Re: How to move sims 4+packs+mods/cc from C drive to D drive?

Please help.

I'm getting an error. 

The syntax of the command is incorrect.
Creates a symbolic link.

@Chuchay25  Please post a screenshot of the command window that's showing you this error.  I'd like to see the full error as well as the command you're using.

Same here, Chuchay25.

If anyone can help, I am trying to get my User data (game saves) to my external drive (D drive, for me). My game is already there, and I have tried following crinrict's instructions exactly, but it's not working.

Here's what I did.

I removed the The Sims 4 folder  from C:\Users\<myuser name>\ Documents\Electronic Arts and pasted it into the D: drive. The file there now says "The Sims 4", so now the direct address for the saved game files is D:/ The Sims 4. Is that how it should look?

Here's the point where I got confused, because it just didn't make sense to me, but I followed the directions exactly anyway.

Crinrict says to go to the System command and type in MKLINK /J “%UserProfile%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4” and end that tag with the external drive. For me that's D, so here's how my command looked: MKLINK /J “%UserProfile%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4” "D:\The Sims 4"

"The system cannot find the path specified." /sigh I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.

My game is saved in the D drive. The files are there for the packs, but I cannot get my saves off the C: drive and onto the D: drive. What am I missing? Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

@stillasimsweetie  One reason this error happens is because Windows is using a different location for Documents.  The %UserProfile% part of the file path is shorthand for C:\Users\username, but Windows might be reading the Documents folder in OneDrive instead, or you might have moved the location of Documents elsewhere.  In either case, the command you're using won't find the Electronic Arts folder if it's inside a different Documents folder.

Please find the Electronic Arts folder from which you removed the Sims 4 folder.  Right-click it and select Properties > General, and you'll see the file path, listed as the Location.  Use that file path in the command rather than %UserProfile%, and the command should work.

If that's not the case, please list the file path to the Electronic Arts folder.

By the way, I hope the game itself is installed into a separate folder, i.e. not simply D:\The Sims 4 where you've placed your saves and other user data.  Mixing these two folders can only cause problems, and if you've done that, it would be best to separate the contents before proceeding with the symlink.

are you still around by chance? ive been trying to do this for hours and cant get it. it just keeps saying file already exists

@ffiila  Yes, I'm still around.  Please let me know what step you're trying to complete here, and if you're using Command Prompt, post a screenshot of the window showing the command and the error.

@puzzlezaddict 

Good Afternoon! I am trying to move my sims save file, I have Windows 11 and when i right click the Users folder and click properties the location tab is not there.  how do i make it appear or how do I move the users folder with Windows 11? - The Tabs that show under properties are General (no options to do anything), Sharing, Security, Previous Versions, Customize (Lets me change the type of folder, the icon and if i want the folder to have pictures on the icon.)

Thank you in advance!!!

@2Crazypeople  First, let's figure out where your Documents directory is.  Your computer will have several Documents folders, but the important detail is the Documents directory, as Windows has designated it.  Search in Windows for Command Prompt, open it, and enter this command:

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

Open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and open the corresponding path, starting with the C drive if that's where Documents is.  When you get to Documents, right-click there and see whether you can move it.  If not, there are other approaches, but please first let me know whether you're trying to move Documents to an external drive.

@puzzlezaddict 

Thank you for the quick response. I have 3 hard-drives in my Computer, C which is my OS and the current location of the Documents file housing the Sims game Saves/Mods. D which is my largest slowest drive for all my documents and music. and F which is my solid state Video Game File. I have all my games on F. I was hoping to move the User File or Documents File from C which is extremely full to F the Video Game harddrive.

The Command Prompt you gave me confirmed the location::  C:\Users\psych\OneDrive\Documents.

@puzzlezaddictIncluding a Screen Shot. If I try to move JUST the Documents fold, not the User File or Electronic Arts Folder I was able to find the Location Tab. however I hit an error I screen shot so you can see the two locations and the error.

