🛠️ Creating a symlink in macOS to store the Sims 4 folder on an external drive
➡️ This is not to be confused with installing the actual Sims 4 game on an external drive. The game installation location is determined in EA App and there is no need to use a symlink for this. As internal storage gets smaller we're forced to use cloud based solutions to store files and folders or resort to a trusty external drive. Cloud based only storage is not an option for the Sims 4 folder that contains all your saves, Mods, Library items and other user data because the game only looks in one place for your data: Macintosh HD > Users > [your user account] > Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 If there is no Sims 4 folder in that location the game will create a new one. There is no way around this default Sims 4 folder location unfortunately, it is hard coded into the game. Because of this the only option to store the Sims 4 folder on an external drive is to create a symbolic link, otherwise known as a symlink. Creating the symlink is relatively easy provided you understand the concept of what a symlink is and why you are creating it. You should also be familiar with Terminal on your Mac and the security and permission systems in place in whichever version of macOS you are running as these dictate the ability for the game to access the external drive and whether your Mac user account has permission to grant the necessary access. You should also make sure you are using a good quality, fast external drive. You get what you pay for and if you bought a cheap drive, with low quality cables, you will most likely struggle to get the symlink to work because it will be too slow. For help buying an external drive and what to look out for read this guide. I am not going to write step by step instructions here, the post will be far too long. Instead, you can read the detailed and comprehensive guide I wrote several years ago here https://bluebellflora.com/saving-your-sims-4-folder-to-an-external-drive/ If your symlink is not working it is down to user error. It really is that simple. macOS is a Unix based operating system and as such uses Unix commands which are all provided in the above linked guide. This thread is for consolidating all posts related to the Mac symlink process here at Answers HQ. If you're a Windows user read Crinrict's excellent guide here https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-link.html. What I have provided below are a few of the common issues people face as a result of not entering the commands correctly or having the correct permissions in place. Common issues reported and the solution: Always check your external drive has the correct name in Disk Utility: open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities) change View to Show All Devices then click on the drive in the left sidebar the Mount Point shows the name of your drive. If there is a number added to the drive name it means the drive has not been properly ejected multiple times Close Disk Utility and eject the drive In Finder click on Go in the menu bar then Go To Folder. Enter /Volumes in the input field and hit return in the /Volumes location, trash the folder(s) that has the same name as the external drive Close Finder, plug the drive back in, open Disk Utility again to check the drive name in the Mount Point. If it matches try to create the symlink In addition to checking the external drive mount point above, the following may also be helpful: Terminal states my access/permission is denied check your Mac user account is an Administrator account and not a Standard account. check that Terminal has access to external drives, also known as Removable Volumes, and your Documents folder. I'm constantly getting "Unable to start... Cannot start because the below file appears to be corrupted" error message make sure the external drive is correctly formatted as either APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If it isn't, reverse the symlink, reformat the drive in Disk Utility and start again. check your Mods actually aren't corrupted by downloading a compatible version from the creator. I keep getting the error message "Unable to start... The Sims 4 is already running" make sure the external drive is correctly plugged in and mounted. check EA App has access to the external drive in System Settings > Privacy & Security. Give it Full Disk Access if necessary. disable iCloud Drive if the symlink folder in Documents is a white page instead of a folder with the little arrow the symlink has broken. Trash it and attempt to recreate the symlink. Check the Mount Point in Disk Utility shows your exact external drive name and doesn’t have a number added to the drive name. If it does this means your drive has not been properly ejected multiple times. To fix it: eject the drive in Finder click on Go in the menu bar then Go To Folder enter /Volumes in the text field and hit Enter/Return in the Finder window that appears you should see a folder, not a drive icon, with the same name as your external drive. Trash it. plug the drive back in, check the mount point in Disk Utility is the exact drive name with no appended numbers, then try to create the symlink again. if the mount point is still showing a number you have problems with your drive. Consider reformatting it, trying different connector cables, or getting a better drive. Terminal tells me No such file or directory did you copy and paste the command from the guide and correctly substitute the name of your external drive? If you didn't copy and paste you may have used the wrong letters in the command. Copy and paste from the guide. Does the folder you are trying to move or create a symlink to exist in the location you are stipulating in the command? Terminal tells me Directory not empty in Step 1 Is there already a folder on the external with the same name as the folder you're moving? i.e. have you already copied over the Electronic Arts folder? If there is already a folder with the same name as the folder you're moving, Terminal will return this result. Terminal tells me File already exists in Step 2 of the guide Did you correctly complete step 1 or is there still an Electronic Arts or Sims 4 folder in your Documents folder? If the folder is still there you have not correctly moved it in Step 1. If you have iCloud Drive enabled to store your Documents folder in the cloud and Optimise Storage enabled, it will cause issues with the symlink. I strongly advise to disable this iCloud feature otherwise you will have issues, especially if you use Mods. As a reminder, creating this symlink is aimed at people storing their Electronic Arts/Sims 4 folder locally. Using iCloud Drive stores your folder in the cloud and locally. For help with iCloud see this thread https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/READ-FIRST-Saves-CC-Mods-or-Library-items-disappeared/m-p/10242133
Sims 4 crashing on Mac
Has any other Mac user experienced almost unusable gameplay since the 25th anniversary update? I had no issues before this update and honestly, my game ran so well I couldn't understand it when people would say they were experiencing crashing. Force quitting and repairing my game does not fix it. I have mods (just MC Command Center) but uninstalled it to see if they were causing the issue, and they were not the culprit. I also have had issues with WooHoo and trying for a baby, where the initial start of the interaction happens but then the icon goes away and they never do anything. Same with divorce. Build mode is just as laggy and glitchy and then crashes again! Hopefully this will be resolved before the new expansion pack comes out!
