Reset your aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox, restart after a crash, and fix a missing or unresponsive Restart command.
To reset your aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox, press the controller’s Menu button to pause, select Restart or Restart Flight, then confirm. The flight reloads from its starting point. If that option is absent, end the flight and launch it again from the pre-flight screen.
How do you restart the whole flight on Xbox?
The pause-menu restart is the cleanest way to reset an aircraft in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024.
- Open the pause menu: press the Xbox controller’s Menu button, marked with three horizontal lines.
- Select Restart: choose Restart, Restart Flight or the equivalent activity-specific command.
- Confirm the reset: accept the warning if one appears. Unsaved progress from that flight will be lost.
- Allow the flight to reload: avoid pressing Restart repeatedly while scenery, traffic and aircraft systems are loading.
If the Menu button does not produce the expected screen, check the active controller profile against our explanation of the standard Xbox controller layout and active bindings.
What does restarting the aircraft reset?
Restarting reloads the selected aircraft and departure rather than merely levelling the aeroplane or repairing one system.
| Command | Use it when | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Restart Flight | You want to begin the same free flight again | The aircraft returns to its planned starting position and configuration, and flight progress is discarded. |
| Restart Activity or checkpoint | You are flying a mission, lesson or challenge | The activity returns to its beginning or an allowed checkpoint, depending on that mode. |
| End Flight or Main Menu | Restart is unavailable | The session closes so you can rebuild and launch the flight again. |
| Quit the Xbox app | The flight or menu is frozen | The suspended simulator session is closed before a fresh launch. |
A restart may not reproduce online conditions exactly. Live weather and traffic can refresh during the reload, while some add-on aircraft may reapply state saved by their own systems.
Can I reset only the aircraft without restarting?
There is no universal Xbox command that safely returns every aircraft to the runway while preserving the flight.
A crash screen or structured activity may offer a checkpoint recovery, but free flight normally requires Restart Flight. Slew or repositioning controls can move an aircraft, yet they do not reliably repair damage, reset systems or restore the original trim and fuel state.
If you only need to restart an engine, reset the cockpit view or recover from an autopilot problem, use that system’s dedicated control instead. Restarting the entire flight is unnecessary and erases your progress.
Why is Restart missing or not working?
A missing or unresponsive Restart command usually indicates an activity restriction, a suspended Xbox session or a controller-profile problem.
- No Restart option: leave the activity through its end-flight or main-menu command, then load it again. MSFS 2024 uses different labels in some activities; our guide to leaving, restarting and ending an MSFS 2024 flight covers those routes.
- Restart remains stuck: open the Xbox Guide, highlight Microsoft Flight Simulator, press the Menu button and choose Quit. Quick Resume can preserve the same faulty session. Follow our Xbox recovery checks for frozen or broken MSFS sessions if a fresh launch does not help.
- The aircraft reloads but remains uncontrollable: centre connected sticks, triggers, throttles and rudder pedals, then check for duplicate axis assignments. Restarting a flight does not repair custom control mappings; use the steps for clearing or restoring controller bindings when the profile itself is at fault.
- Only one aircraft is affected: try a default aircraft at the same airport. If that works, the original aircraft’s saved state or add-on systems are the likely cause rather than the Xbox reset command.