The last few times I have attempted to run MSFS2020 (over the last 2-3 weeks) I get a message to insert disk.

I run Xbox and it tells me that I am offline, yet I can access websites through 3 different web browsers and all the relevant lights on my router are lit.

Rebooting the router makes no difference.

The only way I can get connected with 2020 is to reboot my PC.

What could the problem be and what is the fix?

 

[added later]

And now I find that all my settings have been set back to default. So annoying. Would this have been the result of the last upgrade? Does this sort of thing happens after (some) 2024 upgrades?

Regards

 

John

 

Edited December 31, 2025Dec 31 by Jarnie
added last sentence

This was a major problem back when MSFS 2020 was first released, 5 years ago.

I had it a number of times and the MSFS Zendesk (support) solution was to "delete your cloud saves".  

https://flightsimulator.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409228619538-How-to-delete-a-cloud-save-on-PC-to-fix-some-loading-issues-or-reset-the-logbook

So, you get a corrupted cloud save of your game status and all of your settings.  When MSFS then starts up, it can't restore your 'save' and all settings are reset.  I don't know where the 'insert disk' thing links into it, but it does!

Do the above process, reboot your PC and launch MSFS.   Good luck!

Edited January 1Jan 1 by JYW

Thanks Bill.   I found it quite strange that rebooting my PC fixed the problem.

 

Also I think, repeat think, that each time the problem occurred I may have started another app as MSFS2020 was starting up as I often start up an online Bridge game to fill in time as MSFS2020 starts. Could that cause problems?

Edited January 1Jan 1 by Jarnie
Added last sent

8 hours ago, Jarnie said:

Also I think, repeat think, that each time the problem occurred I may have started another app as MSFS2020 was starting up as I often start up an online Bridge game to fill in time as MSFS2020 starts. Could that cause problems?

I wouldn't have thought so John.  Windows can run many programs at the same time.  They shouldn't affect eachother.   Although in this business, anything is possible! 😊

I hope the deletion of cloud saves works from you.  It's what Microsoft issued as the fix for the problem you're having.

Hi Bill,

That didn't work. Once again today MSFS tells me to insert disk. I open XBOX and it displays that I am offline yet I can connect to any web site using any web browser.

I did the CMD command and then MSFS automatically started but once again "please insert disk" and XBOX displays that I am offline.

I also rebooted my router and PC.

I started XBOX which again displayed that I was offline.

I then clicked on MSFS2020 within XBOX exited XBOX and restarted XBOX and it then didn't display that I was offline and I was able to start MSFS2020 which started at Accessibility Settings (never seen that before) and I clicked on Next and MSFS2020 continued to start up but of course I have lost all my settings and will have to set them up AGAIN (and I can't remember how I set up my joystick buttons)!

This has been happening for the last 2 or 3 weeks the first time I run MSFS2020 on any day.

Could it be caused by not exiting MSFS 'nicely' ie sometimes I just click on the exit (X) on top of screen (I have developer mode on) to exit instead of going back to the 'exit to Desktop' button?

I am fast becoming 'over' Microsoft, Asobo or whoever is causing this problem and asking myself should I go back to XPlane which never gave me any problems.

FYI,  I found that I can open the XBOX app on my backup PC (not set up for MSFS2020) which has W11 installed (graded from W10 a few months ago just to 'have a look). That got me thinking and so I did a Windows RESET on my usual PC (could noy find a REPAIT option, what happened to it I wonder?).

Well it took a long time but I can now open XBOX and so the problem was Windows related (boo hiss).

Problem now is to set a few things up again including repositioning the dektop icons to suit myself

ALSO I find that the existing icon for running MSFS2020 doesn't do anything.

Any suggestions how to set it up again?

Well after doing some research I decided to do a windows RESET (I really only wanted to do a windows REPAIR but could not find it) and that has fixed the problem of not being able to run XBOX - it seemed to reinstall W10?

However it also removed my MSFS2020 installation and so I had to reinstall again (and repopulate the Community folder with my addons) and fix my user cockpit camera positions in those aircraft I had set up. How nice of Microsoft to remove MSFS2020 during a reset  Grrrrrrrrr!

I have been delaying the upgrade to W11 but now worry that during the upgrade MSFS2020 might get removed.

Has anyone upgraded W10 to W11 and NOT affected MSFS2020?

 

 

On 3/14/2026 at 8:39 AM, Jarnie said:

Well after doing some research I decided to do a windows RESET (I really only wanted to do a windows REPAIR but could not find it) and that has fixed the problem of not being able to run XBOX - it seemed to reinstall W10?

However it also removed my MSFS2020 installation and so I had to reinstall again (and repopulate the Community folder with my addons) and fix my user cockpit camera positions in those aircraft I had set up. How nice of Microsoft to remove MSFS2020 during a reset  Grrrrrrrrr!

I have been delaying the upgrade to W11 but now worry that during the upgrade MSFS2020 might get removed.

Has anyone upgraded W10 to W11 and NOT affected MSFS2020?

 

 

Upgrade to win 11 mate

Its free and my 2020 amd 2024

Works fine

On 3/15/2026 at 4:03 PM, mikeymike said:

Upgrade to win 11 mate

I have upgraded my old standby PC to W11 and not sure if I like it. However I know that W10 is no longer supported and so will do so soon.

 

Did you have any problems during the upgrade especially with MSFS?

1 hour ago, Jarnie said:

I have upgraded my old standby PC to W11 and not sure if I like it. However I know that W10 is no longer supported and so will do so soon.

 

Did you have any problems during the upgrade especially with MSFS?

No issue at all sir.

But once i upgraded to win 11. I  did a clean install of msfs 

And i dont get any wasm crashes or ctd in msfs2020 and 2024.

I only have a few payware scenery addons and  2 aircraft.

I keep my system and addons  updated.

So far so good.

Mike