Learn how to save and load an MSFS 2020 .FLT, resume mid-flight, and understand MSFS 2024 save limits on PC, Xbox and PS5.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 lets PC users save a standard flight situation as a .FLT file from the in-flight pause menu, then load it from the World Map. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 does not provide an equivalent general-purpose mid-flight save in Free Flight; that limit also applies on Xbox and PlayStation 5.
Which MSFS versions can save and load a flight?
Only MSFS 2020 on PC has the familiar user-managed .FLT workflow for saving and loading a flight situation.
| Version and platform | Manual flight-situation save | What is available |
|---|---|---|
| MSFS 2020 on PC | Yes | Save and load a .FLT file through Load/Save |
| MSFS 2020 on Xbox | No normal user-managed .FLT workflow | Use the in-simulator planner; console storage does not expose the PC file-picker workflow |
| MSFS 2024 on PC, Xbox, PS5 and PS5 Pro | No universal Free Flight save-and-resume function | Preserve the route separately and use any checkpoints supplied by the selected activity or mode |
How to save a complete flight setup in MSFS 2020
Start the configured flight, pause it and save the situation as a .FLT file.
- Configure the flight. Choose the aircraft, livery, departure position, route, fuel, payload, weather and time. Our guide to planning and checking a route in MSFS covers the route-building stage.
- Enter the flight. Let the cockpit and scenery finish loading. A setup saved only as a route on the World Map will not preserve the live aircraft situation.
- Open the pause menu. Press Esc on PC or use the control assigned to the pause menu.
- Open Load/Save. Select the save option and retain the
.FLTfile type when the file picker offers a choice. - Choose a permanent folder. Do not use the Community folder, a temporary download folder or another location that may be cleared. Give the save a descriptive name containing the route or checkpoint.
- Keep rotating checkpoints. On a long flight, save separate climb, cruise and descent files rather than repeatedly overwriting the only working copy.
You can use the same process at a parking stand to create a reusable departure setup or while airborne to save flight progress. A .FLT is still not a perfect snapshot of every switch, add-on system or online service.
How do I load the saved flight?
Load the .FLT from the MSFS 2020 World Map rather than importing it as a route.
- Return to the World Map. Open it from the simulator’s main menu.
- Select Load/Save. The control may sit under an additional menu depending on the interface layout.
- Find the saved file. Browse to the folder used when saving and make sure the file filter includes
.FLT. - Open the
.FLT. If the simulator returns to the World Map, inspect the aircraft and route, then select Fly. The Fly button launches the loaded situation; it does not create a new save. - Check the aircraft before continuing. Confirm position, altitude, fuel, engine state, flight-plan sequencing and autopilot modes.
If the file does not appear or MSFS restores only the route, follow our more detailed steps for finding and opening a saved MSFS 2020 flight.
Should I save a .FLT or .PLN file?
Choose .FLT when you want to resume a particular situation; choose .PLN when you only need the route.
| Save type | What it retains | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
.FLT | The standard MSFS 2020 situation, including the selected aircraft, location and route references; exact cockpit restoration varies | You want to resume an airborne flight or reuse a prepared departure |
.PLN | Airports, waypoints and procedures in the flight plan | You want to fly the route again with a new aircraft, starting position or weather setup |
| MSFS 2024 EFB plan | Route and planning data, not a complete live cockpit state | You need to preserve or recreate the route in MSFS 2024 |
Renaming a .PLN file to .FLT does not convert it into a saved situation. Routes created elsewhere have the same limitation; our SimBrief route creation and import guide explains how to preserve the flight plan separately.
Can I save an MSFS 2020 flight in progress?
Yes, MSFS 2020 on PC can save an airborne flight as a .FLT from the pause menu.
Save while the aircraft is stable and established rather than during rotation, touchdown or an autopilot mode change. Complex aircraft often store flight-management data, electrical states and failures outside the standard flight file. If the aircraft has its own panel-state or aircraft-state feature, save that state as well.
After creating an important checkpoint, test it before relying on it for a multi-hour flight. Load the file, verify the cockpit and keep the previous checkpoint until the newer one has opened successfully.
Can you save flights in MSFS 2024?
MSFS 2024 does not offer a universal manual save that restores an arbitrary Free Flight session at the same position and cockpit state.
The EFB can manage route-planning data, but an EFB plan is not a mid-flight save. To recreate a flight, preserve the route where the interface permits and separately record the aircraft, livery, stand, fuel, payload, weather and time. An MSFS 2020 .FLT should not be treated as a cross-version aircraft-state file.
Can you save mid-flight in MSFS 2024 on PS5?
No. PS5 and PS5 Pro do not provide a manual .FLT export or a general Free Flight resume point. Suspending the console may keep the running application in memory, but that is not a saved flight: closing the simulator, installing an update or losing power can discard the session.
MSFS 2024 launched on PS5 and PS5 Pro on 8 December 2025. MSFS 2020 was never released on PlayStation, so PC instructions involving its .FLT file picker do not apply to either PlayStation console.
Does MSFS 2024 save Career flight progress?
Career progression and a saved live flight are different things. Career can record completed results and may provide mode-specific recovery or checkpoints, but it does not let the pilot create an arbitrary cockpit snapshot from the pause menu.
Unless the activity explicitly displays a resume or checkpoint option, assume that leaving an active flight will not return you to the exact same position. The same rule applies to structured activities and missions: use their supplied checkpoint behaviour rather than expecting a Free Flight save. Our version-by-version flight resumption guide covers these PC and console differences in more detail.
Why does a loaded flight not match the saved one?
A standard flight save cannot freeze every aircraft system, live service and installed package.
- Only the route appears: you probably loaded a
.PLNinstead of a.FLT. Return to Load/Save and select the flight-situation file. - Avionics or switches are wrong: the aircraft may use custom state storage. Use its own panel-state function where one is supplied.
- ATC, weather or traffic has changed: live services are rebuilt when the session starts and are not preserved as a frozen online state.
- The route has been altered: procedures or waypoint sequencing may be recalculated by the World Map or the aircraft’s flight-management system.
- The save crashes or returns to the menu: restore the aircraft, livery, airport or scenery package used by the save. Test with default content if a recently changed add-on is suspected.
- The file is missing: check the original folder, the file-type filter and whether Windows is hiding known extensions. Do not search only the Community folder.
Is FILE_SETUP a saved-flight type?
No. FILE_SETUP is not an MSFS saved-flight extension and should not be entered instead of .FLT. If the simulator displays that literal text as a button or heading, it is a raw interface label rather than a flight file. Restart the simulator and check that its interface language and base content are fully installed; the available save function still depends on the version and platform listed above.