[Read First] Running Sims 3 in Windows

Managing OneDrive

OneDrive is a cloud storage service offered by Microsoft that will sync some of your data automatically if you let it.  When enabled, it moves your Documents directory to the OneDrive folder and syncs all content inside.  That includes Sims 3 files, which puts your saves and other data at risk of being removed from your device or lost entirely, among other complications.  So unless you have a specific use for OneDrive's auto-sync feature, I would suggest keeping it away from your Sims 3 data.

Options

jump to:  I want OneDrive to keep syncing my files

jump to:  I don't want OneDrive to sync my files

jump to:  I want to get rid of OneDrive

Choose the option that works best for you.

I want OneDrive to keep syncing my files

If your OneDrive has enough space for all your files, the simplest workaround is to tell OneDrive to keep the Sims 4 user folder on your computer.  Right-click the folder and select "Always keep on this device."  Please keep in mind that this is not a perfect solution when it comes to Sims 3.  Your files shouldn't disappear, but you may still run into "Serious error" or "Error Code 16" issues.

Please double-check that OneDrive has enough storage, or you may run into more trouble.  Right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of your screen and select Settings:

Under Account, you'll see the current and total storage:

If your OneDrive is full, or your "The Sims 3" folder is larger than the storage you have, you can choose to stop automatically syncing Documents overall, or the Sims 3 folder, or some subfolder, for example the Mods folder.  (Please see the next section below.)  You can still manually upload files to OneDrive as you choose.  Or you can buy a subscription for more OneDrive storage.  However, an external drive or USB stick is a one-time purchase and a cheaper long-term solution than a subscription, so consider your options before subscribing.

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I don't want OneDrive to sync my files

The first step is to make a backup of your "The Sims 3" folder, the one in Documents > Electronic Arts.  Right-click it and select Copy, then right-click the location where you want your backup to go and select Paste.  If you don't have an external drive or USB stick handy, you can paste the folder into your computer's Downloads folder, which OneDrive doesn't sync.

The simplest change is to tell OneDrive not to sync the contents of Documents at all.  Right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, select Settings > Backup, click Manage Backup, and under Documents, click Stop backup, then confirm the choice.

Now you can restore the backup version of your Sims 3 folder.  Add it to Users > your username > Documents > Electronic Arts, with no OneDrive in the path.  To make sure you're in the correct folder, click This PC in the left panel of the File Explorer window, double-click the C drive, and open Users etc.

If you want to get more granular, you can choose to not sync the contents of the Electronic Arts folder, the Sims 3 folder, or any folder inside.  First, make a backup of this folder; as above, you can store it on an external device, or in Downloads.

Right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, open Settings > Account, select Choose folders, deselect the folders you don't want OneDrive to sync, and click Okay.

Once you deselect the given folder, it will be removed from your computer and stored only in the cloud.  You can now restore the backup copy you made, and OneDrive won't sync it.  If you forgot to back up this folder, you can still download it from onedrive.com.

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I want to get rid of OneDrive

If you want to get rid of OneDrive entirely, first make a backup of any synced folders you want to keep.  You can right-click the folders and select Copy, then right-click where you want the backups to be and select Paste.  An external drive or USB stick is ideal, but if you don't have one handy, you can use your computer's Downloads folder, which OneDrive doesn't sync.  You can also find your files later by signing into your Microsoft account at onedrive.com.

Right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of your screen, select Settings > Backup, click Manage Backup, and click Stop backup for all three categories, then confirm the choice.

The reason to do this is to move the default locations of these folders out of the OneDrive folder on your computer, which might otherwise be a more complicated process.  Next, right-click the OneDrive icon in the lower-right corner of your screen and select Settings > Account, then click Unlink this PC.  It's unnecessary to uninstall OneDrive—without a link to a Microsoft account, it has nothing to do.

After the above and before you do anything else, please double-check that your Documents folder is no longer in OneDrive.  Type "command" in the Windows search box, open Command Prompt, and enter this command:

reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" /v "Personal"

This will spit out the location of the Documents directory for this Windows account.  The file path should no longer include OneDrive, but if it does, as here:

Then you'll need to change the location manually.

The simple way is to right-click Documents in the left panel of a File Explorer window and choose Properties > Location, then Move, then click This PC, then choose this:

C:\Users\[your username]\Documents

Click Apply, then Yes.  You may get an error that says "Can't move the folder because there is a folder in the same location that can't be redirected."  The normal workaround is to stop OneDrive from backing up the location of Documents, as described above.  If this hasn't helped, you can change the location of Documents by editing the relevant registry entry:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/operation-to-change-a-personal-folder-location-fails-in-windows-ffb95139-6dbb-821d-27ec-62c9aaccd720

Please be very careful when editing your computer's registry.  One simple typo can have significant consequences.  Make a backup before you do anything: click File > Export, and save a copy of the entire registry.  If you mess up the edit, just restore the backup by double-clicking the saved file.  You can check your work with the same Command Prompt command as above.

This also applies to the Desktop and Pictures folders if they've previously been directed to OneDrive.

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