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redstarmoo's avatar
redstarmoo
6 years ago
Solved

transfer sims 4 to hard drive, tips?

 i plan on transferring my sims 4 game to an 1tb external hard drive (which i do not have yet). i have SO many questions: - what can i/can i not delete off of my computer entirely once the game is o...
pc
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    6 years ago

    @redstarmoo  Sims 4 data is stored in two different places.  The game's program files are wherever you installed them, by default Program files (x86)\Origin Games.  You can uninstall from there and reinstall to your external hard drive, or move the files directly to the drive through Origin's Move Game function.  When it works, it should transfer and verify the install files in one step, so you don't have to redownload.  In any case, make sure you're installing to a folder within the external, as in D:\Origin games or something similar.

    Your user-generated and -downloaded content is stored in the Sims 4 folder in Documents\Electronic Arts.  The game will only read this folder if it's in its proper place.  So moving your saves, or the whole Sims 4 folder, to the external drive won't work.  There's a way to redirect all of Documents to the external, but this isn't a good idea unless you plan on never unplugging the external at all.  It's much better to leave the Sims 4 folder on your internal drive instead.

    The TS4 folder in Documents isn't usually that large anyway, unless you use a lot of custom content.  If you have a number of saves you're not currently playing, or old saved sims and households you don't currently need, you can move those files to the external drive instead.  (Saved Library entries are in the Tray folder.)  Just be sure to put them back when you want to play them again.

puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
6 years ago

@redstarmoo  Sims 4 data is stored in two different places.  The game's program files are wherever you installed them, by default Program files (x86)\Origin Games.  You can uninstall from there and reinstall to your external hard drive, or move the files directly to the drive through Origin's Move Game function.  When it works, it should transfer and verify the install files in one step, so you don't have to redownload.  In any case, make sure you're installing to a folder within the external, as in D:\Origin games or something similar.

Your user-generated and -downloaded content is stored in the Sims 4 folder in Documents\Electronic Arts.  The game will only read this folder if it's in its proper place.  So moving your saves, or the whole Sims 4 folder, to the external drive won't work.  There's a way to redirect all of Documents to the external, but this isn't a good idea unless you plan on never unplugging the external at all.  It's much better to leave the Sims 4 folder on your internal drive instead.

The TS4 folder in Documents isn't usually that large anyway, unless you use a lot of custom content.  If you have a number of saves you're not currently playing, or old saved sims and households you don't currently need, you can move those files to the external drive instead.  (Saved Library entries are in the Tray folder.)  Just be sure to put them back when you want to play them again.

  • redstarmoo's avatar
    redstarmoo
    6 years ago

    thank you for the clarification! just to make sure, i have to keep the origin application on my pc for the sims to function right?

    regardless, i'll be sure to follow through with your answer when i get my hard drive

    • puzzlezaddict's avatar
      puzzlezaddict
      Hero+
      6 years ago

      @redstarmoo  You can usually install Origin on an external drive as well, although some people find it doesn't work properly.  If you want to move Origin, be sure to put it within its own folder on the external, so if you need to uninstall it, you won't also accidentally uninstall anything else.  And be sure to uninstall Origin "the hard way" before reinstalling it elsewhere.

      https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/manually-uninstalling-origin/

      But since Origin is a relatively small app (around 350 MB), it might be easier to leave it where it is.

      • redstarmoo's avatar
        redstarmoo
        6 years ago

        thank you!!!

  • sashacampbell19's avatar
    sashacampbell19
    5 years ago

    Hello! I came across this thread and wondered if you could expand anymore on how I would be able to move all of my documents/saves to an external hard drive? I tried to do this and it doesn’t work. I have extremely low storage on my laptop, so whilst having my games saved locally shouldn’t normally be an issue it is for me. 

    • puzzlezaddict's avatar
      puzzlezaddict
      Hero+
      5 years ago

      @sashacampbell199  It's not a good idea to move Documents in its entirety to your external hard drive unless you absolutely never plan to disconnect that drive, which kind of defeats the purpose of having one in the first place.  But you can use a symbolic link to move your Sims 4 user data folder (the one in Documents\Electronic Arts) to the external drive if you want.  Here's a useful guide:

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

      If you have questions about the process, feel free to ask.  But it should work fine as long as you follow the instructions.  Be sure to make a backup copy of the user data folder beforehand, or at least your essential files.

      • cherryyjung's avatar
        cherryyjung
        2 years ago

        Hey there, do you also have any idea how to do it on a Mac?

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