7 Ways to Fix Regular Microsoft Flight Simulator Crashing on a Windows PC

Many players report that Microsoft Flight Simulator regularly crashes on their PCs whilst playing it. One MSFS player’s Reddit post says this: “Every time I try to play MSFS, I get a freeze, followed by a crash. However, this only happens after I’ve loaded into a flight and started looking around inside the cockpit and messing with different controls.” This kind of persistent crashing makes MSFS unplayable for some players. Here are some ways you can fix Microsoft Flight Simulator crashing on Windows PCs.

Verify the MS Flight Simulator Files

Players who’ve installed Microsoft Flight Simulator with Steam should try verifying the game’s files. Selecting the Verify option in Steam will check for and might repair corrupted MS Flight Simulator files. You can apply this possible solution by following the instructions on this Steam support page for verifying game files.

The Verify integrity of game files option

Select to Repair Microsoft Flight Simulator

If you’ve downloaded the Microsoft Flight Simulator app from the MS Store, try selecting to repair the game. Repair is an equivalent verification option available for fixing MS Store apps that don’t work right. You can select to repair MS Flight Simulator like this.

1. Activate the utility for finding files by pressing the Windows logo + S keys.
2. Enter Apps & features and select the result that matches the search phrase input.
3. Click Advanced options for the Microsoft Flight Simulator app. You’ll need to click the three-dot menu button in Windows 11’s Settings app to select that option.
   
   

   The Advanced options option

4. Press the Repair button to verify the app’s files.
   
   

   The Repair option

Update Visual C++ Redistributable Packages

Missing Visual C++ runtime libraries can cause Microsoft Flight Simulator to crash. To remedy that, you can update Visual C++ Redistributable packages by manually downloading and installing them. Try updating Visual C++ Redistributables on your PC as follows.

1. Open Edge and this Microsoft Visual C++ webpage.
2. Click on the X86 or X64 architecture download link. The X64 is for 64-bit Windows PC platforms, but users with 32-bit Windows platforms should download the X84 version.
   
   

   The Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable download links

3. Next, press Ctrl + J and double-click the downloaded Visual C++ package file.
4. Select the checkbox for the I agree option on the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 window.
   
   

   The Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 window

5. It’s also recommended to download Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 from this page. Repeat the instructions above to install Visual C++ 2015 runtime libraries with that package.

Delete the Rolling Cache File

Many players confirm they’ve fixed Microsoft Flight Simulator crashing by deleting the rolling cache file. Doing this will reset the game’s cache. MS Flight Simulator includes an option for deleting the rolling cache you can select as follows.

1. Run the Microsoft Flight Simulator game.
2. Select Options and General Options.
3. Click the Data tab.
4. Next, select Delete for the Delete Rolling Cache File option.
5. If the cache isn’t turned on, select On for the Rolling Cache setting.
   
   

   The Delete Rolling Cache File option

6. Then set an appropriate value in the Rolling Cache Limit box to reset the cache.
7. Restart the Microsoft Flight Simulator game.

Install the English Language US Pack

Some players have confirmed installing the American English language pack on their PCs fixed Microsoft Flight Simulator crashing. This solution is confirmed to fix the crashing that occurs when players click General in MSFS. You can install the US English pack in Windows as follows.

1. Press the button with the magnifying glass button or click within the Search box on the Windows taskbar.
2. Type language into the search box.
3. Select Language settings in the search results.
4. Click Add a language.
   
   

   The Add a language option

5. Input U.S. English in the search box.
6. Select English United States in the search results.
   
   

   The language search box

7. Click Next to continue.
8. Select Install to download the language pack.

Set a Max Frame Rate for Microsoft Flight Simulator

Some players say they’ve fixed Microsoft Flight Simulator crashing by setting a lower maximum frame rate. If you have an NVIDIA GPU, try reducing the maximum frame rate via the NVIDIA Control Panel. This is how you can set a max frame rate via the NVIDIA Control Panel.

1. Right-click any part of the desktop area to select the NVIDIA Control Panel context menu option.
   
   

   The NVIDIA Control Panel option

2. Click Manage 3D settings on the left of the NVIDIA Control Panel.
3. Select the Program Settings tab.
4. Next, select Microsoft Flight Simulator in the Select a program to customize drop-down menu.
5. Click Use global setting off for the Max Frame Rate option.
   
   

   The max frame rate setting

6. Select the On radio button.
7. Set a maximum frame rate between 30-60. Don’t set a max frame rate any higher than 60.
8. Click OK to save the settings.

Clean Boot Windows 11/10

The Services tab in System Configuration

Numerous third-party background apps can potentially cause Microsoft Flight Simulator to crash through software conflicts. Setting Windows to clean boot will prevent many third-party apps from automatically starting in the first place. This will limit the number of background programs that can conflict with the game and free up system resources. To perform a clean boot, check out this Microsoft help webpage for further guidelines.

Other Possible Ways to Fix Microsoft Flight Simulator Crashing

Microsoft Flight Simulator crashing can occur because of many variables, and there are numerous other ways you can feasibly fix it. These troubleshooting methods might also fix Microsoft Flight Simulator crashing for some players.

• Unplug all unnecessary peripheral devices before playing Microsoft Flight Simulator.
• Set the Global Rendering Quality in-game graphical option to Low-end.
• Update the graphics driver on your PC.
• Disable any system (GPU or CPU) overclocking applied on your PC.
• Make sure Microsoft Flight Simulator is allowed through Windows Defender Firewall or alternatives.
• Reinstall Microsoft Flight Simulator.

There’s no guaranteed method for fixing regular Microsoft Flight Simulator crashing on a Windows PC. However, players confirm the potential resolutions in this guide can be effective remedies for various forms of MSFS crashing. So, they’re worth trying to fix a wide variety of regular MSFS crashing issues.