@tinateen122 You can test your cc in whatever pattern makes you comfortable. Some people split their content in half, then split that half in half again (so quarters of the total) if it doesn't work, then those quarters in half again, etc. Others test a lower number, like a dozen, at a time. It doesn't matter.
When you've determined that a batch of cc is working properly, just make a new folder on your desktop to hold it. You don't need subfolders unless you want them. When you're done testing, you'll put it all back where it belongs, but for now, the only important thing is to keep it out of the game folder you're using to test.
In case my description wasn't clear, when you test, drag all of your existing game folders out of Documents and onto your desktop, or elsewhere. Then launch the game to get a new folder. Then take your first batch of cc out of where it's currently located and put it in the new folder the same way you would if you wanted to play with it. If you're using mods as well, you should test them separately. Either keep them out of the game folder you're using to test cc, or if you want to leave them in, make sure they work first. You can test them the same way as the cc.
TS4 can only read a game folder if it's in its proper place in Documents\EA, so anything on the desktop will be ignored and untouched.
@tinateen122 When I and others reference your game folder, we mean the entire TS4 folder, as in the folder that's labeled "The Sims 4" and sits in Documents\Electronic Arts. This is the folder that keeps getting moved to iCloud storage and then keeps getting regenerated by the game. All of your subfolders inside can be moved together. You can also move contents of these subfolders, like saves or cc, from one overall game folder to another. This is how you can test your cc a bit at a time.
The save that you lost is probably still intact in your original TS4 folder, but it won't load unless it's in the specific game folder that's in Documents\EA. (Remember, only have one of these in Documents at a time, or you won't be able to control which one the game uses.) Right now, it's best to make sure your game can load at all, which means either playing without cc or testing it until you're sure which items work.
When you test your cc, you really only need to load CAS to make sure the content is showing up in-game at all. A more thorough test would include gameplay, but your current goal is to get the game up and running with cc enabled, so as soon as you see it's showing up anywhere in-game, it has passed that preliminary test. You don't even have to fully create a single sim, much less a household; just make sure that some custom content is showing up for you to select.
It sounds like you never unzipped many of your cc downloads—.zip files are still in their compressed download form and unusable by the game, and .package files are the ones being loaded. Check out this guide to unzipping files on a mac, as well as a walkthrough on how to install mods and cc more generally.
https://bluebellflora.com/itsaprilxds-how-to-install-mods-on-a-mac-guide-the-sim-4/
Last note: Don't worry about the icons next to the file names. The game doesn't care what they look like. The extension (.package, .zip, etc.) is what matters.
@tinateen122 The reason your game is generating a new game folder each time it launches is that it can't find any existing folders to use. It can also happen if you rename the existing game folder to something other than "The Sims 4." This is precisely how you generate a clean folder for testing purposes. If you want it to use an existing folder (which you might not right now), you have to put that TS4 folder (the whole thing) into the folder labeled Electronic Arts, inside your Documents folder.
Yes, it's a good idea to leave your iCloud drive disabled for now.
If you're not sure which game folder TS4 is loading, you can copy one of your saves into the folder you want the game to use. (Don't just move it, as you want to keep the original safe from all this fussing.) Right-click on the save, select copy, and then right-click inside the saves folder in appropriate TS4 folder and select paste. When you load the game again, if you see that save available, you'll know that the correct folder is being used. If not, the game probably generated another folder. Go look for that folder and see where it is and how it's labeled; that's the only name and location that TS4 will recognize.
As long as your cc and mods setup looks like the screenshots in the second post I linked above, and the game is loading the appropriate TS4 folder, any usable cc should show up in-game.
I don't think you need the unarchiver app to extract .zip files; that's only for other kinds of compressed files. But either way, double-clicking should extract a .package file. Perhaps it's being sent to another folder (I extract mine in Downloads, which is where the .package files appear). You can try to search in the finder for the name of the file—it should have the same name, or mostly the same name, as the .zip file.
You can take screenshots of what you're seeing by holding down the command and shift keys and pressing 4. Your cursor icon will change, and you can drag it across the field that you want to capture. The screenshot should appear on your desktop. You can attach it here by clicking on the "browse" button next to the paper clip icon just above the "preview" and "submit" buttons when you're typing a reply.
@tinateen122 And no, you're not stupid just because you don't know how to figure these things out on your own. The task can be much harder when files keep getting moved or otherwise don't behave properly. Still, it would be a good idea to study the screenshots provided on Bluebellflora's website (linked above) so that you know how your setup is supposed to look when your computer is cooperating. That way, it will be much easier for you to spot a discrepancy when something has gone wrong.
I'd just like to jump in for a second, @puzzlezaddict is doing a great job patiently explaining about the user data files and cloud storage but I think you providing screenshots will help you better understand the issue. So, could you please navigate to your Sims 4 folder(s). Click once on the folder to highlight it, hold down the Command key and press the i key. This will bring up an Info window for the folder. Please look in the first section under General and copy the EXACT file path into this thread, or post a screenshot. It will look like this:
If you have multiple Sims 4 folders please do this for all of them. We are not interested in the Sims 4 app in your Applications folder, that is the actual game. Your user data is the Sims 4 folder that contains Mods/Saves/Tray/Options.ini and many other files and folders specific to your game.
As a side note, in your Mods folder there should not be any .zip, .rar, .7zip, or any other compressed files, only the resource.cfg file which the game creates and the CC/Mod .package files. You can put the .package files into separate folders if you like. But let's ignore getting CC to work until you've managed to load your saves properly 🙂
No problem, we want to get you playing again 🙂
Can you upload them to a file sharing site and post the links here? Although you should be able to upload directly into your post. Can you just copy and paste the file path from the Info window?
I put my saves folder back in my Sims 4 folder for some reason. Can the game still generate if I leave it out or not? I feel like it doesn't make sense to leave it out of the sims 4 folder. Also, I have my testing mods inside the mods folder and the rest are in a different folder on my desktop. Hopefully I am doing something right because I was a little confused on where to put everything when I am testing my cc. I didn't know whether I should leave all my stuff on desktop including my saves folder or keep everything in the sims 4 folder while testing.
I tried hiding my last name and saving my image to downloads but it didn't work so I gave up.
The game will only load saves from Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves. That is the file path it is looking for and if that saves folder doesn't exist it will create a new one.
You now have iCloud Drive off, yes? If so, please do the following:
Restart your Mac and load your game, it will be like new and a new Sims 4 folder should have been created in Documents > Electronic Arts. Play for a little bit then save and quit. Go into Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves and check that the save you just created is in there and that the date and time is now.
Let me know how you get on with that and then we can move onto the next steps 🙂
