How can I speed up startup times in the Steam version of MSFS?

Startup times in MSFS (Steam) – what you can actually improve

There are a few “usual suspects” with MSFS startup. Some are one-time fixes, others are just reducing what the sim has to scan/load before you ever reach the main menu.

1) First isolate whether it’s the sim itself or add-on scanning
MSFS can spend a huge amount of time indexing Community content at launch.

1. Temporarily empty your Community folder (move the contents to a temp folder on your desktop).
2. Start MSFS and time it from clicking Play in Steam to reaching the main menu.
3. If it’s dramatically faster, you’ve confirmed it’s add-on scanning (or a specific add-on) causing the delay.

If you get a big improvement, add your Community content back in batches until you find the culprit (scenery packages and big airport/photogrammetry-type add-ons are common offenders).

2) Check where MSFS is installed and how fast that drive is
Running MSFS off a slow HDD can be painfully slow at startup, especially with lots of content.

• If MSFS is on an HDD: moving the install to an SSD/NVMe is usually the single biggest improvement.
• Also make sure your Official and Community folders are on that same fast drive (splitting them across a slower drive can hurt).

3) Reduce what has to load/index early
Even without add-ons, MSFS still has to load packages and cached data.

1. If you use rolling cache/manual cache heavily, try turning it off temporarily (or delete/recreate it) to see if it changes startup time.
2. Make sure Windows isn’t in the middle of a background antivirus scan on the MSFS folders (real-time scanning can slow the initial file crawl).

4) Keep Steam/MSFS from doing “extra work” right at launch
A couple of simple things to rule out:

• Let Steam finish any pending MSFS updates before launching.
• Reboot once (sounds basic, but it clears stuck update/installer processes and clears file locks).
• If you’ve recently installed/removed lots of add-ons, run one launch with an empty Community folder to let MSFS rebuild its content index cleanly.

A few targeted questions so I can narrow this down

1. About how long is “very long” (e.g., 2 minutes vs 10+ minutes), and does it hang on any specific screen (black screen, “Checking for updates,” loading bar, etc.)?
2. Is MSFS installed on an SSD/NVMe or a mechanical HDD?
3. Roughly how large is your Community folder (and do you have lots of airports/scenery)?
4. Any other drive-heavy apps running at the same time (backup tools, antivirus scans, OneDrive syncing, etc.)?

Answer those and I’ll suggest the most likely fix path for your particular setup.