Find Microsoft Flight Simulator crash logs in Event Viewer, Reliability Monitor and Windows Error Reporting, including dump locations and console limits.
Microsoft Flight Simulator does not normally keep a single, readable crash-log folder. On Windows, check Event Viewer under Windows Logs > Application and Reliability Monitor for the crash entry. Windows Error Reporting may also retain Report.wer files or dumps in its archive; Xbox and PlayStation users cannot access these PC records.
Where are MSFS crash reports on PC?
The most useful Microsoft Flight Simulator crash evidence is stored by Windows rather than the simulator itself.
| Crash evidence | Location | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Event Viewer | Windows Logs > Application | The faulting application, faulting module, exception code and event time. The underlying database is %SystemRoot%\System32\winevt\Logs\Application.evtx, but it should be read through Event Viewer. |
| Reliability Monitor | Search Windows for View reliability history, or run perfmon /rel | A chronological view of application failures, Windows failures and hardware-related events. |
| Windows Error Reporting | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ or %PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ | Look inside ReportArchive and ReportQueue for Report.wer files and any associated dumps. |
| Local crash dumps | %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps | .dmp files, but only when Windows or the application has been configured to create local dumps. |
These locations apply to both Microsoft Store and Steam installations. Their package and configuration folders differ, but that does not change where Windows records an application crash. The MSFS Community and Official folders contain add-on content, not crash reports.
How do I find the correct MSFS crash entry?
Match the event to the exact time Microsoft Flight Simulator closed, rather than assuming the newest Windows error belongs to the simulator.
- Record the crash time. Note the time immediately after the crash to desktop, freeze or forced restart.
- Open Reliability Monitor. Select the date and look for a red failure marker at that time. Open its technical details and check that the application name or path belongs to Microsoft Flight Simulator.
- Check Event Viewer. Open
Windows Logs > Applicationand inspect errors within a few minutes of the crash. Events fromApplication ErrorandWindows Error Reportingare common; Event IDs 1000 and 1001 often appear, but should not be used as the only filter. - Save the useful fields. Copy the faulting application name, faulting module, exception code, application path, event time and report or bucket ID where present.
- Inspect the System log when necessary. If the whole PC restarted, the display driver reset or Windows froze, check
Windows Logs > Systemaround the same time. There may be no normal application event in that situation.
Our step-by-step walkthrough for extracting MSFS crash evidence explains how Event Viewer, Reliability Monitor, Windows Error Reporting and dump files fit together.
Why is there no crash report or dump?
An empty WER folder does not mean the crash did not happen. Windows may have cleaned up the report, error reporting may be restricted, or the process may have ended without producing a dump.
- A normal crash to desktop can leave only an Event Viewer entry.
- A hard lock, power loss or full system reset may leave no application report; the System log and Reliability Monitor are more useful in that case.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumpsmay not exist until local dump collection has been enabled.- WER archives can be stored under either the user-specific or machine-wide path, and access to the machine-wide folder may require administrator permission.
- A report sent through an in-simulator crash-reporting prompt may not leave a readable local copy. Record any report ID shown by the prompt.
Do not enable full memory dumps casually. They can consume substantial storage and may contain account names, local paths or other information that should not be posted publicly.
An aircraft crash is not a software crash
MSFS crash detection—the message shown after striking terrain or overstressing an aircraft—is a gameplay feature and does not create a Windows crash report. If that is the issue, see how the simulator's crash detection can be disabled.
What does an MSFS crash report actually tell you?
A crash report identifies where the program stopped, but it rarely proves the underlying cause by itself.
- Faulting module: A Windows component such as
ntdll.dllorKERNELBASE.dllis often where the failure surfaced, not necessarily the component that caused it. - Exception code: A code such as
0xc0000005describes an access violation, but does not by itself prove defective RAM, a bad add-on or a simulator defect. - Repeated pattern: The same module, exception and action across several crashes is more useful than one isolated event.
- Hardware events: Display-driver resets, hardware errors or
LiveKernelEvententries point towards the graphics driver or wider system stability rather than an ordinary MSFS application failure.
Once the evidence is collected, use our targeted fixes for MSFS add-ons, drivers, cache, memory and hardware instability instead of treating the faulting module as a complete diagnosis.
Where are MSFS crash logs on Xbox and PlayStation?
Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 or PS5 Pro do not expose Windows Event Viewer, WER folders or PC dump files to the user. Record any console error code or report reference displayed after the failure and use platform-specific troubleshooting.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is available on PC and Xbox only. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is also available on PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro. For Microsoft's consoles, our Xbox-specific MSFS troubleshooting process covers the checks available when PC crash logs cannot be accessed.