Sims® 4, OneDrive®, and You

Hey all,

I have fought with this issue for over a year and the solution was simpler than I thought. I, like most people over complicated how to fix this dilemma. If you are like me and play with Mods and CC, then you will need this to continue in bliss. Note, this "fix" or "work-around" is for people (Simmers) who, like me, want to play EA games and still want to use OneDrive. Lets get started.

• Step One: Prepping your files
  • In your File Explorer, on the file tree to the left, right-click OneDrive and choose "Settings"
  • Go to "Sync and Backup" and click the "Manage backup" button.
  • In this window, you want to move your sliders (one at a time) to the left, then choose "keep the files locally on your PC" on each folder option. (This will store your files locally)
• Step Two: Prepping OneDrive for continued use
  • In your File Explorer, on the file tree to the left, left-click OneDrive and verify folders are empty (don't worry, we will get to where your files are), then delete the folders to clean up your OneDrive.
  • Next you will need to right-click in the main window section and select "New" then "Folder".
  • Name each folder for what will be in it, I.E. "My Docs", "My Pics", etc. (this is where the files will go for stuff you want in OneDrive)
  • Next go to C:\Users\{your profile name here}\  (this is where your files are now saved locally)
  • Chose files from your documents, pictures, music, videos, etc folders you want to be on OneDrive and highlight, right-click, copy, then paste into your created folders on OneDrive. (Note: this is not to include any game saves folder like EA).
• Step Three: Verifying Sync and Backup
  • In your File Explorer, on the file tree to the left, right-click OneDrive and choose "Settings"
  • Go to "Account" and click the "Choose folders" button.
  • In this window you will want to put a check mark next to your newly created folders ("My Docs", "My Pics", etc.). Don't worry about the "Documents", "Attachments", and "Vault" folders; those will be recreated by OneDrive no matter how many time you delete them. Also, leave "Vault" alone as that is something separate and won't affect what we did today. 
• Optional Step: Using MKLink (This is for those wanting files on another drive)
  • You can create a symbiotic link that will trick EA and others into thinking your files are on your local C drive documents folder. This allows for save to be on another drive internally to your PC or an external drive. Handy for raid setups too. For this to work you have to do a link for each sub folder inside your Documents folder as (at the time of writing this) you can't have an existing folder for what you intend the link to be for. 
  • First ensure you move your EA Games folder to a safe spot (desktop or other location) as you will have to delete this folder. Cut and paste will save time but not recommended. Copy and paste will be safer. 
  • Next you will want to grab your path for your destination on another drive. What I did was create a folder in my K Drive labeled "MyData". This will be the symbiote of your "Documents" folder. Inside this folder, create the "Documents" folder. 
  • Now you will create the MKLink (Symbolic) to point to your files. Open your command prompt using right-click and choosing "More" then "Run as Administrator" (Win 10, Win 11 may look different).
  • You will use the following command to make the link: 

    mklink /j "C:\Users\{your profile name here}\Documents\Electronic Arts" "K:\MyData\Documents\Electronic Arts" (if this fails, then you have the folder still in either location). 

  • At this point you can move your "The Sims 4" folder into the new location (MyData\Documents\Electronic Arts\).

For more info on MKLink and its uses, see this link: MKLink Usage

Disclaimers - I am no way affiliated with EA, Microsoft, or any of their partners. I offer this advice with no warranties or support. I am in no way responsible for any data loss or data corruption through following this guide or your unintended actions. This guide is submitted for "at your own risk" use.