Factory Reset

Hi All
I am considering doing a complete reset of my system and do a fresh install. what i want to know is, if i do this will i lose all my progress up to date in the sim. Thanks in advance ?

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Fresh install ? Does that include WINDOWS, or just MSFS ?

In theory NO, most of your setting are stored under your X-Box account name on the MS servers.

If you re-install MSFS on a new PC, and log in to X-Box and start MSFS, your new Install “should” download and re-sync with your settings on the MS server.

This will include all your setting (or most of them), as well as Log book and achievements.

Guaranteed ? maybe not – but that how it should work.
Think if it like a Game of Russian Roulette, where you hope there are no bullets in the gun, but you are not 100% sure.

I theory, you might be able to backup some files from your current setup, in the hope they can be forced back into your new system, if the above fails, but this procedure has never been officially documented - maybe because it is “assumed” all will work as intended, and your data will not get lost on the MS servers – something that has not always been the case !!!

For whats it worth, if I was going to do what you are, I would make sure I had something like an IMAGE backup of your current system, with something that can restore individual files. At least then you have some chance of recovery, if your MSFS settings get “Lost”.

Exactly what @N6722C says … I had to do a RAM replacement in the summer and as part of the clean-up following the mess that failing RAM left, did a clean reinstall of windows (10 Pro) and all my software.

All my MSFS status etc. remained … even controller assignments were all restored when I reinstalled the sim.

Of course that was several updates ago. I would presume it’s the same now, but can’t promise. :rofl:

Clean install or not – some are still reporting loosing all their settings, including Logbook – and with little chance of recovery (unless they have taken their own steps to make backups)

ie

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/lost-all-progress-logbook-gone/444172

The link you provided has nothing whatsoever to do with carrying out a fresh instal, it’s just reporting a random loss of the log book.

I recently had to do a completely fresh instal of Windows 11 and MSFS, and as others have said all settings including joystick settings and the log book were retained in full.

My only recommendation is to back up your Community folder first.

I recently did a clean install. My logbook and training activity remained intact. My purchased add-ons came back. My completion of bush trips was lost.
I did not see any change in the simulation after the re-install. No harm really, but no gain. 10 hours of install time is all I lost, so not a big deal for me. Do remember to go to the content manager afterwards and reload the world updates and other content as this does not load automaticly. (another couple of hours of downloading.

If you do a fresh install, and you DO, by accident or a bug, losses your server data, it could have everything to do with that fresh install.
The link was posted as a ref to what others have experienced with data loss.

This data is NOT stored in the Community folder. so backing up the Community folder will not help.

Are people really still manually editing their community folder, and manually moving stuff in and out of it ? There are addon linkers now :+1:

But that experience with data loss has precisely zero relevence to a clean instal.

The data is stored in the Cloud, not in the Community folder.

But you are correct, only a minority of users use an addon linker. And if you are using one then the source data still needs to be backed up.

Not necessarily true. The data is also stored on your PC, and is SYNCED with the cloud data.
If you re-install, and before you re-sync to the cloud, you do not have that local data, or more precisely, you have default data, and no log book.

If that 1st connection to the Cloud has an issue, then you can sync back to the cloud your default newly installed data

Anyway – Good luck to all that venture down this path —

Today I left the Windows 11 insider program and decided to blank my main drive before reinstalling Windows 11 from a downloaded iso (and updated all system drivers too). Having kept my MSFS packages on a different drive has made the whole process both painless and quick.

Logbook, progress and settings all seem to be in order.