Saved Games (Families) disappeared
I logged in to play and load the family I have been playing with recently and they are gone nothing in folders or loading for them under the load games. I tried to look to see if this is a known issue but I am not seeing anything. I have Mods but the content is just clothes, hair, makeup and I do use the testing cheats on the game but have never had an issue where a whole saved family disappears. I have tried repair and uninstalling and reinstalling game and clearing my storage and removing mods, nothing is working. I am using a Mac.[READ FIRST] Compiled list of Mac specific issues
Installing the game & patching - issues in EA App All issues related to installing and patching the game should be posted in the EA App Tech & Bugs forum. This includes, but is not limited to: base game and/or purchased DLC not showing in games library in EA App DLC not available in-game but showing as installed game not recognising a patch is available installing or patching stuck at a certain % Graphical Issues Specific graphics issues since 14 January 2025 patch: Flickering lights/objects/shadows in live mode and BB - [CURRENT ISSUE] Objects and lighting flickering since 14/01 patch | EA Forums - 11858542 Infant pillow shadow flickering in CAS - [MAC] Infant pillow flickering in CAS | EA Forums - 12156631 White dots on CC surfaces - Graphics issue with any reflective/shiny surface | EA Forums - 11017402 Game data incomplete or llama thumbnails or red and white sims or bluey/purple/red textures with question marks - Game Data Incomplete, grey llamas, red and white sims, broken textures | EA Forums - 10985476 Game screen flickering - Sims 4 Screen Flickering | EA Forums - 10960786 Game stuck in windowed mode - [WORKAROUND] game window displays Sims 4 title and cannot be changed | EA Forums - 13198706 Game performance OS specific issues: macOS Tahoe cursor freezes and glitches, gets stuck at bottom of the screen. Playing in windowed mode resolves it Mouse Pointer Freezing | EA Forums - 12602264 Model specific issues: Macs with Apple silicon (all M series) game crashing/system restart. Enable VSync [WORKAROUND] game/Mac freezes on Apple silicon Macs | EA Forums - 11043725 Macs with screen camera notch pointer doesn't click where you want it to [WORKAROUND] Pointer clicks off-target on Macs with display camera notch | EA Forums - 11031751 Macs with M1 Pro & M1 Max chips Refresh rate issues [CURRENT ISSUE] Sims 4 M1 Pro/Max in full screen mode refresh rate problem | EA Forums - 10972318 Macs with M4 chips lag, stuttering, low fps Lagging and stuttering game performance on Macs with M4 chips | EA Forums - 12628907 Launching issues: "There was an error processing the startup configuration script" error message when attempting to launch the game Sims 4 Mac crashes with GraphicsRules.sgr file in the ConfigOverride folder | EA Forums - 12188469 In-game issues: Cursor drift in CAS and in-game phone camera Mouse Shift/Drift problem | EA Forums - 12044704 Camera does not rotate properly Camera will not rotate properly using trackpad or mouse | EA Forums - 10993399 Game is already running error message Unable to start: The Sims 4 is already running - Mac only | EA Forums - 12192886 Saves or Households or Lots or Mods have disappeared [READ FIRST] Saves, CC/Mods or Library items disappeared? iCloud issues | EA Forums - 10979712[READ FIRST] Saves, CC/Mods or Library items disappeared? iCloud issues
ISSUE Saves One minute your game is working fine. The next you go to play and the Load Game button has disappeared, there seems to be no way to play an existing save. CC/Mods Newly added CC/Mods do not show up in your game despite being properly installed (for help with installing 3rd party content see here) or CC randomly starts disappearing from your game. Library items Saving Lots, Rooms and Households to your in-game Library doesn't work CAUSE Most likely the internal storage on your Mac is too full and iCloud is pushing any newly added files to your Documents folder in the cloud. This can happen at anytime. You can check the storage level by clicking on the Apple in the top left corner of the menu bar then About This Mac, then the Storage tab. By default, the game stores your Saves, Mods, Tray (where your Library items are saved) and all your user game data in a folder called The Sims 4 in Documents > Electronic Arts. If there is no Sims 4 folder in this location the game will recreate a new one each time it is launched. If you have iCloud Drive enabled and set to store your Desktop & Documents folder in the cloud it may be moving your existing Sims 4 folder to the cloud, hence the need to create a new Sims 4 folder every time you launch the game. You can check the status of various files and folders, and what the little cloud icons mean, here. FIX Firstly, you MUST free up some space on your Mac otherwise doing this is pointless. Empty the Downloads folder, go through your data and see what you no longer need, empty the Bin. If you have large Photos, Music and TV libraries consider storing them on an external drive. Instructions here on how to do this for your Photos library, the principle is the same for the Music and TV apps. Open System Preferences and then your iCloud settings. What you click on can vary by macOS, check Apple's help page here if you can't immediately find where to look. This is where you can choose what gets stored in the cloud. We are only interested in two settings, iCloud Drive and Optimise Mac Storage Click on Options... in the iCloud Drive setting and make sure Desktop & Documents Folders is unchecked. Scroll down to the bottom of this Apple help page to understand what happens to your data when you turn off the setting. Back at the iCloud settings window, Uncheck Optimise Mac Storage below the list of apps using iCloud. This means that your Mac will stop pushing files to the cloud when the internal storage is getting full. For more info on this setting read this help page. Once you have successfully stopped iCloud from moving the contents of your Documents folder to the cloud you need to move the Sims 4 folder back into the default location - Macintosh HD > Users > [User] > Documents > Electronic Arts Apple explain here what the status of the little cloud icons mean. If you're feeling brave you could consider creating a symlink and storing your Sims 4 folder on an external drive. Or maybe change your EA App Games Library location to an external Drive.47KViews20likes744Comments[MAC] The Sims 4 consuming 100GB+ RAM (Memory Leak) after latest update!!!!!!!
