again only after the empty flight loads successfully.
What if MSFS 2020 still crashes with no add-ons?
If every stock flight crashes with Community content removed, work through the simulator and PC layers in this order.
- Finish all updates: Check the platform client, the mandatory in-simulator update and Content Manager. These are separate layers, so a partially updated package can remain even when the launcher says MSFS is up to date. If the fault began immediately after an update, use our post-update package and cache recovery checks.
- Repair the installation: Use the platform's verify or repair function for the launcher and core files, then inspect installed packages in Content Manager. Do not delete the entire
Officialfolder as a first response; that forces a large download without proving which package failed. - Clear the rolling cache: Open the Data settings, delete the rolling cache and test with it disabled. If the flight then loads, recreate the cache rather than reusing the old file.
- Reduce graphics pressure: Switch from DirectX 12 to DirectX 11 for the test, lower texture resolution and terrain detail, and try a less demanding airport. Loading detailed scenery and a complex cockpit together can expose a VRAM or system-memory limit before the flight appears.
- Return hardware to defaults: Remove CPU, GPU and RAM overclocks, including memory profiles, while diagnosing the crash. MSFS loading can reveal marginal instability that other applications do not.
- Check virtual memory and storage: Leave the Windows page file enabled and preferably system-managed. Keep adequate free space on both the Windows drive and the drive containing MSFS packages.
- Test the graphics driver: Install a stable driver or roll back if the crashes began directly after a driver change. Disable overlays and monitoring tools during the comparison.
- Inspect the crash record: Windows Reliability Monitor can identify the faulting application or driver module. Treat entries such as generic Windows libraries as clues rather than proof that the named file caused the crash.
If clean stock flights still crash after these checks, the problem is no longer specific to flight loading. Continue with our broader MSFS crash checklist for Windows, drivers and hardware stability.
A loading screen that remains visible while MSFS stays responsive is a stall or freeze, not a true crash to desktop. In that case, prioritise package updates, online-service checks and cache troubleshooting rather than driver crash logs.