Games that won't download, install, or load in the EA app

Clear cache

If you're having trouble downloading games, clear your cache using App Recovery to see if that fixes your issue.

1. Launch the EA app on your PC or Mac.
2. From the main menu bar, select Help and choose App Recovery.
3. Select Clear Cache.
   • If you’re using a Mac, you might need to enter your password to give EALaunchHelper permission to clear cache. You’ll need to enter the password you use to log in to your Mac device, not your EA Account password.

Need more help? Learn more about clearing your cache.

If your download's stuck at 4 GB on PC

If you’re using a PC and your download gets stuck at 4 GB, your hard drive might be formatted as FAT32, which can't handle files larger than 4 GB.

Learn more about drive formatting and disk management on PC.

Reinstall the EA app

On PC

1. Close the EA app.
2. Open the Control Panel (find it by searching Control Panel in the Start menu).
3. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
4. Select EA app and uninstall.
5. Reinstall the EA app, then try installing your game again.

On Mac

1. Close the EA app.
2. Select Finder and choose Applications.
3. Find EA app in your Applications list.
4. Select, hold, and drag EA app to the Bin.
5. From the Dock, click and hold the Bin icon and choose Empty Bin.
6. Reinstall the EA app, then try installing your game again.

Run the EA app as an administrator on PC

1. Close the EA app.
2. Right-click the EA app icon on your desktop (or in the EA app directory) and select Run As Administrator.

If that doesn’t work, try moving the file location while you’re running the EA app as an administrator.

1. Go to C:\Program Files\EA Games and temporarily move the folder for the game to a different place.
2. Go to C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\EA Desktop\EA Desktop.
3. Right-click on EADesktop.exe.
4. Choose Run as Administrator.
5. Start the download and pause it after 30 seconds.
6. In C:\Program Files\EA Games, copy the content of the old folder for the game into the new folder for the game.
7. Resume the download.

Lower the User Access Control settings on PC

User Access Control (UAC) is a Windows security feature that helps protect your device by preventing applications from gaining Administrator access to your operating system.

Re-enable UAC as soon as you’re finished troubleshooting.

Learn how to adjust the protection level in your User Access Control settings on PC.

Create Folder Error on PC

If you see Create Folder Error while you’re trying to install, update, or repair your game, this means there’s a permissions issue. To fix it:

1. Open Windows File Explorer.
2. Right-click on the game folder.
3. On the Security tab, select Advanced.
4. Make sure that the SYSTEM account has full control of the folder.

If SYSTEM doesn’t have full permissions:

1. Go back to the Security tab.
2. Select Edit, then choose SYSTEM.
3. Next to Full control, check Allow.
4. Select Apply.

Repair the game file

If a game isn't loading in the EA app, try repairing your game file.

1. Launch the EA app and go to your Library.
2. Find the game you want to repair and select the three-dot menu in the top right-hand corner of the game tile.
3. Choose Repair.
4. When the game finishes repairing, try launching it again.

If you tried the tips above and still need help, here are more steps you can try on Mac.

Enable full disk access

1. Go to the Apple menu, then choose System Settings.
2. Choose Privacy & Security.
3. Choose Full Disk Access.
4. Toggle on EA app.
   • On macOS Catalina, you might also need to enable full disk access for EABackgroundService.

Make sure external drives have write access

If you’re using an external drive, check whether the drive is set to read only. If the drive is formatted as NT file system (NTFS), macOS won’t have write access.

1. In Finder, choose the external drive.
2. Ctrl + Click or right-click on the external drive, then choose Get Info.
3. Check the format and write access for the drive.

To change your drive’s access, follow these steps from Apple.

• Head over to EA Forums to look for a fix.
• Follow @EAHelp for everything from outage info to game news.
• Subscribe to EA Help on YouTube for video walkthroughs and guides.