How To Move Sims 4 Mods Folder?

Moving your The Sims 4 mods folder to a different drive, such as a larger hard disk drive (HDD) or a faster solid-state drive (SSD), is a great way to manage space and improve performance. The simplest method involves using a symbolic link or directory junction, which tricks your computer into thinking the folder is still in its original location while redirecting all requests to the new one.

Note: Before you begin, back up your entire The Sims 4 folder from Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4 to a safe place. This includes your Mods, Saves, and Tray folders.

How to move your mods folder using a symbolic link

Step 1: Disable and back up your mods

To avoid conflicts, temporarily disable your mods within the game before moving the folder.

1. Open The Sims 4.
2. Go to Game Options > Other.
3. Uncheck "Enable Custom Content and Mods."
4. Exit the game completely.

Step 2: Locate and move your mods folder

1. Navigate to your default The Sims 4 folder, which is typically found in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.
2. Find the Mods folder inside.
3. Cut the Mods folder and paste it into your desired new location, such as D:/Sims 4 Mods. Ensure the new location is on a different drive than the default C: drive.
4. Confirm that the Mods folder is no longer in its original Documents location.

Step 3: Create the symbolic link

1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. In the Windows search bar, type cmd, then right-click "Command Prompt" and select "Run as administrator".
2. In the Command Prompt, type the following command, but replace the paths with your specific file locations.
   • Syntax:mklink /J "[Original Mods Folder Path]" "[New Mods Folder Path]"
   • Example:mklink /J "C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods" "D:\Sims 4 Mods"
3. Press Enter. If successful, you will see a message confirming that a "Junction created".
4. If you receive an error stating "file already exists," check your original The Sims 4 folder to ensure the Mods folder was correctly moved and deleted.

Step 4: Verify and re-enable your mods

1. Check the original location (C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4). You should now see a new Mods folder with a shortcut icon on it.
2. Launch The Sims 4.
3. Go to Game Options > Other and re-enable "Custom Content and Mods."
4. Restart the game completely to load the mods from the new location.
5. Check your game to confirm your mods and custom content are working correctly.

Alternative: Moving the entire Documents folder

For a simpler, albeit more drastic, method, you can redirect your entire Documents folder to another drive. This moves all your documents, not just The Sims 4 data, so it is an all-or-nothing approach.

1. Create a backup of your entire Documents folder before proceeding.
2. Find your Documents folder in File Explorer.
3. Right-click the Documents folder and select Properties.
4. Click the Location tab.
5. Click Move... and select a new location on a different drive. For example, D:/Documents.
6. Confirm the move and wait for the transfer to complete. The Sims 4 will automatically recognize and use the new Documents location.

Troubleshooting tips

• Make a backup: Always create a full backup of your Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4 folder before attempting any folder moves or link creations.
• Double-check paths: Ensure your folder paths in the mklink command are perfectly correct. Even a single typo will cause the command to fail.
• External vs. internal drives: Symbolic links work best for internal drives. If you use an external drive, and it gets unplugged or changes its drive letter, the link can break.
• Permissions: Ensure you run Command Prompt as an administrator to grant it the necessary permissions to create the symbolic link.
• OneDrive interference: If your Documents folder is syncing with OneDrive, you may need to disable the sync for your The Sims 4 folder before moving it. You can do this via OneDrive's settings by deselecting the folder you wish to move.