Re: [CURRENT ISSUE] Sims 4 saves/user content disappearing (PC)

@fiersta  Is OneDrive running on your computer?  Even if you never use it deliberately, OneDrive could have synced your Sims 4 data along with everything else in Documents, so check there first.

You can also search your computer for any stray saves.  Open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and enter Slot_ in the search field in the upper-right corner.  This should turn up any remaining saves.  If you find one, click on it and click the "Open file location" menu button, and you'll jump to wherever that save is.

In either case, move any saves you find to the local version of Documents (i.e. not the one in OneDrive), specifically Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves, and they should show up in-game.  If this doesn't work but you did find some saves, please post a screenshot of the contents of the saves folder, as in, I want to see the list of saves.

Thank you for this!! 

Did you manage to get them back? I have the same problem and nothing works ☹️ 

@xxbasiaxx  I've merged your post with a guide for this issue.  Please see the first post, particularly the "Restoring missing saves" and "My saves aren't in OneDrive" sections.

Hi, I have tried this method and it's stuck on "Working on it..."! I'm guessing that means it's still looking or it's broken.

@KeliHollow  What step is stuck?  Please post a screenshot or two if you think it would be helpful.

The step where I type in Slot_ in the search bar at the top right corner in File Explorer. It's stuck trying to load.

@KeliHollow  Try installing Everything, from VoidTools, which is a free and more efficient search tool.

Alright, I'll try it out and let you know!! Also, it may be awhile. My keyboards batteries died and I don't have anymore batteries. I also don't have another keyboard.

I'm updating you in regards to finding my save files. I have found my save files! Unsure what to do next.

@KeliHollow  The save files go inside the saves folder in whichever Sims 4 folder the game is reading.  Here's how to find it:

https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2018/07/how-to-find-your-user-folder/

The saves themselves need to be named correctly: Slot_ followed by an eight-digit hexidecimal (0 to 9, a to f) number followed by .save , with no other characters in the name.  The ones that end in .verx are backups of the saves with the same number, and those can be loaded too if you renumber them and delete the .verx extension.  But that's not necessary unless you can't load or don't have the main save of that particular number.

If you're not sure where to go from here, please post a screenshot of the folder that contains your saves, as in, I'd like to see the save names and sizes.  Include the address bar, above the list of files, in the screenshot.  Please also list the full path to the folder the game is reading, as seen in-game.

Hopefully, I got the right screenshot. It took a little bit to figure out how to get the in-game screenshot.

@KeliHollow  The saevs look to be in the correct place, but some of them wouldn't load because of how they're named.  Since I'm not sure which saves you want to load, and which files are usable, I'd suggest you try them all just to see what you have.

On your desktop, make a folder called "saves to test" and a folder called "saves to keep" (or whatever you want, but label them in a way you'll recognize).  Move every save file except for the first one listed (Slot_00000002.save) to the "saves to test" folder.  Load the game and see whether this save shows up.  If it does, great, move it to "saves to keep," or trash it if you don't want it.  If it doesn't show up at all at the Main Menu, it may not be usable at all, unfortunately.

Move the next save on the list out of "saves to test" and into the main saves folder.  Rename it to Slot_00000003.save (that's seven zeroes and then a 3), with no other characters.  Load it in-game, if you can, and decide whether to keep it.  If you trash it, you can also name the next save Slot_00000003.save ; if not, the next save should be numbered 00000004.  Keep going until you've figured out which saves work and decided which to keep from among them.

If a save shows up at the Main Menu but you can't load your main household, that's a different problem.  In that case, let me know whether you can load a different household within that save, preferably one in a different world.

So about creating the folders. Where do they need to be located? Do they need to be made where the saves are located or on the desktop where the taskbar is located? Hopefully, you will understand what I mean.

@KeliHollow  I suggested placing the folders on your desktop for easy access, but they can be anywhere.  Sims 4 isn't going to be using them, just you, and just for the purpose of keeping things organized.  So put them wherever is most convenient.

Hello, I’m also having a similar issue. I updated my computer and all my games and everything were gone. I looked around of my computer and found my original sims 4 folder with all my saves and custom content. I put that original sims 4 folder into the electronic arts folder, replacing the new one that had none of my saves. Then, I went to open the game and it only gave me the option to start a new game, there was no option to load game. So, I uninstalled the sim and redownloaded everything. Then put the original sims 4 folder with the saves back in, just for it to still only give me the option to start a new game again. I’m not sure what I should do now.

They’re all in the right place but they don’t appear when I load up my game (using EA app)