Lost save and progress

@pocketfIower First thing that comes to mind is did you log in or out of OneDrive? This could affect the way the game looks for the save files. Check where OneDrive saves the files and see if your files are there.

@roberta591I stopped using OneDrive when it caused issues for me in the past, so it is disabled despite the file path (and I'm not signed in). The files go to C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\saves\Slot_etc (path from the game). I have a bunch of old save files still in the game - it's the latest one and the one before that (and maybe even another one before that) that's disappeared. I deleted one save file that was dated somewhere around the 20th of October to the 22nd, but that's all I deleted.

Honestly, I'll settle for whatever's from the 28th save file if the latest one can't be found anywhere, but I can't even locate that save file...TT

It ends with a "b" instead of an "a" (slot_0000000b) and it shows in all the searches but not within the folder itself.

@pocketfIower  Are you sure that Sims 4 is still using the OneDrive folder?  It's been known to switch, and if you end up putting a save in the wrong location, it won't show up.  The easiest way to check is to launch the game, click Load Game, and hover over the folder icon under the info for one of your saves.  That will show where the save is located, or specifically where the copy the game is reading is located.

At any rate, if you open a File Explorer window, click This PC, and search for Slot_0000000b (the exact name of the missing file in your screenshot), you should be able to right-click and copy the file, and then you can paste it onto your desktop for safekeeping.  Please make sure that it has a .save extension and that it's not a trivial size that would suggest its data is missing.  Then you can click on the file and Open file location (the option is at the top of the File Explorer window), and the file itself should be highlighted in the window that opens.

You can also do the same search for Slot_* (with the asterisk), again in a File Explorer window rather than in the search bar at the bottom of your screen, so you have the extra options.  You might have to wade through a number of files, but sorting by date should help.

@puzzlezaddict Yep - so far, I can't find another Sims save folder anywhere other than that path, and the game shows that path as well. I searched for the slot_0000000b file and while I can see it in every search, I can't open the file location or the file itself when I right-click. I can't interact with it at all TT all I can do is copy its path.

@pocketfIower  This is why I suggested you open a File Explorer window.  You're still using the search bar at the bottom of your screen.  Click the yellow folder icon in your taskbar, then enter your search term of choice in the File Explorer window, in the upper right corner.

@puzzlezaddict  Oh - my bad. I found(??) the file!! But, I can't copy it into the desktop or anything...even tried with the .ver files of that save file. It says that it's no longer in the \saves folder, but that's where the path leads... ☹️

@pocketfIower Did you install the game using defaults? Did you use symbolic link to move any of the game files?

@pocketfIower It doesn't take much to break these games. Have you tried starting a new game and saving and then trying to play that save?