Skip to main content

Microsoft Flight Simulator Loading issues - Checklist

Tom
Updated

Please go through the following checklist if you are experiencing loading issues such as 

  • Being stuck on the initial loading screen 
  • Long loading times
  • Being stuck on a black screen 
  • Being stuck on a loading screen after clicking "Fly"

1. SIGN IN WITH A MICROSOFT ACCOUNT

If you're using a local (offline) account we recommend switching to a Microsoft account instead.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Accounts.
  3. Click on Your info.
  4. Click Sign in with a Microsoft account instead option to link the account with a Microsoft account.
  5. Log in with the email address you used to purchase Microsoft Flight Simulator

NOTE: If you have more than one Microsoft account and/or you purchased Microsoft Flight Simulator with a different address than your main Windows 10 account, we recommend adding a Windows 10 user profile for the account used to purchase the game. To add or remove Windows 10 user profile on your PC, follow the steps detailed in this article: 

Add or remove accounts on your PC

2. INSTALL PENDING UPDATES

  1. Click on Start (the Windows icon in the bottom left-hand side corner of your screen)
  2. Select Settings
  3. Stay on Windows UpdateGo to Update & Security
  4. Click the Check for Updates button.
  5. Wait until the verification is done

For more information, visit Get the latest Windows update

3. INSTALL MICROSOFT STORE UPDATES AND SIGN OUT

  1. Open the Microsoft Store app on your computer. 
  2. In the bottom left corner of the Microsoft Store, click on the library icon
  3. In the top left corner, click Get Updates then Update all and wait for the updates to install.
  4. Once the updates are installed, click on your profile icon in the top right corner of the screen.
  5. Under your email address, click on Sign out.

For more information, visit  Get updates for apps and games in Microsoft Store

4. SYNCHRONIZE TIME SETTINGS

  • Go back to Start, then select Settings > Time & Language.
  • Select Date & Time and toggle the “Set time automatically setting" and “Set time zone automatically” to ON.
  • Click on Synchronize your clock to synchronize your system's clock with an Internet time server.
  • Then click Region, double-check that your country or region is correctly set up (for example if you live in Canada, make sure that the region isn’t automatically set to the USA or vice-versa)

5. REBOOT THE COMPUTER

Please do not skip this step, as it is to ensure all changes are correctly applied.

6. SIGN IN TO THE MICROSOFT STORE APP

  • Open the Microsoft Store app.
  • Click on the icon in the top right corner, then click on Sign in.
  • Sign in with the Microsoft account you used to purchase Microsoft Flight Simulator.

7. MAKE SURE THE ENGLISH (US) LANGUAGE PACK IS NOT MISSING

Microsoft Flight Simulator cannot run without the English (United States) Language Package.

  • Go to Language Settings > Speech > Manage Voice
  • Click on Add voices
  • In the search bar type "English"
  • Install the English (United States) Language Pack

8. LAUNCH MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 

Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator and try again.

9. RESTORE THE SIM TO ITS VANILLA STATE

If you are still stuck on the loading screen or the sim crashes before loading fully after exhausting the basic steps listed above, restore the sim to its vanilla state (i.e. undo any modification made to your config files by yourself or by a plug-in you use, remove plug-ins and software additions that allow for the customization or add new functions to Microsoft Flight Simulator, uninstall Navigraph and use NavData Nav Center to remove the Navigraph database)

You can find step-by-step instructions here: How to restore the sim to its vanilla state.

ADDITIONAL TROUBLESHOOTING

If the problem persists after restoring the sim to its vanilla state, check the additional  troubleshooting steps you'll find in the following knowledge base articles:

If none of the solutions listed in the knowledge base fixed your issue, head to the Bugs & Issues forum. There you can search if a bug or issue has already been reported and add your vote or create your own topic by following the template.

Related articles