Re: 🛠️ Creating a symlink in macOS to store the Sims 4 folder on an external drive

192 Replies

Bluebellflora
Hero+
5 years ago
@TriniJanee

Is the Electronic Arts folder in your Documents folder showing as an alias? Or is it showing as a normal folder? (Step 2, No. 3 here https://bluebellflora.com/saving-your-sims-4-folder-to-an-external-drive/ )
TriniJanee
New Novice
5 years ago
@Bluebellflora Shows up as an alias
Bluebellflora
Hero+
5 years ago
@TriniJanee

And are there save files in it? Something has gone awry in the command not only because your saves aren't loading but also because the message you're getting back from Terminal is telling you it doesn't exist.

Can you post a screenshot of the alias showing the file path in the bottom of the Finder window and also the folder you moved to the external, again showing the file path? And a copy/paste of the Terminal commands you used.
TriniJanee
New Novice
5 years ago
@Bluebellflora
Yes, when I click on the alias files it does brig me to the External drive and shows all my save files, mods, etc.
Terminal command used to create symlink were:
mv ~/Documents/Electronic\ Arts /Volumes/JJ/
ln -s /Volumes/JJ/Electronic\ Arts ~/Documents/
Bluebellflora
Hero+
5 years ago
@TriniJanee

Bigger pics would help 🙂 but from what you've posted it looks like you have iCloud Drive enabled and storing your Docs folder. The symlink is for the Documents folder directly on the Mac, not stored in iCloud Drive. See this master thread - https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/READ-FIRST-Saves-CC-Mods-or-Library-items-disappeared/td-p/10242133
TriniJanee
New Novice
5 years ago
@Bluebellflora OMG I feel dumb... You are amazing! It works!! *Happy Dance*
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
I have been having issues with this and I’ve been trying to resolve it all day with no success. I completed step 1 and moved my EA folder to my Hard drive, but step 2 keeps giving me trouble. My hard drive is called “Gaming Hard” and this is what I typed to create the symlink:
In -s /Volumes/Gaming\ Hard/Electronic\ Arts ~/Documents/
What am I doing wrong??? I keep getting an error in terminal saying not found and nothing happens.
Bluebellflora
Hero+
4 years ago
@Chan_Chan2597

Is that the letter I or the letter L at the beginning? If you copied and pasted the command from my instructions it should be an L. It looks like an I to me.
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
@Bluebellflora
its an “i” , I changed it to an “L” and it says no such file or directory in terminal.
Bluebellflora
Hero+
4 years ago
@Chan_Chan2597

can you please copy and paste the command you’re entering here again.

Please also open Terminal and copy and paste the following command then hit Enter/Return:

@Chan_Chan2597

find / -type d -name "*The Sims 4*" 2>/dev/null

@Chan_Chan2597

After a little while it will return the results of the search. Please copy and paste the results in a post here.
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
@Bluebellflora
yes, the first one I put in was:
mv ~/Documents/Electronic\ Arts /Volumes/Gaming\ Hard/
This moved my EA folder from documents to my hard drive. Then I used this for step 2:
ln -s /Volumes/Gaming\ Hard/Electronic\ Arts ~/Documents/
using a L in the front. That’s where I keep getting the error message saying there’s no such directory.
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
@Bluebellflora
Here's the results of the search:
/Library/Application Support/Origin/LocalContent/The Sims 4
/System/Volumes/Data/Library/Application Support/Origin/LocalContent/The Sims 4
/System/Volumes/Data/Users/chan/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Desktop/The Sims 4
/System/Volumes/Data/Users/chan/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/System/Volumes/Data/Users/chan/Applications/The Sims 4 Packs
/System/Volumes/Data/Users/chan/Applications/The Sims 4.app
/System/Volumes/Data/Users/chan/Applications/The Sims 4.app/Contents/Resources/The Sims 4.app
/System/Volumes/Data/Users/chan/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/System/Volumes/Data/Users/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/System/Volumes/Data/Volumes/GAMING HARD/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/System/Volumes/Data/Volumes/gaming hard drive/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/Users/chan/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Desktop/The Sims 4
/Users/chan/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/Users/chan/Applications/The Sims 4 Packs
/Users/chan/Applications/The Sims 4.app
/Users/chan/Applications/The Sims 4.app/Contents/Resources/The Sims 4.app
/Users/chan/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/Users/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/Volumes/GAMING HARD/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
/Volumes/gaming hard drive/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4
chan@Chantels-MBP ~ %
Bluebellflora
Hero+
4 years ago
@Chan_Chan2597

Thanks.

