Why did my sims 4 game reset everything with the latest update

What happened is that last week I had at least 8+ save files on the sims 4 one for different things like creating my own world, rags to riches, 100 baby challenge, etc. And today I got on early to find everything gone. And the only thing I can think of is that the latest update did something to my game.

When I loaded on this morning I also got the message that I had games downloading but I had all the packs installed already. So I found that strange. Nadnwhen I couldn't access my save files to play on them I exited the game. And went back on and it gives me that pop up message you get when you just downloaded a new pack. I've already came to terms that I can't get them back. But I want to know if it was the latest update that did this or just a one off thing.

puzzlezaddict
5 years ago
@prince048633 What this sounds like is that you have an entirely new Sims 4 user folder. This can happen if Origin switches you to the Sims 4 Legacy Edition, which uses its own folder, or if the existing user folder is removed from Documents\Electronic Arts. The most common cause of that is OneDrive uploading the folder to cloud storage and simultaneously removing it from your hard drive.

Please check OneDrive for a Sims 4 folder, and for any saves inside. If you find some, you can move them back to the Sims 4 folder on your hard drive, and they should work, provided OneDrive hasn't changed their names. (If you do find saves but can't get them to load, let me know, and post a screenshot of the saves folder.)

If OneDrive is in fact the culprit, you can disable its automatic syncing of Documents. You'd still be able to manually upload, but OneDrive wouldn't mess with your files on its own.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/choose-which-onedrive-folders-to-sync-to-your-computer-98b8b011-8b94-419b-aa95-a14ff2415e85

However, the only surefire way to prevent this kind of data loss is to have a backup copy of the user folder, or at least the saves folder inside. You can periodically upload it to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), or copy it to an external hard drive or USB stick, and then if your data ever disappears again, you can just restore the backup.

12 Replies

puzzlezaddict
Hero+
5 years ago
@prince048633 What this sounds like is that you have an entirely new Sims 4 user folder. This can happen if Origin switches you to the Sims 4 Legacy Edition, which uses its own folder, or if the existing user folder is removed from Documents\Electronic Arts. The most common cause of that is OneDrive uploading the folder to cloud storage and simultaneously removing it from your hard drive.

Please check OneDrive for a Sims 4 folder, and for any saves inside. If you find some, you can move them back to the Sims 4 folder on your hard drive, and they should work, provided OneDrive hasn't changed their names. (If you do find saves but can't get them to load, let me know, and post a screenshot of the saves folder.)

If OneDrive is in fact the culprit, you can disable its automatic syncing of Documents. You'd still be able to manually upload, but OneDrive wouldn't mess with your files on its own.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/choose-which-onedrive-folders-to-sync-to-your-computer-98b8b011-8b94-419b-aa95-a14ff2415e85

However, the only surefire way to prevent this kind of data loss is to have a backup copy of the user folder, or at least the saves folder inside. You can periodically upload it to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), or copy it to an external hard drive or USB stick, and then if your data ever disappears again, you can just restore the backup.
prince048633
5 years ago
Thank you so much. I checked One Drive online and all but 1 save file is on there. I would never of thought one drive would do this
gxulxacamp
3 years ago
Hi, I'm having the same problem, but I think that Origin switched it to Legacy edition.
If that's the case, is the solution the same or is it something else? Thank you. 😊
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago
@gxulxacamp Did Origin in fact switch you to the Legacy Edition? If so, that's the reason your content isn't showing up: the LE has its own user folder.

Please load the game to the Main Menu, where you can choose to load a save or start a new one, and find the version number. (It'll be along the bottom of the screen or in the lower-right area.) If it ends in .1020 or .1220, you're running the standard version in Windows or macOS, respectively. A version number ending in .1520 or .1620 denotes the Legacy Edition.

If you are running the LE all of a sudden, and your computer runs Windows, please try to change back within Origin: open your game library, right-click on the Sims 4 icon, select Game Properties > Advanced Launch Options, and choose 64-bit from the dropdown menu. If you don't see that option, repair the game (in the same right-click menu) and look again. If you still don't see the option for 64-bit, please let me know what antivirus you use.

If you happen to have a Mac, that's an entirely different conversation, so please let me know.
q58ku5gbyhs1
3 years ago
I have a mac and the standard verizon but the same problem!
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago
@q58ku5gbyhs1 For disappearing content on a Mac, please see this thread:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/READ-FIRST-Saves-CC-Mods-or-Library-items-disappeared/td-p/10242133

If that doesn't help, please post in that thread.
gxulxacamp
3 years ago
The number ends in 1020, I did what you said but it still doesn't let me load all the work I had. It just tells me to start a new game. I have no idea what happened because last week it worked and now It doesn't
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago
@gxulxacamp Please check OneDrive's version of Documents for any missing content. If you find your saves, you can move them back to Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves, and the game should read them. The same goes for the contents of Tray (saved households and builds) and anything else you want to keep.

If you don't find any saves in OneDrive, you can also search your computer. Open a File Explorer window, click This PC in the left panel, and enter Slot_ in the search field in the upper-right corner. If the search finds any saves, click on one and select "Open file location" in the menu, and you'll land wherever that save is, which is hopefully where all your missing content is. Here again, you can move the save(s) and anything else you've found back to the correct folder.
breannaolupitan
3 years ago
Hi,
I did exactly that and my mods, save and other folders are where they should be but it's still not working. Is there anything else I should do? Thanks
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
3 years ago
@breannaolupitan Please confirm the full file path to the Sims 4 user folder the game is reading. Here's how to find it:

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

This file path needs to match the path to your saves and other content exactly. If the locations do match and your content won't load, please list the file path the game shows you, and also post a screenshot of the contents of your saves folder. Include the address bar, above the list of files, in the screenshot.