sims 4 won't launch

hello 

so I can't open my game from ea app

like I click on the sims 4 icon and it opens the ea and then I click on play and I also open my task manager to see if the game opens or not and it opens like it shows me that it opened but the thing is that the ea opens again and my game won't appear on the task manager

I'm using windows  10 and my game is not opening at all 

I hope you can help me with my problem

ps: I've tried using the trikes from youtube but nothing help 

thank you for your time 

@g9ifsqe1w7k5  As a test, please try playing in a clean user folder.  Move the entire Sims 4 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop, and when you launch the game, if it launches, a clean folder will spawn with no content.  (Your saves and other content will be intact in the folder you moved but temporarily not read by the game.)  Don't add anything to the new folder yet; just let me know whether you can get far enough to start a new save and play in live mode for a bit.

If you still can't play, please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

Hey, I've been having the issue that I get an error message saying "game already running", when it's definitely not. I tried that folder moving thing, but then when I open the EA app it looks as though the game is not even downloaded. When I try to launch the game outside the EA app, I get the error message that I don't own the game. Any other ides? (I've tried: Windows Defender settings, clearing cache, deleting temp files, re-downloading the game, repairing the game.) I do not use any mods or cc. I tried to run a dxdiag, but I'm not sure it actually captured me trying to launch the game. Thank you!

@YourMerigold  What folder did you move that made the game appear to be uninstalled?  Please post a screenshot of its contents, including the address bar above the list of files and folders.  It sounds like you moved the game's program files, not the user folder, but I want to confirm that and see where the game is installed in the first place.

Hi @puzzlezaddict, Thanks for looking into it! I attached the screenshot. I'm not sure where else I'd find that user folder, sorry!

@YourMerigold  Right, the folder in your screenshot contains the game's program files, not the user files.  Leave that folder alone.

The Sims 4 user folder would be in one of these locations:

C:\Users\[your username]\Documents\Electronic Arts

C:\Users\[your username]\OneDrive\Documents\Electronic Arts

However, this folder only appears if you've started the game at least once.  So don't be surprised if you don't see the folder in either location.  Just have a look and let me know whether you do see that folder.

To make sure you're looking in the correct location, open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, double-click the C drive, then open Users > your username etc.

Hi @puzzleaddict, sorry for the late response, the app app didn't allow me to log in again for the past 1.5 weeks (but that's a whole other can of worms). I was able to log in now. I had found the folder you described in the username - Documents location and moved it to my desktop. I am still seeing this error though. Do you have any ideas left?

@YourMerigold  I have plenty of ideas left, starting with a simple test.  Create a new admin Windows account, and make it a local one, as in, don't sign into Microsoft.  Don't sync with any other services you normally use either.  Try to play in that account.  You won't need to reinstall anything, but your saves and other content won't be available.  That can be addressed later; the point here is to see whether the game starts at all.

If you can in fact play in the new account, that means the issue is something in your main account, and the question is what.  In that case, I'd like to know whether OneDrive is running, even if you never use it, and how full it is.  And whether you can play or not, please let me know what antivirus you use.

Hi @puzzlezaddict, I did create the other account and was able to play on that yesterday. I wanted to do a quick test today, but am getting the game already running error in that account now as well. I moved the Sims folder to the desktop there and tried again, but no change. 

I do not use OneDrive, and am not signed in there. According to the properties it is empty. Regarding the antivirus I just use whatever came with Windows and keep that updated, as I mostly just use this PC for gaming. I have re-checked the Windows Defender settings and am wondering whether the "public" boxes should also be ticked. Thank you so much for your support!

@YourMerigold  The Public setting in Windows Firewall is actually more restrictive: it means you're setting your system as on a public network, and additional protections come into play.  So leave that as it is.

For the issue itself, do you have Controlled Folder Access running?  If so, please either disable it or set these exceptions for Sims 4:

https://crinrict.com/blog/2019/03/windows-10-defender-controlled-folder-access.html

If you see anything that mentions the EA App, be sure to give it access as well.  I know you checked Windows Defender's settings already, but I want to make sure everything gets covered.

If changing the settings doesn't help, try disabling Controlled Folder Access entirely, at least long enough to test.

And please double-check that you do not in fact have an antivirus running in the background.  Many computers come with one pre-installed even if the user hasn't paid for any particular service.