# Sims 4 Save Files: Where They Are and How to Back Up or Restore Them Source: https://sims4savefiles.com/ Last updated: 2026-11-10 Sims 4 save files are in **Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Saves** on Windows and **~/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Saves** on Mac. Each save is a file like `Slot_00000002.save`, with older backups named `.save.ver0` (newest) to `.save.ver4` (oldest). Close the game, copy the Saves folder somewhere safe to back it up. The Sims 4 has no EA app cloud saves. ## Where are Sims 4 save files? The game keeps all your user data in one folder in Documents, separate from the game install. Saves sit in the `Saves` subfolder. | Platform | Save folder | | --- | --- | | Windows (EA app or Steam) | `Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Saves` | | Windows with OneDrive backing up Documents | `OneDrive\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Saves` (see the OneDrive warning below) | | Mac | `~/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Saves` (Finder > Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4) | | PlayStation / Xbox | Console system storage only. You can't browse or copy the files. | Quick way on Windows: press `Win`+`R`, paste `%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Saves` and press Enter. On Mac: in Finder press `Cmd`+`Shift`+`G` and paste `~/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Saves`. Other folders next to `Saves` matter too: `Tray` holds your Library (households, lots and rooms you saved, including Gallery downloads), and `Mods` holds custom content. A full backup copies the whole `The Sims 4` folder. ## What the files in the Saves folder mean Each save slot is one file named `Slot_` plus an 8-digit number. Next to it you'll find up to five numbered backups and sometimes extra recovery copies. | File | What it is | | --- | --- | | `Slot_00000002.save` | The main save. This is what loads when you pick the game in Load Game. | | `Slot_00000002.save.ver0` | Most recent backup of that slot. | | `.ver1`, `.ver2`, `.ver3` | Progressively older backups. | | `Slot_00000002.save.ver4` | Oldest numbered backup. | The slot number has nothing to do with the name you typed. To match a file to a game, sort the folder by **Date modified** and compare with the dates shown in the in-game Load Game screen. Two rules from EA worth knowing: - **Backups come from manual saves.** EA says the game builds its save points from manual saves (Options > Save, or a Save Reminder). There is one Autosave slot and each autosave overwrites the last; older autosaves can't be recovered. - **The game also keeps longer-range backups.** The game's own text says backups "are spread out over the past month to give you multiple points of recovery." Players on the EA Forums also report that **Save As** creates a new slot without the .ver history, and that deleting a save in-game can remove its backups too. Keep your own copy before deleting anything. ## How to back up Sims 4 save files EA does not back up your saves for you. The game reads only the local Documents folder, so a copy you make yourself is the only real safety net. ### Windows - Quit The Sims 4 completely. Never copy or edit save files while the game is running. - Open **Documents > Electronic Arts**. - Right-click **The Sims 4** and choose **Copy** (or open it and copy just `Saves` and `Tray`). - Paste it on your Desktop, an external drive or a cloud folder outside Documents. - Rename it with the date, e.g. `Sims 4 Backup 2026-11-10`. ### Mac - Quit the game. - Open **Finder > Documents > Electronic Arts**. - Select **The Sims 4** and press `Cmd`+`C`. - Click the Desktop (or an external drive) and press `Cmd`+`V`. - Rename it with the date. When to back up: weekly for a long-running game, and always before a game patch, a new pack, or adding or updating mods. The Sims Team gives the same advice, since updates and broken mods are the usual causes of a save that won't load. ## How to restore a corrupted or older save ### Method 1: Recover Save in the game (PC, Mac and console) - From the Main Menu choose **Load Game**. - Select the saved game. - Choose **Recover Save** (the floppy disk icon) and pick the save point you want. - Confirm and select **Play**. The recovered game is created as a new save slot with "[Recovered]" added to its name, so the original stays untouched. If you see "No recovery saves are available," use your own backup instead. ### Method 2: Rename a .ver file by hand (PC and Mac) - Quit the game. - In the `Saves` folder, find the main file for the broken game, e.g. `Slot_00000002.save`. - Move that file to another folder (don't delete it yet). - Pick a backup: `.ver0` loses the least progress, `.ver4` goes back the furthest. - Rename it so the name ends in `.save`: `Slot_00000002.save.ver0` becomes `Slot_00000002.save`. On Windows, turn on **View > File name extensions** first so you can see the full name. - Start the game and load it. If it still fails, repeat with the next .ver file. ### Method 3: Find the bad file (EA's method) If the game itself won't start, EA's fix is to move the whole `The Sims 4` folder to the Desktop, let the game create a fresh one, and test. If it runs, copy your backup folders back one at a time (Saves first), then individual save files one at a time, starting the game after each. The last file you added before it breaks is the problem; delete it from both places. ## Move Sims 4 saves to a new PC, a Mac, or a console | From → to | Possible? | How | | --- | --- | --- | | PC → PC, PC ↔ Mac | Yes | Copy the `Saves` folder (and `Tray`) to a USB drive, then paste it into `Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4` on the new computer. Rename any existing Saves folder there first. | | EA app cloud | No | EA's FAQ says The Sims 4 doesn't support EA app cloud storage. Saves are local only. | | PC/Mac ↔ PlayStation/Xbox | No | EA: save files and creations are specific to the platform and non-transferable. | | Households, lots, rooms on any platform | Yes, via the Gallery | Upload from your Library and download on the other machine. The Gallery is shared across PC and console, but console players can't download creations that use custom content. | To load a moved save you need the same packs on the new machine. If the save used custom content or mods, copy the `Mods` folder too, or expect missing objects and Sims wearing default outfits. ## Installing a downloaded save file Many creators share full save files (a whole world of rebuilt lots and households). They ship as a `.save` file, sometimes with a `Tray` folder. - Download only from the creator's own page and read their list of required packs and CC. - Unzip it. Put the `.save` file in `Saves`. Put any Tray files (`.trayitem`, `.blueprint`, `.room`, `.householdbinary`, `.bpi`) in `Tray`. - If you already have a file with the same slot number, rename the new one to an unused number first so nothing gets overwritten. - Start the game and use **Load Game**. Gallery downloads are different: they go to your `Tray` Library, not to `Saves`, and you place them inside your own save. ## Save files missing or won't load? Fixes - **Saves vanished after an update or new PC:** check whether Windows moved Documents into OneDrive. EA's community guide says OneDrive can alter or remove Sims 4 user data. Look in OneDrive online; right-click the Sims 4 folder and choose **Always keep on this device**, or stop OneDrive syncing that folder, then put the files back in `Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4`. - **Save loads to a blank or broken world:** remove the Mods folder temporarily (move it to the Desktop) and load again. Outdated script mods are the usual cause after a patch. - **"Not all game data could be loaded":** the save uses a world or pack that isn't installed. Reinstall or re-enable the pack before saving; saving now loses that data for good. - **Error when saving (e.g. 0x codes):** check free disk space, close cloud sync apps, try Save As to a new slot, and test without mods. - **Console save lost or won't sync:** try Recover Save first. Console storage and cloud sync are handled by PlayStation and Xbox, so their support is the next step. ## Tired of managing save folders? Half of the Sims 4 save problems above come from files on one machine: OneDrive conflicts, broken mods after a patch, a PC you can't bring with you. [LifeSim](https://lifesim.com) is a free life simulator that runs in the browser on a computer or phone, with no download and no packs. You can be anyone in any real city on Earth and live a life day by day, with needs, jobs, relationships and AI-driven townspeople. Keep your Sims 4 backups, and try something that doesn't need a Saves folder at all. ## FAQ ### Where are Sims 4 save files on Windows 11? Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Saves. If OneDrive backs up your Documents, it may be OneDrive\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Saves. ### Which .ver file is the newest? .ver0 is the most recent backup and .ver4 the oldest. ### Can I recover an old autosave? No. EA says there is one Autosave slot that is overwritten each time. Backups and Recover Save points come from manual saves. ### Does the EA app back up Sims 4 saves to the cloud? No. The Sims 4 doesn't support EA app cloud storage, so copy the Saves folder yourself. ### Can I move my console save to PC? No. Save files are platform-specific. Households, lots and rooms can move through the Gallery. ### Do saves work after uninstalling the game? Uninstalling usually leaves Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4 in place, but back it up first to be safe.