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10 Tech How-To

Fix MS Flight Simulator Crashing on PC: Step-by-Step

Guide 10-23998 · Updated · Step by step

If Microsoft Flight Simulator keeps crashing on your PC—whether it’s a sudden desktop freeze, a CTD (crash to desktop) during loading, or a blue screen—this guide walks you through the most effective fixes in order. You’ll start with quick checks and move to deeper system tweaks, so you can get back to flying without reinstalling everything.

What You’ll Need

  • Windows 10 or 11 PC with administrator access
  • Stable internet connection (for updates and verifying files)
  • At least 20 GB of free hard drive space (for temporary files and shader cache)
  • Your Microsoft account credentials (if you need to re-login to the game)

Step-by-Step

  1. Restart your PC and close background apps. Before changing any settings, reboot to clear memory leaks. Then close overlays (Discord, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner, Steam Overlay) and browser tabs—these are common crash triggers.
  2. Update Windows and your GPU drivers. Go to Settings > Windows Update and install all pending updates. For your graphics card, download the latest driver from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel’s official site. Use a “clean install” option if available to remove old driver remnants.
  3. Verify the game files. In Steam, right-click the game, select Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. In the Microsoft Store/Xbox app, go to the game’s page, click the “…” menu, and choose Manage > Verify and repair. This replaces corrupted or missing files.
  4. Run the game as administrator. Right-click the game’s executable (or its shortcut), select Properties > Compatibility, check “Run this program as an administrator,” and click Apply. This prevents permission-related crashes.
  5. Disable fullscreen optimizations. In the same Compatibility tab, check “Disable fullscreen optimizations.” This Windows feature can conflict with the game’s rendering engine.
  6. Lower your graphics settings. Launch the game in Safe Mode (hold Shift while clicking Play in Steam, or use the in-game menu). Set graphics to “High” or “Medium,” disable ray tracing, and reduce the render scaling to 80%. Also set the “Terrain Level of Detail” to 100 or lower. High settings can cause memory overload.
  7. Clear the rolling cache. In-game, go to Options > General > Data and delete the rolling cache. Then restart the game. A corrupted cache is a frequent cause of crashes during flight.
  8. Disable the in-game multiplayer and photogrammetry. In Options > Data, turn off “Multiplayer” and “Photogrammetry.” These stream large amounts of data and can crash on slow connections.
  9. Increase your Windows virtual memory. Press Win+R, type sysdm.cpl, go to Advanced > Performance > Settings > Advanced, and under Virtual Memory click “Change.” Uncheck “Automatically manage,” select your system drive, choose “Custom size,” set Initial and Max to 16384 MB (16 GB), and click Set. Restart.
  10. Disable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling (if enabled). In Windows, go to Settings > System > Display > Graphics > Default graphics settings and turn off “Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.” This feature has caused stability issues in some builds.
  11. Run a clean boot. Press Win+R, type msconfig, go to Services, check “Hide all Microsoft services,” click “Disable all,” then go to Startup and click “Open Task Manager.” Disable all startup items. Restart and try the game. If it works, re-enable services one by one to find the culprit.
  12. Reinstall the game as a last resort. Uninstall Microsoft Flight Simulator, then delete the remaining folders (usually C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator and the Packages folder in your install directory). Reinstall to a drive with at least 200 GB free.

Common Mistakes

  • Skipping the driver clean install. Simply updating over old drivers can leave conflicting files. Always use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode for a clean slate.
  • Ignoring the rolling cache size. Setting it too large (e.g., 100 GB) can cause the game to hang when writing to disk. Keep it between 8–20 GB.
  • Overclocking your GPU or CPU. Even stable overclocks can crash MSFS due to its heavy load. Reset to stock clocks to test.
  • Not checking the Windows Event Viewer. If the game crashes, look in Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application for the error code. It often points to the exact module (e.g., ntdll.dll, atidxx64.dll).

Tips

  • Keep the game updated. MSFS receives frequent patches that fix crash bugs. Enable automatic updates in Steam or the Xbox app.
  • Use a wired internet connection. Streaming terrain data over Wi-Fi can cause timeouts and crashes.
  • Set a frame rate limit. In-game, cap the frame rate to 60 or your monitor’s refresh rate. This reduces GPU load and heat.
  • Monitor temperatures. Use MSI Afterburner (but close it before playing) or Windows’ built-in Performance Monitor to check CPU/GPU temps. Overheating is a silent killer.

Troubleshooting

If the crash persists after all steps, try these targeted checks:

  • Check the error code. If you see “0xc0000005” (access violation), it’s often a driver or RAM issue. Run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in an elevated Command Prompt.
  • Test your RAM. Use Windows Memory Diagnostic (search “Windows Memory Diagnostic” in Start). Faulty RAM is a common cause of random crashes.
  • Disable XMP/EXPO in BIOS. Memory overclocking profiles can be unstable with MSFS. Load BIOS defaults and test.
  • Try a different DirectX version. In-game, under Options > Graphics, switch from DX12 to DX11 (or vice versa). Some GPUs have issues with one or the other.
  • Check the community folder. If you use mods, remove all files from the Community folder (usually C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator\Packages\Community) and test. Mods are a leading cause of crashes.
  • Reinstall the Microsoft Store version properly. If you use the Game Pass version, sometimes the store’s “repair” doesn’t work. Uninstall the game, then run wsreset.exe to clear the store cache, then reinstall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does MSFS crash on the loading screen?

This is often due to corrupted rolling cache or outdated GPU drivers. Clear the cache (Step 7) and update drivers (Step 2). Also disable any overclocking.

Does MSFS crash more on Steam or Game Pass?

Both versions use the same engine, but the Game Pass version has extra DRM layers that can occasionally conflict. If you have both, try the Steam version—many users report fewer crashes there.

Can I fix crashes by lowering my resolution?

Yes, lowering resolution reduces VRAM usage and GPU load, which can prevent out-of-memory crashes. Try 1080p if you’re on 1440p or 4K.

Why does the game crash only when flying over big cities?

That’s usually a streaming issue. Photogrammetry and multiplayer data overload your connection. Disable them (Step 8) and increase your rolling cache to 20 GB.

Is there a way to prevent crashes without losing my settings?

Yes, you can back up your settings by copying the UserCfg.opt file from C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator. After reinstalling, place it back.

My game crashes with a “not enough memory” error. What do I do?

Increase your Windows virtual memory (Step 9) and make sure you have at least 16 GB of RAM. Also close background apps that consume memory.

Related

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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