Sims 4 custom content missing after an update does not necessarily mean your files have been deleted. The Sims 4 normally disables mods and custom content after installing a game update, which can leave Sims without their usual hair, clothing and accessories or make custom furniture disappear from Build Mode.
In most cases, Sims 4 custom content missing after the July 21 update can be restored by enabling custom content again, restarting the game and confirming that The Sims 4 is reading the correct Mods folder.
However, players should avoid saving an important household while its custom content is missing. Saving can preserve the household in its altered state, leaving Sims without their CC clothing and removing custom objects from lots.
Why Is Sims 4 Custom Content Missing After the Update?
Sims 4 custom content missing immediately after an update is usually expected behaviour. Game updates commonly disable both custom content and script mods so that outdated files are not loaded automatically with the new version.
Your files should still be inside:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods
The game has simply stopped loading them.
Other causes of Sims 4 custom content missing include:
- Custom content being disabled in Game Options
- The game not being restarted after CC was enabled
- The Sims 4 using a different Documents folder
- OneDrive moving or duplicating the active Sims 4 folder
- A missing or damaged Resource.cfg file
- Custom content being installed too deeply inside subfolders
- A required mesh being missing
- The CC requiring a pack you do not own
- A specific item becoming incompatible with the update
- The Mods folder being moved during pre-update preparation
- The game being launched with a new, empty user folder
Start by checking whether all custom content is missing or whether the problem affects only certain items.
How to Enable Sims 4 Custom Content After an Update
When all Sims 4 custom content is missing, open the game and go to:
Game Options > Other
Enable:
- Enable Custom Content and Mods
- Script Mods Allowed
Ordinary package-based CC mainly requires the first option, but enabling both ensures that supporting script files can also load where required.
Select Apply Changes, close The Sims 4 completely and then reopen it.
The restart is essential. Enabling custom content does not cause the active game session to reload the Mods folder.
After restarting, The Sims 4 may display a list of installed custom content and script mods. Check whether your expected files appear in that list before loading an important save.
Sims 4 Custom Content Missing – Do Not Save While Custom Content Is Missing
When Sims 4 custom content is missing from a household, do not save over your main game.
A Sim using custom hair may appear bald. Sims wearing custom clothing may be placed into replacement outfits or underwear. Custom furniture, doors, windows and decorations may disappear from lots when the game loads without those files.
Exit to the main menu without saving, or close the game completely.
Re-enable the content, restore the correct Mods folder and restart The Sims 4 before opening the household again.
When you have already saved while Sims 4 custom content was missing, restoring the files may not automatically return every removed outfit or object. You may need to recover an earlier version of the save.
Check That the Mods Folder Is in the Correct Location
Sims 4 custom content missing after an update can be caused by the game reading a different user folder from the one containing your CC.
The active Mods folder should normally be located at:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods
Open the Mods folder and confirm that your .package files are still present.
Do not install custom content inside:
- Program Files
- The EA app installation directory
- The Steam installation directory
- The Sims 4 game installation folder
The installed game and the user-created content are stored separately. The Sims 4 reads custom content from the Electronic Arts folder inside Documents.
Check Whether The Sims 4 Created a New User Folder
When saves, households and Sims 4 custom content are all missing, the game may have created a new user folder.
Open:
Documents > Electronic Arts
Look for more than one Sims 4 folder, including folders with altered names or duplicates.
You can identify the active folder by launching The Sims 4, creating a temporary save and then closing the game. Check which Saves folder contains the newly created file.
The active folder will also normally contain a recently modified:
localthumbcache.package
Move your Mods folder into the active Sims 4 folder only after backing up both locations.
Do not merge two complete user folders without checking their contents. Copy Saves, Tray and Mods separately so you do not overwrite newer files with older versions.
Check OneDrive When Sims 4 Custom Content Is Missing
Windows may redirect the Documents folder into OneDrive. This can leave one Sims 4 folder stored locally and another inside the OneDrive Documents directory.
Check both:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4
and:
OneDrive > Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4
Compare the modification dates inside the Saves and Mods folders.
The folder containing the newest save and cache files is probably the one currently being used by the game.
When your custom content is inside the inactive folder, copy the Mods folder into the active location after creating a backup.
Sims 4 custom content missing because of OneDrive can return repeatedly if Windows continues moving or synchronising the Documents folder. Make sure you know which location The Sims 4 is actively using before adding more files.
Check the Resource.cfg File
The Mods folder should contain a file named:
Resource.cfg
This file tells The Sims 4 how to load package files from the Mods folder and its supported subfolders.
When Resource.cfg is missing, custom content may not load correctly.
A fresh Mods folder generated by The Sims 4 should include a new Resource.cfg file. You can create a clean user folder by temporarily renaming your existing Sims 4 folder and launching the game once.
Do not download a random Resource.cfg file from an untrusted website. Allow the game to generate a fresh one where possible.
Custom Content Is Enabled but Not Showing
When the settings are correct but Sims 4 custom content is missing, check the filters inside Create a Sim and Build Mode.
