How to Put Sims 4 on an External Hard Drive?

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How to Get The Sims 4 On an External Hard Drive

Want to free up space on your primary drive? Learn how to put Sims 4 on an external hard drive with this comprehensive guide. It’s a surprisingly simple process that can significantly improve your computer’s performance and storage capacity.

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Introduction: The Sims 4 and Storage Woes

The Sims 4 is a beloved life simulation game, but its expansion packs, custom content (CC), and saved games can quickly devour valuable storage space on your computer’s internal drive. This can lead to slower loading times, overall performance degradation, and even crashes. Moving The Sims 4 to an external hard drive is a practical solution for gamers seeking to optimize their gaming experience.

Why Move Sims 4 to an External Hard Drive?

Moving The Sims 4 to an external drive offers several key benefits:

Free Up Internal Storage: Reclaim valuable space on your primary drive for other applications and files.
Improve Performance: Relieving your internal drive from the burden of The Sims 4 can lead to faster boot times and smoother gameplay.
Portability: Carry your entire game and save files with you, allowing you to play on different computers (provided they meet the game’s minimum system requirements).
Backup Solution: An external drive acts as a secondary backup location for your Sims 4 game data, protecting against data loss.

Prerequisites: Preparing for the Move

Before you begin, ensure the following:

An External Hard Drive: A USB 3.0 or later drive is recommended for faster transfer speeds. Ensure it has sufficient storage space for The Sims 4 and all its associated files (including expansion packs and CC).
Sufficient Free Space: Ensure your external hard drive has enough free space to accommodate the entire Sims 4 installation, plus some buffer for temporary files.
Backup Your Game: Back up your Sims 4 folder (located in Documents > Electronic Arts) to avoid any potential data loss during the transfer.

The Process: Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a detailed guide on how to put Sims 4 on an external hard drive:

Identify the Installation Location: Locate where The Sims 4 is installed. Typically, this is within the Origin or EA App directory (e.g., C:Program Files (x86)Origin GamesThe Sims 4).
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Move the Game Files:
- Close the Origin or EA App completely.
- Navigate to the Sims 4 installation folder.
- Cut (Ctrl+X) or copy (Ctrl+C) the entire The Sims 4 folder to your external hard drive. Choose a location on the external drive where you want to store the game (e.g., E:GamesThe Sims 4).
- Paste (Ctrl+V) the folder to the desired location on your external hard drive. Wait for the transfer to complete. This may take some time depending on the size of your game and the speed of your drives.
Create a Symbolic Link (Windows): This is crucial for making the game run properly from the external drive.
- Open the Command Prompt as administrator (search for “cmd” in the Windows search bar, right-click, and select “Run as administrator”).
- Type the following command and press Enter, replacing the paths with your actual paths:
  
  mklink /D "C:Program Files (x86)Origin GamesThe Sims 4" "E:GamesThe Sims 4"
  - Replace "C:Program Files (x86)Origin GamesThe Sims 4" with the original installation location of The Sims 4.
  - Replace "E:GamesThe Sims 4" with the new location of The Sims 4 on your external hard drive.
- If successful, the Command Prompt will display “symbolic link created.”
Create an Alias (macOS): This is the macOS equivalent of a symbolic link.
- Open Finder.
- Navigate to the new location of The Sims 4 on your external drive.
- Right-click on “The Sims 4” folder.
- Select “Make Alias.”
- Drag the newly created alias from your external hard drive to the original install location that the application is expecting.
- Rename the alias folder to exactly the name of the original folder.
Launch the Game: Open Origin or the EA App and launch The Sims 4. The game should now load from the external drive.

Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting

Incorrect Paths: Double-check the paths in the mklink command or alias creation. Errors in the paths will prevent the game from launching.
Insufficient Permissions: Ensure you are running the Command Prompt as an administrator.
Corrupted Files: If the game crashes or experiences errors after the move, verify the game files through Origin or the EA App.
External Drive Not Connected: Ensure your external drive is properly connected to your computer before launching the game.

Optimizing Performance from an External Hard Drive

While moving The Sims 4 to an external drive frees up space, performance can sometimes be affected. Here are some tips to optimize your gaming experience:

Use a Fast External Drive: Opt for an SSD (Solid State Drive) external drive for significantly faster loading times compared to traditional HDDs (Hard Disk Drives).
Use USB 3.0 or Higher: USB 3.0 and later versions offer much faster data transfer speeds compared to USB 2.0.
Defragment Your External Drive: Regularly defragmenting your external hard drive (if it’s an HDD) can improve performance. (Note: Do not defragment SSDs).
Close Unnecessary Background Programs: Close any programs running in the background that may be consuming system resources.

Feature	HDD External Drive	SSD External Drive
Data Transfer Speed	Slower	Faster
Price	Lower	Higher
Durability	Less Durable	More Durable
Best For	Budget-conscious users	Performance-focused users

FAQs: Deep Dive into Moving Sims 4 to an External Drive

How do I know if The Sims 4 is running from the external hard drive?

After the symbolic link is created, the Sims 4 folder in the original location will appear as a shortcut. If you are able to launch the game from the application like normal, that’s a good indication that the game is running from the hard drive. Also, pay attention to loading times. Shorter load times often mean the game is running smoothly from the faster drive.

What happens if I unplug the external hard drive while playing?

If you unplug the external hard drive while playing The Sims 4, the game will most likely crash and you may lose any unsaved progress. Always save your game before disconnecting the external drive.

Can I move the entire Origin or EA App to the external hard drive instead?

While technically possible, moving the entire Origin or EA App can be more complex and may cause issues with other installed games. It’s generally recommended to move only The Sims 4 to minimize potential problems.

Does this method work for all expansion packs and game packs?

Yes, the symbolic link or alias method will work for all expansion packs, game packs, and stuff packs associated with your Sims 4 installation. They are treated as part of the main game folder.

Will my custom content (CC) still work after moving the game?

Yes, your custom content (CC) will still work as long as you move the entire “The Sims 4” folder, including the “Mods” folder located in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4. Ensure the “Mods” folder is also transferred to the external drive.

What if I don’t have enough space on my internal drive to create the symbolic link?

The symbolic link creation doesn’t require a significant amount of space on your internal drive. It simply creates a pointer to the files on the external drive. If you’re extremely short on space, consider temporarily deleting unnecessary files to create enough room.

Is it safe to delete the original Sims 4 folder after creating the symbolic link?

No, do not delete the original Sims 4 folder. The symbolic link requires the original folder location to exist (even though it’s just a shortcut). Deleting the folder will break the link.

I’m having trouble creating the symbolic link. What should I do?

Double-check the paths in the mklink command for any typos. Ensure you’re running the Command Prompt as an administrator. If problems persist, search online for specific error messages to find targeted solutions.

Will moving the game to an external drive affect my saved games?

No, moving the game to an external drive should not affect your saved games, provided you move the entire “The Sims 4” folder (including the “saves” folder) located in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.

Can I use this method on a Mac?

Yes, the alias method on macOS is the equivalent of creating a symbolic link on Windows and will achieve the same result.

What is the difference between an HDD and an SSD external drive for The Sims 4?

SSD external drives offer significantly faster loading times and improved overall performance compared to HDD drives. However, SSDs are typically more expensive. For The Sims 4, an SSD is highly recommended for a better gaming experience.

Will moving The Sims 4 to an external hard drive void my warranty?

Moving The Sims 4 to an external hard drive will not void your warranty for either the game or your computer. It’s a perfectly legitimate way to manage your storage space.