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TJG951's avatar
6 years ago

Sims 4 not saving

Hi, 

I cannot get Sims 4 to save.  No error message and we can 'Save and Exit' OK but when it comes to 'Load Game' it won't click to saved games (like there's no saved games).  I am using a second HDD in my PC for the Sims so not sure if this is the Issue?  I wanted to keep my C drive free.

Thanks

4 Replies

  • roberta591's avatar
    roberta591
    Hero (Retired)
    6 years ago

    @TJG951  First - this game is hard coded to save this games user data to the system device (C) in the users documents folder. This folder can be moved using symbolic link. This is an advanced system technique that I do not recommend to be used by novice computer users unless they fully understand what is happening. Other programs are hard coded to use certain folders and directories. Moving system related folders could cause issues with the operating system if not properly configured and maintained. What usually happens is a user forgets about the change and starts changing files incorrectly (while troubleshooting maybe) and this could affect the game AND more importantly the operating system. IMO this game is fragile enough without tempting issues especially if you are troubleshooting cc and mods. The windows operating systems requires adequate free space on the system device (C) to operate correctly. This game tends to create large temp files. Windows is known to be a poor house keeper by not deleting temp and other files after they are no longer required.  If you are concerned about keeping C drive free now I'm guessing you have a small ssd as your system device. One thing I can assure you is that it won't get better. I recommend all gamers to get a large enough system device that they won't have to worry about storage. My first guess is you don't have enough free space on the system device.

  • TJG951's avatar
    TJG951
    6 years ago

    Thanks for your replies. 

    There is enough space on my SSD but wanted to keep clean but to save problems, I will save everything to the C drive.  What I might do is then backup the saved games regularly, is this easy enough to do.

    Thanks again. 

  • @TJG951  Are you still having issues saving and/or loading existing saves?  This could be related to drive space, but there are plenty of other causes.  Let me know if you'd like to troubleshoot that issue specifically.

    In case it's not totally clear, there are a few different ways you can move Sims 4 files away from C, if you'd like.

    • You can install the game's program files on a separate drive, or move them there using Origin.  If you use Origin to move the files, or you uninstall/reinstall, the game should work fine.
    • You can redirect Documents in its entirety to another drive.  This is supported by Windows (see @kreatora's link) and should not cause any issues with saving or retrieving user data.
    • You can move only the Sims 4 user data folder from within Documents to a separate drive, using a symbolic link.  This is not overly complicated either, nor particularly risky.  If you do it wrong, you might delete your Sims 4 folder (which is why it's good to have a backup), but that's about it.

    If you'd like help with any of these steps, please feel free to ask.