@2Crazypeople  The issue is OneDrive, which is blocking you from moving the Documents directory.  Here's how to get around that:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-4-saves-user-content-disappearing-PC/m-p/12475370#Remove

This only applies if you want to move all of Documents to F.  That's fine, but the location should be F:\Documents, or you'll run into trouble sooner or later, probably sooner.

If you'd prefer to move only the Sims 4 folder, or Electronic Arts folder, to F, you can use a symbolic link:

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

If you do NOT get Documents out of OneDrive first, you'll need to use your current location for Documents:

C:\Users\psych\OneDrive\Documents

in the symlink command rather than %UserProfile%\Documents.  If you do move Documents back to the default location (on C), the command should work.  If you move it to F, you of course won't need the symlink at all.

Regardless of the approach you choose, I would recommend first copying or moving the Sims 4 user folder to F, to an entirely different folder, for safekeeping.  You can restore its contents later if you need to, or delete it if the original files stay intact.

@puzzlezaddict 

Thank you !! Ok so I got the file out of the One Drive. Long Story Short I uninstalled the game and reinstalled to have it pick a different Documents folder. I have my Sims Folder safe on D all my mods and saves so at this point Im playing with an empty file, or creating a sim to just delete. Im back to the first issue I was running into, I right click the documents folder and there is no location tab. there is no location tab on Electronic Arts OR Sims 4. Including the screen shot showing the Command prompt the file with path and the document properties screen.

If no one has told you, you are REALLY amazing! Thank you again!!

@puzzlezaddict 

Im not sure what changed, i walked away from my computer and made dinner with my husband and in that 10 minutes suddenly the tab for Location is there. I have moved the file. moved my saves and mods in to it and it is running as smooth as butter. Thank you for all of your help!!!

@2Crazypeople  I'm glad to hear everything is working now.  I could make a joke about how so many problems are solved by either walking away or asking for help on a forum, but this is actually a Windows issue at least some of the time.  I've seen complaints going back a couple of years at least about the Location tab disappearing, often for no diagnosable reason.

Anyway, the important thing is that your content is showing up now.

Hii!!! my mods dont work on my d drive. i installed new mods yet they still dont work!.. 

@younah88  Your mods will only work if they're in the user folder Sims 4 is actually reading.  Here's how to find it:

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

If you want to move the user folder to D, here's how:

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

Heyy I really hope you're still available. I'm trying to do the same but I'm really bad with coding. I can't find an option on EA to move the sims to D, only browse where its location is. Also, i moved my documents file in D. what do i need to do? 

@RobotArianator  If your Documents directory is on D, then Sims 4 should use that folder too.  Here's how to check:

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

The EA App has nothing to do with this, as in, you can't manually select the location for your user data.  The game will always use the Documents directory if it can, wherever that directory is.  If that's not happening, if the location of your user folder is not where you want it, please list its current location, as you see it in-game.

If you want the program files on D, you'll need to uninstall Sims 4 and reinstall it in the correct location.  (The EA App doesn't have a Move Game function either.)  You can install the game pretty much wherever you want, but NOT in the same place as the user folder.  It would be best to not have it in Documents at all.

Hello, i know it has been a while since this thread was active, but I hope to have some luck. I did all the stuff to link the folder and it did but the folder still takes up space on C instead (not instead, both folders have the same size) of the D as it should. My C drive has about 200MB of space (very terrible since the system is also there) and even with the linking etc. The mods folder (the only one that has anything since I deleted everything a while back because of the space) still appears in C whenever I even just as much as link it and start the game.

Am I doing something wrong? The link went through and the folder shows the little shortcut icon but is still about 9GB. My computer is also in czech language so I will translate anything that happens.

This is basically the folder which should be linked but takes so much space. 

I used the command just like this: MKLINK /J “%UserProfile%\Dokumenty\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4” "D:\The Sims 4\The Sims 4" and it said "connection made..." I also used it with "Documents" instead of "Dokumenty" so that should not be a problem.

If you (or anybody) have some idea why this may be happening, i would be very happy for any answer. Thank you very much in advance.