Empty Official folder after uninstalling MSFS Launcher

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Brief description of the issue:

Today I decided to reinstall the MSFS launcher without uninstalling the packages that I had stored for years on a different drive.
I had MSFS 2020 launcher installed on C:\XboxGames directory. MSFS 2020 “Official” folder had been stored on my M drive M:\MSFS 2020\Official for years and was functioning correctly prior to the uninstallation.
However, after uninstalling game launcher, I checked the “Official” folder and found it to be empty :thinking: :rofl: :joy: :exploding_head: :sob:
Fortunately, “Community” folder remains intact, with all its files and folders present.

Provide Screenshot(s)/video(s) of the issue encountered:

Folder Structure on C Drive:

  • C:/XboxGames
    • GameSave
    • Microsoft Flight Simulator
    • Microsoft Flight Simulator Digital Ownership

Folder Structure on M Drive:

  • M:/MSFS 2020
    • Community (folder intact)
    • Official (empty)

Detailed steps to reproduce the issue encountered:

  • Install MSFS 2020 launcher from the Xbox app.
  • Choose C:\ as the installation destination and select XboxGames folder.
  • On a different drive or partition, create a new folder named MSFS 2020
  • Launch MSFS 2020 launcher.
  • In the installer screen, select the folder you created as the destination for installing the MSFS packages.
    // for example M:/MSFS 2020

  • Ensure that MSFS 2020 runs without issues, verifying that the “Official” and “Community” folders are located on the other drive or partition.
  • Close MSFS 2020.
  • Open Xbox app and uninstall MSFS 2020.
  • Open MSFS 2020 folder and check Official folder.

PC specs and/or peripheral set up if relevant:

Windows 11 24H2 26100.2033
CustomInstallExec.exe 10.0.26100.2033
Microsoft.WindowsStore 22409.1401.5.0
Microsoft.StorePurchaseApp 22408.1401.0.0
Microsoft.GamingApp 2410.1001.55.0
Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay 1.54.4001.0
Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay 7.224.9242.0
Microsoft.GamingServices 24.93.16001.0
Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller 1.23.1911.0
Microsoft.XboxIdentityProvider 12.115.1001.0
Microsoft.Xbox.TCUI 1.24.10001.0
Microsoft.XboxInsider 1.2409.3001.0

Build Version # when you first started experiencing this issue:

1.38.2.0

Note: I also participated in the MSFS 2024 Technical Alpha.


Expected Result

In the past, I have uninstalled MSFS launcher multiple times without any issues. Therefore, I expected that reinstalling the MSFS launcher would not affect the contents of the “Official” folder on the M drive. If the “Official” folder is stored on a different drive or partition, its contents should remain intact by the uninstallation of the launcher. Due to this bug, I now have to install MSFS entirely.


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Do you have the same issue if you follow the OP’s steps to reproduce it?

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Hmm. I would have thought that this was actually the default behavior. Uninstalling the launcher is, in effect, uninstalling MSFS - there are not two uninstall procedures AFAIK, one for launcher, one for default content. So the contents of the “Official” folder will be removed irrespective of where it is located.

The community folder would not be deleted as it does not contain any default files. It would be bad for MSFS to uninstall files installed in this folder by the user or other Apps!

This has never happened before so I and many other players surely expect improvements to the launcher uninstallation process. It cannot be that we lose hundreds of gigabytes of data during the uninstall. In some cases, players with slower internet connections may need up to a week to reinstall MSFS. This issue needs to be addressed to prevent such unnecessary frustration.

I am currently testing different options for reinstalling Launcher and have already found a workaround. During the uninstallation process, if I/You click “No”

Official/Onestore and Community folder will remain intact and only the launcher will be uninstalled.

If we click “Yes”

everything in the Official folder will disappear and we will lose hundreds of gigabytes of game data.

During the first launch of the launcher I received a notification about synchronization issues, possibly due to current problems on the Playfab side. I first noticed the synchronization and launcher reinstallation issue on October 22, 2024.

I won’t edit the entries on this topic because I believe it’s important for everyone to see that there is a new entry that may help resolve the issue more quickly.

It appears that the issue affects my accounts with administrator privileges.
This problem does not occur on a standard user account, where during uninstallation process of the launcher, you need to enter administrator password.
After entering password and clicking “Yes” on the Microsoft Store Package Dependency Installer screen, the Official/Onestore folder remains intact.

For testing purposes, I decided to bid farewell to Windows 11 24H2 by giving my C drive a fresh format. I’ve now returned to good old Windows 10. On an account with administrator privileges, there’s no issue. Testing is still in progress…

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I don’t like to count my chickens before they hatch, but there’s progress! For testing purposes, I activated the hidden administrator account. I installed launcher - uninstalled launcher and - drumroll - Official/Onestore folder is still exactly where it should be, untouched. Testing in progress …

I repeated test of uninstalling and reinstalling MSFS Launcher on the administrator account.
Official/Onestore folder remains in place, with all files and folders.
Also, good news is that download speed in the Installation Manager window is around 500 Mbits/s :smiley:

Testing in progress …

You may have to bite the bullet next year as they are ending windows 10 in 2025, but at least you got a full year of Windows 10. I am on windows 11 on one machine and windows 10 on the other, they both seem to be behaving well at the moment.:grinning:

I hope that issues that led to the data loss will be resolved. I don’t know what the cause was - perhaps Windows 11 24H2 and its applications or maybe the Microsoft Store Package Dependency Installer, which has a different version in Windows 10. I have no idea and I’m not going to guess.

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Sounds a lot like their “repair” option. :smiley:

Update: I reinstalled Launcher multiple times and I don’t experience this issue on Windows 10. After uninstalling Launcher, Official/Onestore folders remain intact, which is how it should be.

I dont think this is a bug, but maybe registry override, as when you launch msfs registry and directories are being updated, so if you uninstalled something, it can uninstall its active components even if it’s not in the same drive. that being said, you should keep a backup copy if you want your files to be in place after any uninstallation process, and by backup copy i mean files on a drive not being used for sim use, to avoid registry issues. in reality, why to backup the sim files since you can redownload them anytime? in relation to different behavior on different os, indeed different os can have different behavior, specially that win 11 is witnessing significant changes to ways it works, how it manages memory, and other technical stuff.

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Thank you very much for mentioning backups! I’ve been making backups for a long time now because I have several drives and I honestly can’t imagine life without them. Your reminder will definitely be useful to users who might not be backing up their games. As for the system registry, if I delete MSFS-related keys, MSFS itself will still remain on the drive.

Some users have data limits or slow internet connections, meaning that downloading MSFS could take weeks, if not months for them. There are also users with limited disk space - so limited that they can’t make a backup at all.

That’s why I created this topic - to draw attention to an issue during launcher uninstallation that causes MSFS Packages (Official\Onestore) to be lost, even if the MSFS packages are stored on a different drive and in a separate folder from the launcher.

of course, registry are just instructions, however, they can instruct software how to behave and where.

Not sure how msfs is acting in uninstallation, specially between different os, but for sure dividing game files between drives can’t help if the sim uses those files, mainly because instructions in the registry, that the game creates it automatically.

I know how the uninstallation and reinstallation of MSFS should work. If I install the launcher on the C drive in the default XboxGames folder and place the Packages on a different drive or partition, uninstalling the launcher should not affect the Packages located on the other drive.

I have tested uninstallation process multiple times and there was clearly an error somewhere. I’m not going to speculate on where exactly.