forums.flightsimulator.com

Use the Bug Reporting Hub on forums.flightsimulator.com for bugs in the core simulator or first-party content. Before posting, search the existing reports and use the voting system — only create a new topic if your bug isn't already listed. When you do post, follow two rules: one bug per topic, and use the required template that appears when you click "New Topic."

Where bug reports belong

The forum separates bug reporting from general help, and putting your report in the right place matters:

The forum guidance is explicit that 3rd Party Support/Bug Reporting should be sent to the designated support funnels of each third-party developer and should not be conducted on these forums. If your problem is with an add-on rather than the sim itself, go to that developer first.

Before you post: search and vote

The Bug Reporting Hub uses a voting system. The intended workflow is:

1. Search first. Look for an existing report matching your issue.
2. If it exists, vote for it rather than starting a duplicate. The forum asks users to post only if they do not see their bug already listed.
3. If it doesn't exist, create a new report.

This keeps one thread per bug, so votes and reproductions concentrate in one place instead of splitting across duplicates.

What makes a report valid here

The Bug Reporting Hub is for suspected or confirmed bugs that other users are able to reproduce. That's the bar to aim for: a report another simmer can follow and see the same result.

Two requirements apply to every new topic:

• One bug per topic. Don't bundle several unrelated issues into a single report.
• Use the required template. It populates automatically when you click "New Topic" — fill it in rather than writing free-form.

Step by step

1. Go to forums.flightsimulator.com and open the Bug Reporting Hub category.
2. Search for your issue and check whether a report already exists.
3. If it does, add your vote and any reproduction details to that thread.
4. If it doesn't, click New Topic. The required template appears.
5. Complete the template fields describing the bug and the steps to reproduce it.
6. Submit the topic.

Common pitfalls

• Posting a duplicate. If a report exists, vote instead of creating a new topic.
• Filing a third-party bug here. Add-on issues go to the developer's own support funnel, not the forum.
• Skipping the template. The template is required and appears on "New Topic" — don't replace it with a plain description.
• Combining multiple bugs. Split them into separate topics, one bug each.
• Reporting something others can't reproduce. The hub is aimed at suspected or confirmed bugs that other users can reproduce, so include enough detail for someone else to try.

Related sections you may need instead

• User Support Hub — user-to-user support for help questions.
• Official Microsoft Flight Simulator — version information for msfs-2024 and msfs-2020, plus beta discussion areas such as the Sim Update beta threads.
• Community Content Hangar — screenshots, videos, tutorials, fly-in events, and groups.
• Discussion Hub — general discussion of core and third-party products and features.

forums.flightsimulator.com is the official community forum for Microsoft Flight Simulator, operated by Microsoft and built on the Discourse platform. It is a discussion and support site, not the simulator itself and not a store. You go there to talk with other simmers, ask for flight assistance, share community content, and file bug reports for the core sim and first-party content.

What you can do there

The forum's own description states its purpose plainly: connect with other flight simmers, ask for flight assistance, or log official bug reports. In practice that breaks down into a few distinct activities:

• Get help from other users. The User Support Hub is explicitly user-to-user support — you ask questions and other simmers answer.
• Report bugs. The Bug Reporting Hub is for suspected or confirmed bugs that other users can reproduce.
• Share and find community content. Screenshots, videos, tutorials, fly-in events, and groups live in the Community Content Hangar.
• Discuss the sim and third-party products. The Discussion Hub covers core and third-party products and features.

Main sections at a glance

Rules that affect how you use it

A few constraints are worth knowing before you post, because they determine whether your question or report gets answered:

• One bug per topic. The Bug Reporting Hub asks you to post a single bug per topic and to use the voting system rather than duplicating an existing report.
• Check first, then post. Only post a bug if you don't see it already listed, and only if other users can reproduce it.
• Use the required template. Creating a bug report opens a template that populates when you click "New Topic" — fill it in rather than writing free-form.
• Third-party issues don't belong here. Support and bug reporting for third-party developers should go to that developer's own support channels, not these forums. This applies in both the Discussion Hub and User Support Hub.

What it is not

It is not the simulator, and it is not a place to buy or download content. It is also not the right venue for third-party product support. If your problem involves an add-on from another developer, the forum's own guidance is to contact that developer directly.