In Create a Sim, open the filter menu and make sure custom content is included. Also check:
- Age category
- Clothing category
- Fashion choice
- Outfit type
- Masculine or feminine filters
- Colour filters
- Pack filters
An item may still be installed but hidden by the current filters.
In Build Mode, select the custom content filter and search again. Make sure the item is not restricted to a different room, function or style category.
When only one item is missing, the issue is more likely to involve that individual file rather than the whole Mods folder.
Missing Meshes Can Make Custom Content Disappear
Many custom content downloads are recolours rather than complete standalone items.
A recolour requires the original mesh. Without that mesh, the item may not appear correctly or may display as a broken red-and-white texture with a question mark.
Return to the creator’s original download page and check whether the item requires:
- A separate mesh
- Another creator’s original file
- A particular expansion pack
- A game pack, stuff pack or kit
- An updated version
- An additional slider or preset
Installing only the recolour will not provide the shape or model required by the game.
When Sims 4 custom content is missing selectively, missing meshes and pack requirements should be checked before assuming the July 21 update broke the files.
Check the Custom Content Folder Depth
Package files can usually be organised inside subfolders, but deeply nested folders may cause installation problems, especially when supporting script files are involved.
A simple structure is easiest to manage:
Mods > Creator Name > Custom Content Files
Avoid storing files through a long chain such as:
Mods > Downloads > New > Unsorted > Creator > Collection > Files
Script files have stricter folder-depth limits than ordinary package files. When a CC set depends on a script or library, that supporting file may fail to load even though the package files are visible.
Move the affected files closer to the main Mods folder, delete the cache and test again.
Delete the Sims 4 Cache After Restoring CC
Close The Sims 4 and open:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4
Delete:
localthumbcache.package
The game will generate a replacement the next time it launches.
Delete localthumbcache.package whenever you:
- Restore the Mods folder
- Remove broken custom content
- Install replacement files
- Update a mod
- Complete 50/50 testing
- Move large groups of files
The cache can retain information from files that have already been removed. Clearing it gives The Sims 4 a clean opportunity to read the current contents of the Mods folder.
Deleting localthumbcache.package does not remove saves, Sims, lots or custom content.
How to Find One Broken Custom Content File
When most CC works but one item causes problems, use the 50/50 method.
Move half of your custom content out of the Mods folder and place it in a temporary folder on the desktop. Delete localthumbcache.package and launch a test save.
When the problem remains, the affected file is likely inside the half still installed. When the problem disappears, it is likely inside the half you removed.
Continue dividing the affected group until you identify the individual file.
Keep Create a Sim CC and Build Mode CC separated where possible. Organised folders make Sims 4 custom content missing or broken much easier to diagnose after future updates.
Do not test with your only copy of an important save.
Sims Are Bald or Wearing No Clothes After the Update
Bald Sims and missing outfits usually mean that custom content was disabled when the household loaded.
Exit without saving.
Confirm that custom content is enabled, restore the correct Mods folder and restart the game. Open the household again and check whether the original appearance returns.
When you already saved, use the Recover Save option from the Load Game screen:
- Select Load Game.
- Choose the affected save.
- Select Recover Save.
- Choose a version created before the household was loaded without CC.
- Create the recovered version and test it.
Do not overwrite or delete the current save until the recovered copy has been checked.
Sims 4 Custom Content Missing- Furniture Disappeared From a Lot
When a lot loads without its custom objects, The Sims 4 may remove those objects from the active version of the save.
Exit without saving when possible.
Restore the Mods folder, re-enable custom content, restart the game and load the lot again.
When the lot was saved after its CC disappeared, restore an earlier save version or replace the lot using a copy stored in My Library.
Households, rooms and lots saved to My Library are stored inside:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Tray
This is why a complete pre-update backup should include both Saves and Tray rather than only the Mods folder.
What If Sims 4 Custom Content Is Still Missing?
When Sims 4 custom content is still missing after checking the settings and folder location, create a clean test folder.
Close the game and rename:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4
to:
The Sims 4 Backup
Launch the game once to generate a clean Sims 4 folder. Close it, place one known working package file inside the new Mods folder and enable custom content.
Restart the game and check whether the test item appears.
When the test item works, the installation is fine and something inside the original user folder is causing the problem. Move Saves, Tray and CC into the new folder gradually.
When the test item does not appear, repair The Sims 4 through the EA app and check that the July 21 update completed correctly.
Restore Sims 4 Custom Content Safely
Sims 4 custom content missing after the July 21 update can normally be restored without reinstalling the game or redownloading an entire CC collection.
Use this order:
- Do not save the affected household.
- Enable custom content and script mods.
- Apply the changes.
- Restart The Sims 4.
- Confirm the Mods folder is in the active Documents location.
- Check OneDrive for a second Sims 4 folder.
- Confirm Resource.cfg is present.
- Delete localthumbcache.package.
- Check missing meshes and pack requirements.
- Recover an earlier save if you already saved with CC disabled.
The most important step is avoiding a save while Sims 4 custom content is missing. Restore the correct files and settings first, then return to the household once its custom hair, clothing and objects are loading normally again.
