Download & Installation issues: Windows Store troubleshooting

If you are having difficulties downloading or installing Microsoft Flight Simulator via the Microsoft Store, please go through the following checklist:

I. Microsoft account

1. Sign out and sign back in the Microsoft Store app

• Open the Microsoft Store app on your computer
  • In the Windows Search Bar, type "Store"
  • Click on Microsoft Store and select "Open" in the menu

• Click on the icon in the top right-hand side corner of the screen

• Under your email address, click on Sign Out

• Reboot the computer
• Open the Store and click on the profile icon again, then select "Sign in" and enter your credentials

• Make sure to sign back in the Microsoft Store with the Microsoft account used to purchase Microsoft Flight Simulator

 

II. Minimum requirements

Make sure your version of Windows 10 meets the requirements.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is developed for Windows 10 Version 1909 or higher. To find out what version is installed on your PC, type "About" in the windows search bar and open the "About your PC" menu. Alternatively, go to Settings > System > About. If your version of Windows is inferior to 1909, make sure to upgrade to the newest version.

You'll find more information about how to upgrade your version of Windows 10, here:

• • Get the Windows 10 May 2020 Update
  • Windows Update: FAQ

 

III. Microsoft Store Troubleshooting

If you are logged in and your system meets the minimum requirements, please proceed as follow:

1. Reset the Microsoft Store Cache.

• On your keyboard, press the “Win Logo” + “R” keys 
• Type: WSReset.exe and press “Enter” 

• A black window will pop up
• Wait until the pop up disappears and the Store comes up
• Reboot your computer

2. Make sure there are no pending Windows 10 updates

• Click on Start (the Windows icon in the bottom left-hand side corner of your screen)
• Select Settings

• Go to Update & Security

• Stay on Windows Update
• Click the Check for Updates button.
• Wait until the verification is done

3. Make sure all the updates in the Microsoft Store are correctly installed.

• Open the Microsoft Store app on your computer. 
  • In the Windows Search Bar, type "Store"
  • Click on Microsoft Store and select "Open" in the menu

• In the top right-hand side corner of the Microsoft Store, click on the Arrow icon or the three-dot menu

• Go to Downloads and updates.

• Then click "Get updates" 

• Update all
• Reboot your computer
• If there are no updates, the following message will appear

Note: You can turn on automatic updates in the Microsoft Store to make sure you won't miss future updates.

To do so:

• Select the Start screen, then select Microsoft Store
• In Microsoft Store at the upper right, select the account menu (the three dots) and then select Settings.
• Under App updates, set Update apps automatically to On.

4. Check your time and location settings:

• Select Start , then select Settings > Time & Language. 

• Select Date & time to verify your time settings
• Select Region to check your location.

These settings need to show your current location and time zone and must match the information in your Microsoft account.

5. Try running the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter.

•  Select the Start button, and then select Settings  

• Go to Update & Security  

• Select Troubleshoot
• Click on Additional troubleshooters

• Scroll down and from the list select Windows Store apps 
• Run the troubleshooter.  

6. Perform System File Check (SFC), and then check if this fixes the issue

• In the Windows Search Bar, type cmd
• Select "Command Prompt" then “Run as Administrator”.
• Select "Yes" if prompted

• Type sfc /scannow and hit enter

Additional troubleshooting steps - Especially useful if you moved the installation

If none of the above steps fixed the issue, do the following:

Removing Windows Store local cache file

1. Download Microsoft Flight Simulator from the store and wait for it to error 
2. (REPLACE USER_NAME WITH YOUR LOCAL PC USERNAME)
Go to C:\Users\User_name\AppData\Local\Packages \Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache 
and manually delete all the files in there 

3. Reboot your PC. 
4. Restart the download.

Reset the Installer

1. Bring up Task Manager (CTRL + SHIFT + ESCAPE)
2. Select the Services Tab
3. Find the Microsoft Store Installer
4. Right-click it and select Restart
5. Notification will appear to state Microsoft Flight Simulator is ready to play 

Use the Disk clean up tool to remove any potential conflicts

1. Open Disk Cleanup by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type Disk Cleanup, and then, in the list of results, select Disk Cleanup.

2. If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then select OK.

3. In the Disk Cleanup dialog box in the Description section, select Clean up system files.

4. If prompted, select the drive that you want to clean up, and then select OK.

5. In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab, select the check boxes for the file types that you want to delete, and then select OK. To remove data from a previous installation of Windows, select the Previous Windows installation(s) check box.

6. In the message that appears, select Delete files.

7. Go back to Computer in File Explorer, select the drive you cleaned up, and then select Refresh. If you need to free more space (the drive is still marked red), go to the next tip.

 

Contact Microsoft Store support

The Microsoft Flight Simulator team has very limited access to the Store, and can only provide support in line with the steps above. If you require further assistance with the Microsoft Store, please contact Microsoft Support or visit Microsoft Store Help.