Find where MSFS 2020 saves .PLN flight plans, check common Microsoft Store and Steam folders, and recover a plan you cannot locate.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on PC, a flight plan saved with Save to this PC is a .PLN file in the folder you chose in the Save As window. There is no compulsory flight-plan folder; the file picker may open in an MSFS data folder or remember your last location.
Where is the MSFS 2020 flight plan folder?
MSFS 2020 does not require one fixed flight plan folder. The chosen location shown in the Save As window is the authoritative answer, and you can save plans in Documents, Downloads, Desktop or any folder where your Windows account has write access.
Depending on the installation and the folder last used, the file picker may initially open in one of these MSFS data locations:
- Microsoft Store or Game Pass:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState - Steam:
%APPDATA%\Microsoft Flight Simulator
These are common starting locations, not guaranteed destinations. Windows can also redirect Documents to OneDrive, while the file picker may simply reopen the last folder in which you saved or loaded a plan.
How do I find a missing .PLN file?
The fastest method is to search the PC for every .PLN file and sort the results by modification date.
- Open File Explorer and select This PC so that the search covers all local drives.
- Search for
*.plnin the search box. Windows searches extensions without regard to capitalisation. - Sort by Date modified and inspect the newest results first.
- Check likely folders, including Downloads, Documents, Desktop and OneDrive Documents, if the full search produces nothing.
If you obtained the route through a browser or another planning tool, it may still be in Downloads rather than an MSFS folder. Our explanation of downloading and importing .PLN flight plans covers the correct import workflow.
How should I save future flight plans?
Saving plans in one dedicated folder makes them easier to find, transfer and back up.
- Build the route on the MSFS 2020 World Map.
- Open More, then Load/Save and select Save to this PC.
- Create a recognisable folder, such as
Documents\MSFS Flight Plans. - Give the route a useful name containing the departure and destination, then confirm that the resulting file ends in
.PLN.
Do not place flight plans in the Community folder. That folder is for add-on packages; MSFS loads a .PLN route through the World Map's Load/Save controls.
Is a flight plan the same as a saved flight?
A flight plan stores the route, while a saved flight preserves a simulator session and aircraft state through a different workflow. If your aim is to continue from a previous position rather than reuse a route, follow our instructions for loading a saved MSFS 2020 flight.
This distinction explains a common failed search: looking for a .PLN file when the item was saved as a flight, or expecting a route file to restore switches, fuel, weather and aircraft position.
Are MSFS 2020 flight plans backed up automatically?
User-selected .PLN files are local files and should not be treated as part of the simulator's cloud-synchronised profile. Copy the folder to separate storage before reinstalling Windows, changing computers or deleting simulator data; our advice on recovering lost MSFS 2020 data explains the limits of profile and local-file recovery.
Can I browse saved flight plans on Xbox?
Xbox does not expose an MSFS flight-plan folder through Windows File Explorer. The folder paths and .PLN search procedure above apply to the PC version of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.