I am attempting your restoration process and I must be missing some step here.
I have a copy of my wgs from 13AUG2023. I’ve removed the current wgs and copied the 13th’s wgs into SystemAppData.
However, when I launch the sim, I’m not prompted for which version I wish to use. It says it’s syncing and overwrites the old version with the current version as saved on the cloud.
How do you get the sim to actually prompt you for which version you wish it to use?
EDIT
Ok, here are some instructions that might clarify how to do this process.
Setup Microsoft Store for Offline Permissions:
- Launch Microsoft Store from Windows
- Click profile in top right corner of Store window
- Choose Settings
- Set Offline permissions to On
- Launch MSFS to allow Windows to set it up for offline use (this is a completely passive step, just launch the sim)
- Once the sim has fully loaded, quit it.
Backup:
- With the sim not running, backup your wgs directory
- Location: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\SystemAppData
Restore:
- Disconnect your PC from the Internet
- Replace your current wgs directory with the one you backed up
- Launch the sim with PC disconnected from the Internet
- Be advised you may see a dialog box stating something about not being able to authenticate your copy of the sim. Just clear this box via the button and allow the sim to continue to launch
- In my case, the sim’s loading screens were just the generic MSFS splash screens and the launch took a little bit longer, but it did completely load
- Go to Profile and note your Hours are what they were when you did the backup
- Reconnect to the Internet, if desired, and remember to go to Options > General Options > Data and turn on Online Functionality
- Breathe easy
Be advised, the next time you launch the sim whilst connected to the Internet you will be prompted to choose which version of your data you wish to use – the newer local data or the older cloud data.
Ensure you select local.
I hope this helps.