Practical notes

The site is powered by Discourse and is best viewed with JavaScript enabled. Version numbers shown in the official section (for example, MSFS 2024 Version 1.8.16.0 and MSFS 2020 Version 1.39.12.0) reflect the state of the sim at the time the page was captured and will change over time — check the live forum for current versions. The footer links to the forum's Guidelines, Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy, which are worth reading before your first post.

Post your question in the User Support Hub, which the forum describes as the section "for user-to-user support" where you can "ask questions here to other simmers who may be able to help with your issue." That is the right place for general help with the simulator. Two things to check before you post: if your problem involves a third-party product, the forum states that "3rd Party Support/Bug Reporting should be sent to the designated support funnels of each 3rd Party Developer, and should not be conducted in these forums." And if you believe you have found a bug in the core sim or first-party content, that belongs in the Bug Reporting Hub instead, not the support hub.

Choose the right section first

The forum separates help requests by what is actually broken or in question. Picking the correct section is the difference between getting an answer and getting your topic moved or ignored.

The forum is explicit that third-party support and bug reporting "should not be conducted in these forums," so a question about an add-on developer's product will not be handled here no matter how you phrase it.

Before you post: search and check the bug list

The Bug Reporting Hub instructs users to "Utilize the voting system and only post if you do not see your bug listed." The same logic applies to support questions: if someone has already asked your question, you will usually get a faster answer by reading that thread than by starting a new one.

A practical check before posting:

1. Search the forum for the exact symptom, not just the product name.
2. If you find an existing topic, read it fully — the answer may be in a later reply.
3. If it is a bug, look for it in the Bug Reporting Hub and use the voting system rather than creating a duplicate.
4. Only start a new topic if nothing matches.

If you do post, give other simmers enough to work with

The people answering are other simmers, not a support desk with access to your machine. Your post needs to let a stranger reproduce or at least understand the problem.

Include:

• What you were doing — aircraft, phase of flight, location, and whether it is a default or third-party item.
• What you expected and what actually happened.
• Your sim version — the forum lists current versions as msfs-2024 Version: 1.8.16.0 and msfs-2020 Version: 1.39.12.0, so state which sim and build you are on.
• What you have already tried, so people do not repeat suggestions.
• Evidence — a screenshot, video, or exact error text if you have one.

For bug reports specifically, the forum notes that a "required template that populates when you click 'New Topic'" appears, and that you should "post one bug per topic." Fill the template in rather than replacing it with free-form text, and keep each report to a single issue.

Common places people go wrong

• Posting a third-party problem in the User Support Hub. It will be redirected to the developer's support funnel; you lose time.
• Filing a bug as a support question. Bugs need the Bug Reporting Hub and its template so they can be tracked and voted on.
• Duplicating an existing report. The forum asks you to post only if your bug is not already listed.
• Combining several bugs in one topic. The instruction is one bug per topic, which keeps voting and tracking meaningful.
• Leaving out the sim version. With two active sim versions in the forum, an answer for one may not apply to the other.

What to expect back

The User Support Hub is user-to-user, so responses come from other simmers and depend on someone recognizing your issue. Clear, specific posts with version numbers and evidence are the ones that get useful replies; vague posts tend to stall. If your issue turns out to be a reproducible bug rather than a usage question, move it to the Bug Reporting Hub with the template so it can be voted on and tracked properly.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums are organized into five main categories, each serving a distinct purpose: Official Microsoft Flight Simulator (version-specific discussion for MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020), Community Content Hangar (screenshots, videos, tutorials, and events), Discussion Hub (general and third-party product talk, plus introductions), User Support Hub (user-to-user help), and Bug Reporting Hub (core sim and first-party bugs). Choosing the right section matters because posts in the wrong category may not reach the people who can help, and third-party issues are explicitly directed elsewhere.

Official Microsoft Flight Simulator

This is the section for discussion tied to specific sim versions. The forum lists two version threads:

• msfs-2024 — Version: 1.8.16.0
• msfs-2020 — Version: 1.39.12.0

It also hosts beta discussion, such as the Sim Update 7 Beta | MSFS 2024 thread, described as the place to "discuss regressions and provide your feedback for the latest Beta builds." If you are testing a beta build and want to report a regression or share feedback, this is the intended location.

