Controlled Folder Access broken after latest Sims 4 patch on Windows 10

why would i set an exception for that executable? Isn't the old one the main one used? Update: Why is it always the new things? I set an exception for the DX9 one thinking it wouldint solve the problem but it did??? EA's got to fix that, cause I don't ever use but Windows Defender hates it. Is it possible for me to safely delete it without Sims 4 complaining? Cause I don't ever use that launcher, just TS4_64.exe

(English is not my first language so pls excuse any mistakes🙂

I had the exact same problem where my game just wouldn’t start and the TS4_DX9_x64.exe was blocking my game but I could find this file anywhere on my pc.

I finally found it and now my game is working again!

I first had to go to where my game data was saved and had to open the data path and that was when the DX9 data appeared

after that I opened windows-safety started the virus and threat protection -> ransomware protection -> allow app through monitored folder access -> and add the file

I truly hope this will help you solve the problem!

Again, seems like a problem EA ought to fix if after a patch one of their launcher files makes an antivirus software that comes preinstalled with Windows 10 (ie Windows Defender's controlled folder access anti-ransomware) go apeshit and lose its mind.

@Ravenant420  It's possible that Windows Defender already "understands," so to speak, what Sims 4 does and that it's not malware; but that the information pertains to TS4_x64.exe and hasn't been updated for the new executable.  That's just a guess on my part, but it wouldn't be a surprise, and in that case, Microsoft would be the one to implement the fix.

Modern games (and modern game launchers) can be very invasive, to the point where they'd look like malware to any antivirus not already set up to handle games.  This doesn't mean they are malware, only that the symptoms of malware overlap with the games' behavior.  I don't know of a fix for this other than the entire gaming industry reforming its ways, which seems unlikely.

This is still an issue in 2025, Malwarebytes quarantined as TS4_DX9_x64.exe as malware.