Hi, I’m experiencing a severe memory leak issue after the latest game update. My system consistently runs out of application memory, and the "Force Quit" menu shows The Sims 4 consuming over 140GB of RAM. System Details: Mac: MacBook Air, M2, 2023 OS: Tahoe 26.5 Issue: The game becomes extremely laggy shortly after launch and eventually freezes my entire system, forcing me to hard restart my Mac.[WORKAROUND] game/Mac freezes on Apple silicon Macs
Apple just released their new M1 Apple Silicon chip. Will we be able to play the Sims 4 on this new processor? Maybe I don't know that much about computers, but will this affect game play? My laptop is so old and I desperately need a new one, but they're discontinuing the Intel processor. (edited title to better reflect the issue reported in this thread and the solution - Bluebellflora)Solved65KViews7likes701Comments2025 Macbook bug loading screen
Loading screen keeps getting stuck after i create a character making it impossible to save or play. Even a character that did end up saving disappeared later. I can't even quite game properly and am forced to "force quit" ever time i get stuck on that screen I have a 2025 MacBook air, latest model of game with no mods and three expansion packs. I have attempted, clearing cache and repairing the app through the EA launcher before every play.Can't rotate camera
I'm going insane!! The right-clicking to rotate the camera in Sims 4 is not working for me. I've tried everything. I've used multiple mouses, tried repairing the game, going into the game files and fixing it, deleting files so they create fresh ones, and finally, deleting the game and all of my expansion packs and redownloading them. NOTHING has fixed it. It is in build mode, live mode, and CAS for rotating the sims as well. I am at a loss, and I don't like using the comma and period keys to rotate the camera. Does ANYONE have a solution? I feel like I'm going crazy trying to fix this, and absolutely nothing is working. Game version: 1.124.63.1220 with NO mods or CC's🛠️ 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/1024213330KViews3likes649CommentsGame Data Incomplete, grey llamas, red and white sims, broken textures
Hello, I haven't really had any issues with my Sims 4 game before so I haven't used these message boards very much, but I've had a problem show up that I can't seem to find a solution for. I've checked various other posts with a similar problem but none of those fixes helped. I updated the game yesterday and when I went to load my save (right before you choose a world to play), a message popped up that said: Game Data Incomplete Not all game data could be loaded. The save game references neighbourhoods that have been uninstalled or otherwise are no longer available. If you continue playing, you will encounter missing data and may have unexpected results. If you save the game, there will be no way to recover the missing data. What I thought was weird was after updating the game and before starting it, I decided to buy two stuff packs (because 50% off) and installed those. When I was scrolling through all the packs I had, I realized none of them were installed, literally NONE, and I had to go through and re-download every single pack. Once they were all redownloaded, I started the Sims and that's when I saw the error message. After googling for hours trying to fix the problem and I had felt like I exhausted all options, I decided I was just going to go through my save file and save every household and lot I created to my library and then completely start over because I was so fed up. However, when I went into the worlds to start saving lots, I saw all those weird grey llamas. They weren't in every world, only Del Sol Valley, Sulani, and Willow Creek, all the rest (from what I recall) had no llamas. In the worlds with the llamas, all my created lots were gone and only base game lots remained. I have tried to repair the game in Origin (three times now), restarted my computer (twice), uninstalled and reinstalled Origin, moved folders around in my Sims 4 folder (taking out folders one by one to see which one is the issue), and then finally completely removed my Sims 4 folder and placed it on desktop so it would regenerate upon opening again. When I took out my Sims 4 folder, I opened the Sims, started a new game, made a random sim, and when I went to choose a world the llama thumbnails were still there. I play with mods and cc, but removed the folder while trying to fix this issue. I'm not really sure what to do next, I was set on just starting a new save file and restarting, but once I saw that the llamas were still there even after the Sims 4 folder regenerated I feel kind of stuck. If you have any ideas on how to fix please respond! Also sorry if this seems super jumbled and all over the place, I wanted to add as much detail as possible and I'm also typing this at 4:30am LOL. (edit - changed thread title to cover all related issues with this problem, Bluebellflora)Solved32KViews1like694Comments