Switching between Stable and Sim Update Beta – MS Store vs. Steam

User Support Hub Install, Performance & Graphics
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Hi everyone,

I currently own MSFS through the Microsoft Store, but I’ve been considering switching to the Steam version.

The main reason: For Steam users it looks very simple to switch between the Stable release and the Sim Update Beta – basically just one click in the settings.

For the MS Store version, however, I’ve often heard that there can be issues when switching back and forth, and in some cases you might even have to do a full reinstall of the simulator.

:right_arrow: So my questions are:

  • What are your experiences with the MS Store version when switching between Stable and Beta?

  • Does it work smoothly nowadays via the Insider Hub, or is it still something to be careful with?

  • Are there users here who regularly switch and can share if it’s reliable?

I’m seriously considering moving to the Steam version just for this reason.

Looking forward to hearing your experiences!

Cheers,

Stefan

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I have both, and there are some gotchas to look out for. Some third party installers are not smart enough to know which version is your active version, and they will install their aircraft in the wrong directory. This is because when you uninstall a version, traces of it still remain on the PC. If you switch, make sure you clean the old version off your drive. I don’t do the betas anymore, so I can’t speak to that.

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Moved to User Support Hub > Install, Performance & Graphics as OP is requesting advice from the community.

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I use the MS Store version and have switched a couple of times, without a problem. It means an 8GB download each time but OK with a fast connection.

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Any Marketplace purchases you made under MS-Store won’t transfer to the Steam version.

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No problems with MS Store.

I stay on Beta always but the couple of times that I had to leave the Beta and then return have caused no problems.

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Thx, so you would say it might be as easy as it would with steam? And just to make sure, when switching between betas and back you dont loose any of your settings or keybinds? Becaus microsoft is saying when you switch back from a beta it may causes this issues…

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No problem.

Buy, export your bindings and then import them.
Practice so you will know how to do it when it is needed.

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I only need to save some cfg from the correct folders right ?

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I have Steam version and switched between stable and beta few times. Download was always been less than one gigabyte, mostly somewhere around 600-700 Mb.

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I’m not sure what the discussion is.
Beta vs Stable
MS Store vs Steam

You should have your Community folder saved.
You could save your UserCfg.opt.
You should have your Controller Presets exported.

I keep a full system backup.