Safe mode downloading

Safe mode downloading is now a permanent feature in Origin. That means that instead of having to manually turn it on to troubleshoot, all of your games will automatically download in safe mode.

We've done this to prevent potential corruption of data when you download, so downloading should be much more reliable.

Still having issues when downloading or installing? Keep reading on.

Problems when the download gets stuck at 4 GB

If you’re on PC and you start having trouble when your download reaches 4 GB, you may have a problem with your hard drive formatting. Some hard drives have FAT32 formatting, which can have issues with files larger than 4 GB. 

To find out how your drives are formatted, use these steps:

1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Search for This PC.
3. Right-click and select Manage.
4. Select Disk Management.

Look for a display with your disks. It will give you the partition size, plus the format—for example (C:) XXGBNTFS or FAT32. If you have another hard drive, check to see if it is formatted differently.

If your hard drive has FAT32 formatting, talk with your PC manufacturer for the best way to fix the issue.

For PC

Try re-installing Origin:

1. Close the Origin client.
2. Open the Control Panel (find it by searching “Control Panel” in the Start menu).
3. Click on Uninstall a program under Programs.
4. Click on Origin and uninstall.
5. Reinstall Origin, then try installing your game again.

Try running Origin as an administrator:

1. Close the Origin client.
2. Right-click the Origin client icon on your desktop (or in the Origin directory if not on your desktop) and click Run As Administrator.

This runs the Origin client as an administrator account, and should let the game  install.

Try lowering the User Access Control settings:

1. Close the Origin client. 
2. Click the Windows button and type "UAC" in the search field. 
3. In the User Access Control window, click and hold the slide bar —slide it to the lowest setting available. 
4. Click Ok at the bottom of the window. 
5. Open the Origin client and try installing again (click Install on the game you want). 

Try moving file location:

1. Close Origin completely.
2. Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games and move the folder for the game to a different place.
3. Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin.
4. Right-click on Origin.exe.
5. Choose Run as Administrator.
6. Start the download.
7. Pause it after 30 seconds.
8. In C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games, copy the content of the old folder for the game into the new folder for the game.
9. Resume the download.

For Mac

Try re-installing Origin:

1. Close the Origin client.
2. Open up Finder.
3. Go to the Applications folder.
4. Drag Origin to the Trash, or right-click and select “Move to Trash.”
5. Right-click on Trash and select Empty Trash.
6. Reinstall Origin, then try installing your game again.

Try launching from the .dmg file:

1. Close the Origin client and any other non-essential applications.
2. Click on Go in the Finder menu at the top of your screen.
3. Select Computer.
4. Go to Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support > Origin > DownloadCache.
5. Find the folder for the game you are trying to install, and look for a file ending in the .dmg file extension.
6. Open the .dmg file. It should launch to your desktop like a disc.
   • If you get an error, or if you can’t find the .dmg file, your game download didn’t work.
   • Clear the DownloadCache folder by dragging the files to your Trash. Then restart the Origin client and start your download again.

Having trouble with your games not loading in Origin? Repair Game checks your game's installation and then automatically downloads any replacement or missing files. If there are any file issues or corrupt files, it will replace them or download them again. 

Try using Repair Game

1. Select My Game Library in Origin.
2. Right-click on the game tile.
3. Select Repair Game.

The file check can take up to an hour to complete depending on your computer's hardware. 

• Check out Origin for Mac boards on Answers HQ to get help from other players and chat with the community.
• Keep an eye on @EAHelp on Twitter for everything from outage info to news about the game.