What is the difference between “GAMING HARD” and “gaming hard drive”?

You have iCloud Drive enabled. Disable it https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/READ-FIRST-Saves-CC-Mods-or-Library-items-disappeared/m-p/10242133#M45493 store the Documents folder locally then, after you’ve resolved the multiple drives issue, try the symlink again.

Merged into a post from last year where the user was also using iCloud Drive.
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
@Bluebellflora
I originally named my external hard drive " Gaming Hard Drive" and had it formatted as Mac OS Journaled. I kept having issues with step two so i moved my files from the hard drive, back to the mac and reformatted it as MS-DOS (FAT32) after reading some older posts that others posted having the same issue. When i changed the formatting on the hard drive it erased the word Drive and is now called Gaming Hard, so i just left it and retried the steps using Gaming Hard as the hard drive name.
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
@Bluebellflora
I disabled icloud drive a while ago. I went through the steps in the link you provided and the optimize mac storage box and desktop and documents folder boxes are already unchecked.
Bluebellflora
Hero+
4 years ago
@Chan_Chan2597

Ok. So the drive is called GAMING HARD, not Gaming Hard:

/Volumes/GAMING HARD/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4

If your drive is formatted as FAT32 you won’t be able to use CC/Mods.
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
@Bluebellflora
How should i format the hard drive so i can use CC/Mods? That was the only reason i got the hard drive is to store those. LoL! I only changed the formatting so that I can move my origin game library location to the hard drive.
Bluebellflora
Hero+
4 years ago
@Chan_Chan2597

It’s all clearly explained in the instructions. It even says at the beginning to not format as FAT32 🙂 Origin doesn’t need it to be FAT32 formatted either.
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
@Bluebellflora
Yes, so with the drive being titled GAMING HARD, are those the correct inputs for steps 1 and 2?
Step 1: mv ~/Documents/Electronic\ Arts /Volumes/Gaming\ Hard/
Step 2: ln –s /Volumes/Gaming\ Hard/Electronic\ Arts ~/Documents/
It seems like step one is working but when i open a new game it creates a new EA folder in Documents.
Bluebellflora
Hero+
4 years ago
@Chan_Chan2597

A new EA folder is being created because you have moved the existing one to the external drive and the game can’t find it because you haven’t yet created the symlink correctly.

I have no idea why the symlink isn’t working for you. Did you copy and paste my line and substitute the file names for yours? Check the spaces properly. Your drive is called GAMING HARD, not Gaming Hard. Have you tried it in all caps in case it’s a case sensitive issue on your Mac? Although the move command worked properly apparently.

Why don’t you just go into Disk Utility and rename the external drive with one word to make it easier on yourself?

Have you moved the EA folder within another folder on the external drive?
Chan_Chan2597
4 years ago
@Bluebellflora
I was able to figure it out. I must have been having issues with spacing. All I did was copy it directly from the instructions and use the name is the hard drive where USB is. It’s working perfectly now.

Thank you so much for your patience and expertise, I really appreciate it!
Bluebellflora
Hero+
4 years ago
@Chan_Chan2597

Great! Spaces are one of the most common problems which is why I recommend to copy/paste the command - I know it works 100% because I tested it myself 🙂 substituting the L for an I is also very common.
faithalex22
4 years ago
Hey! I’m having the same issue and I was wondering how did you resolve it. I named my file and tried the SYMLINK but all it does is make a new EA copy once I start the game. I bought a hard drive for all of my CC but the mods folder is in the EA folder which keeps going into a documents folder and not my actual external hard drive.
Bluebellflora
Hero+
4 years ago
@faithalex22

It makes a new Sims 4 folder because you haven’t entered the command correctly in Terminal to create the symlink.
faithalex22
4 years ago
okay my file name is ALEX, i copied the exact link from the site , can you explain how I can properly do it?