Follow these steps to check for a corrupted save file or Gallery download in the Sims 4.
Backup and reset your game
Test after a reset
Restore your backup
Identify a problem file
Use the following steps for Windows or Mac to back up and reset your game.
Windows
Backing up your game:
- Go to My Documents.
- Open the Electronic Arts folder.
- Find The Sims 4 folder.
- Right-click on it and choose Copy.
- Go to your Desktop.
- Right-click on a free space and choose Paste.
- Right-click on the copied folder and choose Rename.
- Change the name of the folder to something you'll remember, like Sims 4 Backup.
To reset your game:
- Go to My Documents.
- Find The Sims 4 folder.
- Click on it and press Delete.
- Confirm you want to delete the folder.
- Empty your Recycle Bin.
- Restart your computer.
Mac
Backing up your game:
- Open Finder by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.
- From Finder, open your Documents folder.
- Open the Electronic Arts folder.
- Click on The Sims 4 folder.
- Press Command and C on your keyboard to copy the folder.
- Go to your Home screen.
- Click on a free space on the desktop and press Command and V to paste your backup folder.
- Rename the folder on your desktop by clicking on it and pressing Return, then entering the new name.
- Change it to something you'll remember, like Sims 4 Backup.
To reset your game:
- Open Finder by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.
- From Finder, open your Documents folder.
- Open the Electronic Arts folder.
- Click on The Sims 4 folder.
- Press Command and Delete.
- Confirm you want to delete the folder.
- Empty your Trash.
- Restart your Mac.
After you've reset the game and restarted your computer, launch The Sims 4. The game will start without mods and without any of your saved content:
If the game runs normally
The problem is due to something in your previously saved games or with content you've downloaded from the gallery.
If the game does not run properly after a reset
The problem was not caused by any of your save files or downloaded content, and you can restore your backup folder.
- Check out EA Forums if you’re still having trouble.
Use the following steps for Windows or Mac to restore your back up.
Windows
- Go to My Documents.
- Open the Electronic Arts folder.
- Click on The Sims 4 folder and press Delete.
- Confirm you want to delete the file.
- Empty your Recycle Bin.
- Go to your Desktop.
- Right-click on your backup folder and choose Rename.
- Change the folder name back to The Sims 4.
- Right-click on the folder and choose Copy.
- Go to My Documents.
- Open the Electronic Arts folder.
- Right-click on a blank space in the folder and choose Paste.
Mac
- Open Finder. Click on the Finder icon on your Dock.
- From Finder, open your Documents folder.
- Open the Electronic Arts folder.
- Click on The Sims 4 folder.
- Press Command and Delete.
- Confirm you want to delete the folder.
- Empty your Trash.
- Go to your Home screen.
- Click on your backup folder.
- Press Return and change the folder name back to The Sims 4.
- Press Command and C on your keyboard to copy the folder.
- Open Finder.
- Open your Documents folder.
- Open the Electronic Arts folder.
- Click on a blank space in the folder and press Command and V to paste your backup folder.
Inside The Sims 4 folder you copied and marked as a backup there are additional folders which can help you identify the problem file more quickly.
To see which folder contains the troublesome file, copy the folders across to The Sims 4 folder in My Documents one by one.
For example, if you think there could be a problem with a save file:
- Open your backup folder on your Desktop/home screen and copy the saves folder inside it.
- To copy a folder on PC, click it and press Ctrl and C on your keyboard.
- To copy a folder on Mac, click it and press Command and C on your keyboard.
- Go to your Documents.
- Open Electronic Arts.
- Open The Sims 4.
- Paste the folder, and choose the option to replace the existing file.
- To paste a folder on PC, click it and press Ctrl and V on your keyboard.
- To paste a folder on Mac, click it and press Command and V on your keyboard.
- Start The Sims 4 and see if it will load for you now.
- If it loads, the problem is not with one of these copied saves.
- Work through copying the other backup folders across one by one, using the steps above, and testing the game each time.
- If it does not load, the problem is with one of the copied saves.
- Delete the saves folder from the Sims 4 folder in your Documents, then try copying each individual save file over from your backup, testing the game after each one.
- When the game fails to load, that means the most recent file you added is causing the issues. Delete this file both from The Sims 4 folder in your Documents and also from your backup folder.
Check to see if a mod is causing issues
If you’ve tried the steps above to try and identify a problem file and you’re still having issues, it could be a mod you’ve downloaded.
Follow the steps in our mods article to check if any of the custom content in your game is causing problems.
- If the above steps didn’t help you, head over to our EA Forums to find a workaround.
- Keep an eye on @EA Help and the The Sims Twitter accounts, @TheSims and @TheSimsDirect, for everything from outage info to news about the game.
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