Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

The AVSIM Community

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Where is MSFS 2020 stored on the drive?

Featured Replies

Is there a directory and file tree for this program somewhere? I spent about 15 minutes poking around with File Explorer and couldn't find it anywhere. I know it's there somewhere, it ate up all my space and I've got to get a bigger M2. I'm mostly just curious, where the hell have they hidden the dang thing?

  • Replies 31
  • Views 62.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

C:\Users\*your pc*\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator

Edited by reignman40

ASUS Prime Z490-A / i7-10700K / RTX 4080 / G.SKILL Ripjaws 32GB / Lian-Li PC-O11 Dynamic case 

3 minutes ago, reignman40 said:

C:\Users\*your pc*\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator

This is incorrect.

1 hour ago, reignman40 said:

C:\Users\*your pc*\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator

No such directory in my computer. In mine, it's located in C:\Users\*your pc*\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Another way to see the file system is to turn on the Developer mode in the options.

A small menu then appears at the top of the screen.

Select Tools then select Virtual file system.

A pop out appears, then select Watched Bases from the list. This drops down and displays the file structure.

Squirrel explains how to do this in his video about installing liveries for the 320 Neo

https://youtu.be/smUGma9M4nA

 

Edited by Spike54

Eagles may soar, but alley cats don't get sucked into jet engines.

It gives you the option of where to install. Sure your AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator will have some data to it, but most is stored elsewhere. I installed mine to K:\Microsoft Flight Simulator.

i7-13700KF, 32gb DDR4 3200,  RTX 4080, Win 11, MSFS 2024

  • Author

On my PC, the Appdata is a hidden file and I have to work out permissions to get to it even though I'm the lone user of the PC and the admin. Lot more hoops to jump through than FSX. I'm going to be replacing my M2 soon since it's too small. I guess I'll pay a little more attention to the install next time.

Its a huge mess.

See this.. I am uninstalling everything and reinstalling. Not sure even now, if I am doing it right.

 

When you installed from the store, It asked you where to install and you pointed it to a drive. and then when it starts the sim, to download the content it asks you again where to install the content. Why? Does it not know that you have installed the app in some  drive you had picked earlier? Any case, I pointed to the same drive and it says, no, it needs a folder. So now I am  creating a new sub folder within the same drive. 

Why?

 

Edited by Manny

Manny

Beta tester for SIMStarter 

  • 2 months later...

Well, that's just great! i finally found the file that points to msfs2020, there is no such file called "c:\users\*my pc name*\appdata\roaming\microsoft.flight simulator

but i did find a file that relates to it. Still it wont run. Why make it so hard? now i know i should have paid more attention when i downloaded it , i did not see a request to ask where i wanted to store it, but, again, why make it so hard. I'm no geek, i still cant get it to run. Not happy.

 

56 minutes ago, bills said:

Well, that's just great! i finally found the file that points to msfs2020, there is no such file called "c:\users\*my pc name*\appdata\roaming\microsoft.flight simulator

but i did find a file that relates to it. Still it wont run. Why make it so hard? now i know i should have paid more attention when i downloaded it , i did not see a request to ask where i wanted to store it, but, again, why make it so hard. I'm no geek, i still cant get it to run. Not happy.

 

Microsoft Store / My library / MSFS / Launch

Edited by Bert Pieke

Bert

I have read all the replies and I really want to ask - what is the reasoning behind MS adopting this kind of file structure?

Why cant the entire sim reside neatly in one folder under (for example) C:\Microsoft Flight Simulator ?

MS and its scattergun approach buyring stuff all over the place. Is there a reason?? Or is it done to kind of discourage users from poking around?

1 hour ago, ThrottleUp said:

I have read all the replies and I really want to ask - what is the reasoning behind MS adopting this kind of file structure?

Why cant the entire sim reside neatly in one folder under (for example) C:\Microsoft Flight Simulator ?

MS and its scattergun approach buyring stuff all over the place. Is there a reason?? Or is it done to kind of discourage users from poking around?

To make matters even more confusing if you install on a different drive it will be loaded under a folder called \wpsystem .

Basically though if you search the correct drive for a folder with "8wekyb3d8bbwe" in the name that should find it.

 

 

Edited by Glenn Fitzpatrick

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.