The Sims 4 Help Articles

Tutorials and Instructions for Solving Common Problems

People come to my site to learn about The Sims 4, but many players also experience problems. This is a list of resources found on the guide that may help you solve those problems. You can also Go to our Forum or search the guide site to see if others have had a similar issue, or start your own thread if the question has not been asked before. Doing that, your problem with the game may be solved and help others in the future.

Using Mods and Custom Content (CC)
This guide covers usage of mods and CC and provides some links to help you get started downloading a massive collection of clothing, objects, and gameplay mods that can improve your experience with The Sims 4.

Backing up Sims, Saved Games, and Creations
This covers exactly what the title says: backing up your saved games in case of hard drive failure or when you need to reinstall your operating system. This can help you to save the Sims and homes that are most precious to you from being deleted or corrupted.

Improve Performance and Fix Problems: Clearing the Sims 4's Cache and Backup/Restore Saves
Learn what files are safe to delete in my guide to clearing the game's cache files. This can solve many gameplay issues, especially when the game has just been patched and things seem strange. It won't solve everything, but it's a good place to start.

How to Move Sims
This helpful faq covers moving Sims in and out of households, or moving entire families to a new lot. The game doesn't explain this process well (at least no in an obvious way) so I created this to help players know how to move.

Placing Lots
A simple tutorial that teaches you how to place lots in The Sims 4.

Sims 4: Controls & Hotkeys
Learn the game's controls and all the hotkeys that can help to save you time.

Building Tutorials
Learn all about The Sims 4's build mode and get help with some common design problems. Also listed are the game's building cheats, so that you can make things look how you want without the usual constraints.

Making a Hangout in The Sims 4 Get Together
If you own the Get Together DLC, you may want to make your club a special lot where they can meet and hang out. This tutorial will teach you do just that.

Using the Gallery
Need help using The Sims 4's Gallery? This tutorial teaches you the basics of sharing things, using Sims you download from the gallery, as well as placing homes you've downloaded. You'll also find a link to download The Sims 4 Gallery App for your Android or Apple mobile device.

Our Forum Can Help!
My Forum doesn't require email activation for you to join, and it's easy to ask a question. Just choose the correct board and fire away. We have sections that cover technical help, general gameplay, and expansion-specific questions. We're also a kind community who are welcoming to newcomers. Be sure to heed our rules (primarily be kind and not vulgar) and you'll have a good experience there.

How You Can Support The Site and Channel

If you like my sites and Youtube Channel, consider supporting me on Patreon to help me to continue.

Back to The Top


Check Out My Youtube Channel!

We now have a Youtube Channel with over 50 guides in video format to go along with the huge site I've already created. Check it out and consider subscribing if you like my style.


Add Comment

* Required information
2000

Comments (13)

Gravatar
New
KSU09says...
I recently just purchased the Sims 4 but cannot visit the town. I have already purchased and moved into a house. I click M on the keyboard, I click travel on the road and/or phone and the only option I am given is to pick a lot to live on. I just want to visit the gym or market..Help!
Gravatar
Admin
Playalotsays...
Try using the 'travel' action on your sims phone. This will bring up the world maps, choose a world then choose a venue and click the large plane icon that will appear on the bottom right of your screen to make your sim travel there.
Gravatar
New
Belindasays...
I have recently purchased the sims 4. i know in the sims 3 you are able to enter edit town mode and edit the town specific to the family you were playing with. The creations you might have made wouldn't show up in other saves, so if you loaded up a new household the world was mostly fresh. I recently made a new household for a sims 4 family and wanted to build on the large lot in Willow Creek (Oakenstead or something). I am not sure how to build on that lot so the creation is only available for that household. I share the game with my sisters and want to allow them to build on that lot too without bulldozing my creation. Hope that this makes sense, please email me if not. Thank you.
Gravatar
Admin
Playalotsays...
In The Sims 4 you do not need to enter 'Edit World' as such. You can build on any home lot just by clicking the hammer and wrench icon on the top right of your in-game UI.
We have Building Tutorials Here (click) that should help you. You also do not need to bulldoze to build, you can just simply enter into the build/buy mode and add to whatever is there if you wish.

Remember that unless you have aging off your sims will age when your sisters are playing too so it may be a good idea to turn aging off if you are all taking turns playing in the same game save. Smile
Gravatar
New
Fiona Hearnssays...
We have recently installed SIMS 4 and the Sound does not work. All settings for volume look good to me. Speakers work outside of SIMS.
Gravatar
Admin
Playalotsays...
Have you checked in-game under Options Menu>Game Options>Audio and then Speaker Set up that you have this set correctly? There is a headphones option as well as a few speaker options.
Gravatar
Regular
Elizabethsays...
Please help me! I am pulling my hair out!!!! i have been on the sim forums and no one can help or understand whats happened?
when i add CC on my Sims 4 game it pops up with this, i have always been able to use CC!?

