I'm considering a full reinstallation of MSFS. The only reason I feel a little but reluctant are my profiles for Honeycomb devices, the configuration of which took me quite a long time. So, is it possible to back them up somehow and restore after the clean install? I use Steam version.

Thanks for any clues.

Don't forget to also vote for these topic!

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/backup-function-export-import-for-the-controls-settings/185776/17?u=cptlucky8

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/ability-to-have-separate-control-setups-for-each-aircraft-without-having-to-manually-switch-between-20-controller-profiles/267419?u=cptlucky8

 

Edited July 24, 20214 yr by RXP

Your control profiles are stored with your Xbox game profile on MS Cloud, so you do not need to back them up as long as you use the same profile.

I have done one full reinstallation of MSFS and all my profiles were restored, I also use the Steam version.

Edited July 24, 20214 yr by Ixoye

3 hours ago, Kenjiro75 said:

I'm considering a full reinstallation of MSFS. The only reason I feel a little but reluctant are my profiles for Honeycomb devices, the configuration of which took me quite a long time. So, is it possible to back them up somehow and restore after the clean install? I use Steam version.

Thanks for any clues.

On my MS store ver of MSFS the controller profiles are stored in the wgs folder located here

C:\Users\your_name\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\SystemAppData

So you could make a backup copy of this folder. (Note that to get to the profile files themselves you have to dig down through a number of wgs subfolders all of which have long, ugly, alpha-numeric names, as do the profile files themselves.)

However, as an experiment I renamed my wgs folder and then started the sim. A new wgs folder was created with my controller profiles, which seems to verify what Ixoye said above about the controller profiles being restored from the 'cloud'.

Al

Edited July 24, 20214 yr by ark

14 hours ago, Ixoye said:

Your control profiles are stored with your Xbox game profile on MS Cloud (...)

 

How do I know if my profiles are stored on MS Cloud?

18 minutes ago, Kenjiro75 said:

How do I know if my profiles are stored on MS Cloud?

Because that's where they have been stored since release. I just did a full reinstall of windows and the sim and my profiles were ready to go. That's one of the things I love about the sim

42 minutes ago, devgrp said:

I just did a full reinstall of windows and the sim and my profiles were ready to go.

Same for me. I even have set up a totally new PC two weeks ago. The controller settings were there on the new PC without any manual action from my side. 

Also when saving flights, I recommend changing the folder from the proposed default folder "...\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState" to "...\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\RoamingState". Because all files stored within RoamingState are automatically transfered to any other Windows PC, on which you would ever login with your profile...

I did a reinstall of MSFS several months ago. Profile was saved in the cloud, new install had everyone of my settings. 

Edited July 25, 20214 yr by Bobsk8

3 hours ago, Kenjiro75 said:

How do I know if my profiles are stored on MS Cloud?

Because I experienced it, that's how. 

45 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

I did a reinstall of MSFS several months ago. Profile was saved in the cloud, new install had everyone of my settings. 

I recently did a "reset" of MSFS, similar to a reinstall but without first uninstalling.  All my profiles were intact.

6 hours ago, Kenjiro75 said:

How do I know if my profiles are stored on MS Cloud?

If it will make you feel better, just repeat the same little experiment I described above on your system -- rename the wgs file to temporarily disable it, then start the sim and confirm the wgs file was replaced. Simple enough it seems to me.

Al

The OP specifically stated he was using the MSFS Steam version.  In that case, the controller profiles are NOT stored in the "MS cloud".  Rather they are stored in the following location:
"...\Steam\userdata\[your user id]\1250410\remote" and are named "inputprofile_xxxxxxxxxx".  They are XML files that are viewable in Notepad.  They are also backed up automatically in the "Steam Cloud" if the following Steam setup conditions are set:
1. Open your Steam client. Open its Settings by pressing the Steam button present at the top left corner of the window and selecting the Settings option.
2. Open the Cloud tab present on the left side of the screen. Check if the option “Enable Steam Cloud synchronization for the applications which support it” is checked.
3. Next click on the Library tab present at the top side of the Steam client. Here all of your games will be listed.
4. Right-click on the game (MSFS) and select Properties. Then navigate to the General tab.
5. Here in the middle of the window, under "STEAM CLOUD" make sure the "Keep games saves in the Steam Cloud for Microsoft Flight Simulator" is checked.
This will insure that the profiles will be stored in the Steam Cloud and carry over to a complete re-installation.
In addition, to be absolutely sure, one can backup the following directory:
"...\Steam\userdata\[your user id]\1250410" and restore it after re-installation if the Steam Cloud backup doesn't work.
And finally, if all else fails, after re-installation, one could create "dummy" profiles, exit MSFS, go to "...\Steam\userdata\[your user id]\1250410\remote" and use notepad to replace the content of the dummy profiles with the backup files' contents.

 

 

For the MS Store version, I am 100% sure profiles will be synced back from the cloud, unless you intentionally interrupt the sync by disconnecting from the internet at some key moments during MSFS startup. Even then, the sim will ask you at the next bootup whether you want to restore the cloud version of your setting.

I know because I actually wanted  MSFS to forget about my settings since I believed there was something corrupt in those settings, and had hard time keeping it from syncing those settings from the cloud.

It's good to know Steam users have an easier method of making MSFS forget the settings, but it would be nice if there was a reset button somewhere.

Edited July 26, 20214 yr by orchestra_nl

all settings are saved to the cloud aswell its a life saver when you need to do a reinstall.

2 hours ago, spc4529 said:

The OP specifically stated he was using the MSFS Steam version.

Ah, good point! I missed that critical detail.  🙁

Al