Given that Microsoft has fixed their authentication servers, allowing most people to easily access the game, I'd like to clarify a point:
If you understand how mklink works, you'll realize that this approach is essentially equivalent to modifying the scrolling cache path in-game. Mklink is a built-in Windows feature that quickly and efficiently links folder addresses without causing path deviations that could harm the game.
You can also easily use mklink to modify the save file location of any game, freeing up C drive space or keeping backups.
If you still think this solution is inappropriate, feel free to ignore it. However, the existence of this guide is proof that Microsoft once messed everything up! I'll keep it as a historical record.


Because of Microsoft's poor streaming file mechanism, your default game data is downloaded to the C drive.
Windows users are recommended to use mklink to move your game directory to another drive to free up C drive space.
Here are the steps:

1. Open the game save directory: C:\Users\***\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and move the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 folder to your desired location. I moved it directly to D:\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

2. Make sure the file copying is complete and delete the original Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 folder.

3. Run cmd as administrator and run the following code:
mklink /j "-original address" "-new address"
Here is my example: "***" needs to be replaced with the specific name according to the actual username.
mklink /j "C:\Users\***\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024" "D:\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024"


鉴于微软已经修复了他们的验证服务器并且能够让大部分人轻松进入游戏，我在此说明一点：
如果你了解mklink的工作原理，那么你将意识到这个做法和游戏内修改滚动缓存路径实际上是等效的。mklink是Windows自带并且是快速有效链接文件夹地址的功能，不会产生路径偏差而对游戏造成破坏。
你当然也可以使用mklink轻松修改任何游戏的存档地址，来清理C盘空间或者为游戏存档备份。
如果你仍然认为这个方案不妥，当然可以忽略它，但是这篇指南的存在证明着微软曾经搞砸了一切！我依然会将其作为历史的见证而保留。


由于微软垃圾的串流文件机制，你默认的游戏数据被下载到了C盘。
Windows用户推荐使用mklink将你的游戏目录移动到别的盘符来释放C盘空间。
操作步骤如下：
1. 打开游戏保存目录：C:\Users\***\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024，将Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024文件夹移动到你想要的地址，我直接移动到了D:\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024。
2. 确定文件复制完成，删除原目录下的Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024文件夹
3. 管理员身份运行cmd，运行以下的代码：
mklink /j "-original address" "-new address"
这是我的示例："***"需要根据实际用户名被替换成具体的名称
mklink /j "C:\Users\***\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024" "D:\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024"

I enjoyed the short movie about a man an a plane. However, it seemed quite expensive for its length - around one minute. I would wait until the loading screen is on sale before purchase because it does get quite samey after the 70th loop.

Update: They have improved the initial movie with a power point presentation consisting of two slides. One is about a lot of people trying to see the movie and the other one is about not be allowed to watch the movie.

For people still wondering what the difference between the 2024 and 2020 version of MSFS would be, so far my experience with MSFS2024 has been exactly the same as with MSFS2020 on launch day :

- No pre-loading of game files before launch
- No actual pre-order benefits
- Files downloaded through in-game interface
- This time around in-game install interface does not support mouse control, presumably because it was designed to be 'cross-platform'...
- Saturated servers cause endless download times for a miserable 50GB
- Downloading time counting as 'game time' prevents customers from requesting refunds.

Same issues were present 4 yrs ago, they simply did not learn.

EDIT : I am now 'in a queue' for logging in, due to 'too many people trying to log in at once'. That is very reassuring for a web-based application that promises to stream the majority of it high definition content...

I can only marvel at the depth of the simulation, as it now feels like Boeing was actually involved in building the servers, and someone from Embraer was put in charge of planning the launch.

0/10 launch, I hope the actual product makes up for it when I try again tomorrow.

microsoft makes you download most of the game in their launcher instead of steam the result of this is their download servers died immediately and now most people cant even download the game

What (the first hour of) an 80€ game gets you:
- missing mouse pointer, so you have to alt-tab 20 times to find the right spot to invisibly click on
- loading languages: 10 mins
- activating packages: 45 mins
- loading packages content: 1 min
- loading world data: 2 mins

All this installer time counts as actual in-game time, conveniently narrowing down the period in which you can return the game on Steam.

- Once you arrive at the character customization screen: Loading of the icons is bugged, you have to click around multiple times to somehow make the face icons load. Then the character preview is bugged and the only thing you see is a red broken body model.

For a multi-million dollar company like Microsoft.. it's an absolute joke to see zero QA has been put into this.
-> Refunded

So far so Mid,

After the initial login debacle eased cloud services are still causing issues, aircraft not loading correctly, liveries missing, feels like an alpha build

Looks pretty and has potential but needs a lot of work

I would recommend waiting at least a few days to see how it performs once the servers cool down a bit

Expected to be up in the clouds by now, but I've been grounded in an endless 97% server loop for the past hour—guess I'm on the No-Fly List?

Edit 1: I've now been placed in a login queue because "too many users are trying to connect at the same time." Well, at least I'm off the No-Fly List, but a holding pattern isn't exactly progress!

Edit 2: As an international flyer, I'm well accustomed to airport queues, but none have ever dragged on like this—three hours and counting. No queue number, no progress bar—just an endless void of waiting.

Edit 3: Finally accessed the menu but had to skip character creation as models wouldn’t load. Training mode froze on a loading screen. Restarted and tried career mode—textures were missing, and it crashed mid-render. Ten hours in, and still no flight time. This has been a complete failure in execution; nothing works as intended.

Stuck at 97% on the loading screen for 65 minutes. Gave up and will try another day.

One of the biggest companies on the planet and they cannot get their servers right for launch day.

To anyone criticizing those who are complaining they did not get what they paid for, shame on you. You are a tribalist. Stop attaching identity to everything on the planet.

This game does not work, it deserves a bad review. You literally cannot play it. Wait or pass. At any point Microsoft could have decided to not rely on servers to play the single player part of the game.

No, this is not ok. This should not be the standard. You paid for this to work and it does not.

For anyone having trouble logging in: Press Alt + Enter to switch to windowed mode, and the cursor should appear