"Unable to start:
Cannot start because game data is missing or damaged. If you have Mods installed please remove them and try again. If not, please repair or reinstall the game via Origin.
[de4ee14f:29f00e76:00000000:00000000]"

I have tried everything! It seems to let me install Game Play mods but not CC mods? I have tried...

- uninstalling and then reinstalling
- repairing the game repetitively
- installing CC mods
- cleaning them out
- re-downloading everything
- removing CC and re-adding it bit my bit
- removing Sims 4 folder from EA and allowing the game
- no sims 2/3 CC

In the past I have been able to use MODs up until and update last year at some point and then this started? I am on,

* Mac model (13-inch, Mid 2012 MacBook Pro)
* Processor (2.5 GHz Intel Core i5)
* Memory (4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3)
* Graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB)
* Operating System (macOS Sierra Version 10.12.3)
* Official EA EPs/SPs/GPs installed (Get To Work, Spa Day, Luxury Party Stuff, Perfect Patio Stuff)
* Do you have antivirus or clean up apps installed? If so what are they? (NA)
* Are you running any background tasks? If so, what are they? (NA)
Gravatar
Admin
Playalotsays...
It may be that in the process of trying to install the CC/Mods that Origin has become corrupt.
This link to crinricts post may help Origin Corrupt
The other thing to check is that it may only be one piece of CC that is broken and not all so check at the creators sites etc that the CC is ok to use, recently up dated etc. Especially check your mods as so many mods were broken with the toddler patch. If you are trying to run the game with a broken/out of date mod then that error message would make sense as basically the game is corrupted due to files being changed with a broken mod.
Does your game run at all when you take out all the CC and Mods?
Gravatar
New
Elizabeth Gerdingsays...
Thank you, I will look into that!
Yes the game works once removed. Game Mods work fine, it seems to only be CC which is odd. I'll download a new CC creation and see if it works! None of mine works so it could be possible that the CC is unable to work with the toddlers
Gravatar
New
carlasays...
someone please help,
i downloaded cc from "the sims resource'
i was dragging the cc into documents/electronic arts/ sims 4/ mods but then i accidentally did something to the file by changing the type of the file which is notes at the moment. i dont know how to change it back to original type of file since its an unknown file, when i download cc its just a white paper icon. someone please tell me how to fix it
Gravatar
Admin
Playalotsays...
We have a small beginners guide to CC here (click). but it sounds as though you have not actually downloaded the correct files from the cc site. CC usually comes in a .package file that does look like a piece of paper but should have the name that the creator gave it; like this for example: kitchen_recolor009.package
These package files just go directly into your mods folder and then when you have cc enabled in the game options menu will show up in CAS or in the build/buy menu depending on what type of cc it is.
You can place cc in a folder that is nested inside the Mods folder but do not go deeper than one folder as the game will not recognize any more levels.
More Tips on using CC and Mods
Gravatar
New
Rosiesays...
I just bought the sims 4 from he EA website how do I open the game?
Gravatar
Admin
Playalotsays...
Once the game has downloaded it will appear in your Origin Games Library. Click on it to play.
Gravatar
New
Rondasays...
Hello, I just recently started playing sims 4 on PC. My question is how do you adopt pets? Yes I have the sims pets added on. But when I go to adopt an animal it let's me choose the one(s) 8 want but then an adoption evaluation person comes over, but I still never get the pet
Gravatar
Admin
Playlotsays...
After the person comes over and the pet carrier spawns the pets you chose from the 'pick a pet pop up window', the game allows you to play with them at your sims house for a while. This allows you to find out their traits and so on. After your sims played with the pets for a while you can then chose to adopt all, some, one or none of the pets. You do this by clicking on the pet or the Pet Adoption Agency person. Guide to Owning, Adopting a Pet etc
Gravatar
Regular
Berkulesesays...
Hi,do you have a list of command line arguments anywhere?
Trying to find a way to force a custom screen resolution on start-up. Running Ts4 on a nettop, device is way powerful enough to run the game but the tv it's plugged into is fussy about screen resolution. Have tried editing config file to specify a resolution i know works, but game seems to be resetting my changes on startup (which kinda renders the config file pointless imo, but hey). Any help greatly appreciated, cheers.
Gravatar
Regular
Berkulesesays...
Nevermind, fixed it. Apparently you need to edit the options.ini file not the config.txt file. Leaving this info here in case anyone else needs it
Gravatar
Admin
Playlotsays...
Thanks for leaving a reply to your first post. The options.ini file can also control the size of the UI. Look for the "uiscale = x" where 'x' is the value you change, larger number being smaller UI.
Forum post link for those interested.
Gravatar
New
Daynasays...

