Re: Custom Content will not show up with Sims4 on external drive

I think I’ve done something wrong , my document folder is no longer documents it’s basically a shortcut to my external drive , I have no saved data except cc on sims should I still NOT restart because the cc still isn’t working.

@laijahd  Please undo the process and start over.  You're not supposed to redirect the Documents directory, just the Sims 4 folder (or the Electronic Arts folder) inside.  Having Documents on an external drive will make Windows extremely unhappy should the drive ever be disconnected.

Do I still do the full process in this guide AFTER I've installed the sims 4 on my external hard drive? When I cut The Sims 4 folder from my document and pasted it on to the external hard drive it disappeared. I'm assuming it combined with the already existing folder on the external hard drive?

@MarMarDinah15  Your Sims 4 user files may well have gone into the folder for the game's program files, and I would sort that out before doing anything else.  At the very least, grab the saves and Tray folders so you've preserved your saves and saved households and builds.

You can create the symbolic link before or after you've moved the game's program files, or without moving them to the external at all.  But one critical detail is that you need to have the program files and the user files in separate folders.  You can't just dump everything into D:\The Sims 4 and hope it works.  Create another folder on your external, call it whatever you want, and direct the game to look for the user folder there, for example D:\Game Data\The Sims 4.

I’m just wondering if you know how to fix my issue, my sims game works perfectly fine, no issues there, however when trying to add my cc I’m struggling as it doesn’t appear in game, I’m also using the EA app since origin doesn’t work on my device anymore, I also have an external hard drive ; I have no idea how to get my cc in game, since when I try to add it to the mods folder nothing happens / it doesn’t appear in my game

@katie51609  Sims 4 will still read and write to the user folder in Documents > Electronic Arts regardless of where you've installed the game.  If you're already looking there, please make sure the file path to your Mods folder exactly matches the file path you see in-game:

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

If you do want to move the user folder to your external drive, you'll need to create a symbolic link to tell the game where to look:

https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-link.html

I appreciate the help however i think due to my type of laptop maybe the https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-link.html

didn't work, again I could be doing something wrong but i tried following it step by step, whenever i tried to make an empty text file (  MKLINK /J “%UserProfile%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4” “D:\The Sims 4”  ) it would say 'A file name can't contain any of the following characters' . Again, thank you for the help you have given but my brain is malfunctioning lol

@katie51609  Why are you trying to change the name of the text file?  The name doesn't matter; the point of opening the text file is so you can modify the command for your purposes, and check your work, before inputting it into Command Prompt.

ive moved my game onto an external disk and none of my saves or mods moved over, so I tried doing what the link said to do, but my cmd says ''Cannot create a file when that file already exists'' however said file isn't visible, at least for me. any idea what I could do to fix this? other than that, my game works just fine

@Majale2006  That error means exactly what it says: that wherever you're trying to create the symlink itself (the link, not the destination), there's already a file or folder with the same name.  It'll be easier to help you if you simply post the command you used.

Please also list the default location of Documents on your computer.  Write "command" in the Windows search field, open Command Prompt, and enter this command:

reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" /v "Personal"

Then post the result.

the command ive previously used was MKLINK /J “%UserProfile%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4” “D:\The Sims 4”

Ive tried the "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" /v "Personal" command, yet command prop says The system cannot find the path specified.

is there anything else I could try?

@Majale2006  Please post the results of the second command, and I'll tailor the first command to your setup.

After typing in the second command, command prop says The system cannot find the path specified.

@Majale2006  Sorry, I meant please post the results of this command:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" /v "Personal

Please also post the actual symlink command you're using when you get the cannot find the file path error.

that is the command i am talking about. command prop says The system cannot find the path specified. and I have no clue what a symlink command is.

@Majale2006  Please find the file path in your computer's registry and list it for me.  Hit Windows key-R and enter "regedit" without quotes, then open these sections in succession:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

Find the Personal entry, and list the file path on the right.  It should look something like one of these:

%USERPROFILE%\Documents

C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Documents

Ive found all the stuff that youve listed, and in the end it said %USERPROFILE%\Documents

What can i do now?

@Majale2006  Okay, that's good, it means OneDrive hasn't co-opted your Documents folder.  So, for the command to create the symbolic link, you'll write this:

MKLINK /J “C:\Users\username\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4” “D:\The Sims 4”

Except you'll write your actual username instead of username in the command.  And make sure there is no "The Sims 4" folder inside the Electronic Arts folder, or if there is, move or rename it.

I am having a very similar problem, only it says "you cannot create a file that already exists". But it does not look like it exists anywhere?

My saves does not show up in game, I tried to make a new save which stays when I close and open the game again. My mods are still installed and I have allowed mods to run in the game including scripts, but it does not show up at all. Pls help :'))))

@Mikglandersson  I'd like the specific locations of these files and folders to make it easier to describe the problem and what you need to do about it.  First, search Windows for "command prompt," open it, and enter this command:

reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders" /v "Personal"

Please post the results.  Please also find a save that isn't loading in-game, right-click it, select Properties > General, and post the full file path you see under Location.  Do the same for one of your mods if those aren't loading either.

Finally, please post the full file path to the folder you want to use for your saves and other user data.