Gallery not loading
I downloaded the sims on my Mac last month and just realized my gallery never works. it always says connection is required and it never connects. I have tried deleting all my mods and CC, uninstalling the game and EA app, repairing the app, clearing the cache and tray folder, reinstalling, etc. I am connected to wifi and internet. Im extremely frustrated and not sure what to do next. Please help!
All Sims and Households GONE :(
Hello everyone, I have no idea what to do, I'm not even really sure what I did wrong. For starters I am not a technology person like that whatsoever, and basically my Sims4 game had put furniture for all my houses inside my sims inventories. When I would try to place the items back in my game it would say "SCRIPT CALL FAIL" and after some further research I think (heavy on the I think) one of my mods or CC items was broken or outdated, however, I do not know which one it was. I watched a YouTube tutorial on how to fix that problem and I thought I did it correctly but I guess I did not, because when I opened my game back up it was showing as if I never even played before, and I have 701 hrs. of game time listed in my EA account. It wouldn't even give me the option to load an old game or anything my only option was "New Game." I've tried everything to get my sims back and all my game data, the mods and everything is still on my MacBook Air, they even show up in the clothing and hair/makeup section in the game still, all of the mods stuff is still there, but my sims and households are JUST NOT THEY ARE GONE :( Idk what to do at this point, and I got directed here after speaking to someone through EA Post-Chat. Does anybody know what I could've done wrong or have any advice on what I should do, any tips? Really anything at all :( Please, I've spent SO much money on this game, I've paid for 11 different add on's and I have spent so much time on over 80 sims and so many houses and rooms, so much detail and dedication is just all gone and I don't even wanna play anymore because starting alllll over is not even worth everything I accomplished and had set up with my original sims, their lives, homes, and just everything.
Sims 4 closes immediately when trying to launch
Hello, I am having a problem where whenever I try to launch my game, it closes out immediately. I have tried repairing my game and removing all of my mods, but the problem keeps happening. I am playing on a MacBook Air with macOS 15.6.1, and I use a removable Samsung T7 SSD to play my game. Any ideas on how to fix the problem? Thank you!
What the **bleep** is going on EA...
Last night I keep getting inconsistent "Error:0" messages rendering the game incapable of saving (but then sometimes it would work), "Unable to connect to server" to upload to my gallery (but sometimes it would work), and some other crazy-**bleep** message about EA checking for game updates in the background for new stuff. I repaired my game, removed all my mods, cleaned out every cache, and when I go to re-boot the home page is showing me some household I've never played and where the household income dollar amount should be, it showed a bunch "W"s criss-crossing and overlapping. My entire saved game was wiped and I can't recover the back-up files I have. I reached out for support via chat and Ricco tells me there's no issues that have been submitted by their studio team. Oh yeah? Then why are the forums and X blowing up with people having the exact same issues as me?! I repeat, WHAT THE **bleep** IS GOING ON EA?!?!! I've given you how much money over the last few years? You all should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves! I WANT A REFUND FOR EVERY GAME IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A CONSISTENTLY WORKING PRODUCT!!!!!!!Game Will not Launch tried everything
Hello I am disparate at this point. I have Cleared the cash. I have installed and reinstalled. I have redownloaded the EA app. I have freed up storage on my computer. I have installed everything on to an external drive. Nothing worked. I launch the game and it never loads past the first opening screen with the title of the game. I love this game so much but I don't know what else to do. I play on a iMac 2020 with an M1 chip. I am fully up to date on software. Please if there is something I am missing let me know.