Community Content Hangar

This category is for community participation rather than troubleshooting. According to the forum description, you can:

• Share your latest screenshots, videos, and tutorials
• Search for upcoming fly-in events, groups, and more

Use this section when your goal is to showcase content or find other simmers to fly with, not to resolve a technical problem.

Discussion Hub

The Discussion Hub covers general conversation about the sim and its ecosystem:

• Introduce yourself — a sub-category for newcomers
• Discussion of any and all core or 3rd party products and features

One important boundary: the forum states that 3rd Party Support/Bug Reporting should be sent to the designated support funnels of each 3rd Party Developer, and should not be conducted in these forums. So if your question is about an add-on from a third-party developer, the Discussion Hub is not the place to seek that support.

User Support Hub

This section is explicitly user-to-user support — "ask questions here to other simmers who may be able to help with your issue." The same third-party rule applies: 3rd party support and bug reporting belong with the individual developer, not here.

Use this section for help questions about the core sim or first-party content when you want peer assistance rather than an official bug report.

Bug Reporting Hub

This section is dedicated to bugs for the core sim and 1st party content. Key rules from the forum:

• Use the voting system and only post if you do not already see your bug listed.
• Post one bug per topic.
• The hub is for "suspected or confirmed bugs that other users are able to reproduce without duplicating an existing bug report."
• If your bug isn't reported yet, create a report using the required template that populates when you click "New Topic."

The voting system means searching and voting on an existing report is often more effective than creating a new thread.

Quick reference: which section should you use?

Practical tips before posting

• Search first, especially in Bug Reporting Hub. The voting system only works if duplicate reports aren't created, so check whether your issue is already listed and add your vote instead.
• Match the section to the content type. A help question posted in Community Content Hangar is less likely to get a useful answer than one in User Support Hub.
• Keep third-party issues out of the core forums. Both the Discussion Hub and User Support Hub repeat that third-party support and bug reporting go to each developer's designated funnel.
• Use the template for bug reports. The Bug Reporting Hub requires the template that appears when you click "New Topic," so a free-form post may not fit the expected format.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator Forums are the official community space for Microsoft Flight Simulator, and participation is governed by a set of published guidelines, a Terms of Service, and a Privacy Policy, all linked from the site. A Forum Team manages and supports the community; the site points new members to a "Forum Team" page to learn who manages and supports the forums. If you want to know what rules apply before posting, or who runs the place, the short answer is: read the Guidelines, Terms of Service, and Privacy Policy pages, and check the Forum Team page for the people behind the community.

What governs participation

The forum footer links directly to the documents that set expectations for behavior and content:

• Guidelines – the community rules for posting and interacting.
• Terms of Service – the formal terms you agree to by using the site.
• Privacy Policy – how data is handled.
• Terms of Use, Privacy & Cookies, Manage Cookies, and Trademarks – additional legal and cookie-related links.

These are the authoritative sources. The site does not summarize their contents on the homepage, so treat the linked pages themselves as the reference rather than secondhand descriptions.

Who runs the forums

The site states that a Forum Team manages and supports the forums, and directs readers to a "Forum Team" page to learn who manages and supports the community. That page is the place to look for the people responsible for moderation and community support.

Where new members fit in

The Discussion Hub includes a "New here? Introduce yourself!" sub-category explicitly intended for introductions. That is the designated place to say hello rather than posting an introduction in a support or bug thread.

The same Discussion Hub is described as the area for discussion of core or third-party products and features, with a note that help questions belong in the User Support Hub instead.

Where different kinds of posts belong

The category structure matters because posting in the wrong place is a common friction point. Based on the site's own descriptions:

Two rules are stated explicitly and are worth noting before you post:

• Third-party support and bug reporting should go to the designated support channels of each third-party developer, not to these forums.
• Bug reports should use the voting system, and you should only post if you do not already see your bug listed. Post one bug per topic, and use the required template that appears when you click "New Topic."

Practical takeaways

• Before posting, check the Guidelines and Terms of Service pages linked in the footer.
• If you are new, introduce yourself in the Discussion Hub's introduction sub-category.
• Ask help questions in the User Support Hub, not the Discussion Hub.
• Search the Bug Reporting Hub before filing; use the template and one bug per topic.
• Take third-party product issues to that developer's own support channel.

The forum is powered by Discourse and is described as best viewed with JavaScript enabled, which is worth knowing if pages appear incomplete.