Microsoft Flight Simulator FAQ

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Advanced Troubleshooting: How to troubleshoot games and apps from Microsoft Store

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How to troubleshoot download & Installation issues

Basic Troubleshooting: How to troubleshoot games and apps from Microsoft Store

When you are experiencing any of the following issues:

  • The app suddenly stops working
  • The mandatory app update doesn't appear in the Microsoft Store
  • A pop-up or error message appears after clicking the "Play" button

Check your Windows 10 License, search for the specific error code, run the Windows App Troubleshooter to scan and fix any issues that may prevent the app from working properly or run the sfc /scannow command to scan all protected system files and replace corrupted files with a cached copy. 

 

WINDOWS 10 LICENSE

Please also ensure that your Windows license is active. To check your activation status, please refer to this article: Activate Windows 10

 

SPECIFIC ERROR CODE (example 0x8007005, 0x8007014) 

To find the solution for your specific error code:

A list of the relevant questions and answers will appear. Follow the instructions from the Microsoft Community.

If the error code doesn't appear in the list:

 

RUN THE WINDOWS STORE APPS TROUBLESHOOTER

  • Select the Start button, and then select Settings
  • Go to Update & Security  
  • Select Troubleshoot
  • Click on Additional troubleshooter
  • Scroll down and from the list select Windows Store apps 
  • Click on Run the troubleshooter.  

 

PERFORM SYSTEM FILE CHECK

System File Checker is a utility in Windows that checks for problems with files on your computer. To run it, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you've installed the latest updates for Windows, and then restart your machine. To find out more, read Update Windows.

  2. In the search box on the taskbar, type Command Prompt, and right-click or press and hold Command Prompt (Desktop app) from the list of results. Select Run as administrator, and then select Yes.

  3. Type DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth (note the space before each "/"), and then press Enter. (Note: This step may take a few minutes to start and up to 30 minutes to complete.)

  4. After you see a message that says "The operation completed successfully," type sfc /scannow (note the space between "sfc" and "/") and press Enter.

  5. After you see a message that says, "Verification 100% complete," type exit.

 

If the download or the update fails with an error message or freezes mid-way, reset the installer, use Disk Cleanup to remove temporary, cache and log files created by the operating system and other programs or manually delete the files in the installation folder.

 

RESET THE INSTALLER

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

 

USE THE DISK CLEANUP TOOL TO REMOVE ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS

  • 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. In the menu, select "Run as administrator"
  • Delete temporary files:
    • When prompted, select the drive where you're trying to install Microsoft Flight Simulator, and then select OK.
    • In the Disk Cleanup dialog box, on the Disk Cleanup tab, select the checkboxes for the file types that you want to delete
    • Select OK.
    • To remove data from a previous installation of Windows, check the Windows Update Cleanup check box.
    • Next, select Delete files and wait for the system to complete the task.
    • Reboot the computer, and try again

 

REMOVE WINDOWS STORE LOCAL CACHE FILE AND TRY AGAIN

  • Download Microsoft Flight Simulator from the store and wait for it to error
  • Go to the default installation folder:
 C:\Users\User_name\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache
  • Manually delete the files
  • Reboot your PC.
  • Restart your device, and try to install or update Microsoft Flight Simulator again.

 

CORRUPTED OR MISSING WINDOWS 10|11 UPDATE

If your issue is caused by a missing or corrupted Windows 10|11 update, you might need to reset your PC or remove an update.

To do so, simply follow the instructions detailed in this article: Windows 10 recovery options

 

CONTACT MICROSOFT SUPPORT

The Microsoft Flight Simulator team can only provide basic support in line with the steps above. If you need in-depth assistance with the Microsoft Store app or Windows 10|11 we advise contacting Microsoft Support directly.

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