I’ve been trying to kill off one of my

Sims and nothing is working.

I tried starving her and it’s been a week and nothing has happened.

I tried setting a fire and she just stood in the middle of it. I’ve also tried cheats but nothing it working. I thought it might be because she’s a mermaid but I tried turning her back to normal and still nothing. Please help!

Gravatar
New
maggiesays...

my cheat bar wont come up, i do ctrl shift c, i do ctrl alt c, nothing works

Gravatar
New
Miasays...

I have no idea how to revive dead kids in the sims I love my kid in it but he sadly drowned I need help getting him back

Gravatar
Admin
Gravatar
New
mahgolsays...

hey.

i have a question in sims 4 game.

my house floor got really dirty and there is no option to clean the house floor what can i do??

Gravatar
Admin
Playalotsays...

I guess you have the Bust the Dust Kit, you'll need to buy a vacuum cleaner and get your sim to use it.

Gravatar
New
Kaylasays...

I was wondering, how can you take a family out of your played family list without deleting them from the world?



Make Seasons Better!

Sims 4 Seasons CheatsThe Sims 4 Seasons expansion now has options! Want to disable weather or make plants in season year-round? You can do so with my new Seasons Tuner Mod

  • Disable Seasons individually
  • Always Sunny! Set to Base Game Weather
  • Grow Year Round - Make Plants Always in Season!
  • Healthy Year Round - No more Winter twigs
  • Disable Color Changes - on ALL Plants & Trees
  • Disable Fall Leaves
  • Disable Ground Snow
  • Keep the Stuff You Paid For!

A Deeper Game

The past month, I've spent every day tinkering The Sims 4, making quality of life improvements, gameplay changes, and new difficulty settings for the game. If you'd like to learn more about my project, visit the post on Patreon where you can download it now.

Cottage living

The Sims 4 Cottage LivingCottage Living Guide! Here is my guide to new features in the Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion

You can also find handy Cottage Living Cheats

I have much more to come, since you can actually write a few guides about this pack!

Calling all Blender Users

Blender has been incredibly useful in video production, so I made my own Physics and Simulation Improvement Addon that lumps a ton of unique tools into one compact interface.

Sims 4 Snowy Escape

The Sims 4 Snowy Escape launches November 13, 2020 and my coverage has started. Until I get my review ready, you can learn about the following:

Snowy Escape Cheats
Lifestyles in Snowy Escape
Climb Mt. Komorebi
Sentiments in Snowy Escape
Rock Climbing
Skiing Skill
Snowboarding Skill

Sentiments & Platforms (Free Patch!)

I've released a guide to Sentiments in The Sims 4 & Snowy Escape.

There is a new platform tool in The Sims 4. There's also a new Sentiments system, but it'll take some time to create a guide to that. Players can also use rental lots in any world now by changing lot types of builds in manage worlds.

Best Mods in Sims 4

I've created a massive List of The Best Mods in The Sims 4 that should be very helpful to new players and those who have not yet explored modding and how much it can do for your gameplay.

Search my Sims 4 Site

Support Us

Readers who use adblock or those who'd like to thank me for my efforts can now pledge $1/$5 monthly via Patreon. This helps a lot with server costs and provides some stability for my business.

Super Sim Checklist + Other News

Super Sim Text + Checklist and Video Guide! Here is my Super Sim Challenge Guide and Checklist to accompany my video guide to making Super Sims in The Sims 4 that you can view on Youtube.

This is inspired by a new series in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to the full playlist!

I now have a guide page to Tiny Living Stuff where you can learn about Murphy Beds, the new death, as well as the lot bonuses you'll receive if you manage to keep the size of your lot down with this new pack's Tiny Home Lot Type.

Let's Play Playlist

Super Sim Gameplay in The Sims 4

New I now have a guide to Making Super Sims in The Sims 4. Look for a text version within the next 72h. It won't have THAT much more info but it will help out as a checklist.

This was inspired by a series, "Let's Play a Super Sim" in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to each part for people who are interested. You can also see the Let's Play as a Playlist on Youtube.