How to Back Up Sims 4 Saves is something every player should know before installing a major update, adding new mods or custom content, or making significant changes to their game. Taking a few minutes to create a backup can protect hundreds of hours of progress if something goes wrong.
Whether you’re preparing for the July 21 update or simply want extra peace of mind, here’s how to back up your Sims 4 saves on both Windows and Mac.
Why Should You Back Up Sims 4 Saves?
Learning how to back up Sims 4 saves is one of the easiest ways to protect your households, builds and progress.
A backup can help if:
- A game update causes problems.
- Mods or custom content become incompatible.
- A save file becomes corrupted.
- You accidentally delete important files.
- You want to move your saves to another computer.
If you regularly play with mods, backing up your saves before every major update is highly recommended.
How to Back Up Sims 4 Saves on Windows
If you’re playing on Windows, your save files are stored in your Documents folder.
Follow these steps:
- Close The Sims 4 completely.
- Open Documents.
- Open Electronic Arts.
- Open The Sims 4.
- Locate the saves folder.
- Copy the entire saves folder.
- Paste it somewhere safe, such as another folder, an external drive or a cloud storage service.
Once copied, your saves are safely backed up and can be restored if needed.
How to Back Up Sims 4 Saves on Mac
The process is very similar on macOS.
- Close The Sims 4.
- Open Finder.
- Navigate to:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4
- Copy the saves folder.
- Paste the folder somewhere safe outside your Sims 4 directory.
Keeping multiple backups is a good idea if you regularly play long-running households.
Where Are Sims 4 Saves Stored?
If you’re wondering where Sims 4 saves are stored, you’ll usually find them here:
| Platform | Save Location |
|---|---|
| Windows | Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves |
| Mac | Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves |
Avoid editing or moving individual save files unless you know exactly what you’re doing. Copying the entire folder is the safest option.
Should You Back Up Sims 4 Saves Before Every Update?
Yes.
Every major Sims 4 update has the potential to affect mods, custom content or game files. While most updates install without problems, having a recent backup means you can restore your progress if something unexpected happens.
Many experienced players create a fresh backup before:
- Installing a new game update.
- Adding new mods.
- Downloading large amounts of custom content.
- Installing a new expansion pack.
- Testing experimental mods.
It only takes a minute or two and can save hours of frustration later.
Can You Restore Sims 4 Saves?
Yes.
If you ever need to restore your backup:
- Close The Sims 4.
- Open your backup location.
- Copy the backed-up saves folder.
- Replace the existing saves folder inside Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.
- Launch the game again.
Your backed-up save files should now be available.
Should You Back Up Mods Too?
If you use custom content or gameplay mods, it’s also worth copying your Mods folder at the same time as your saves.
Backing up both folders means you can restore your game much more quickly if a mod causes problems after an update.
How to Back Up Sims 4 Saves Before the July 21 Update
If you’re preparing for the latest update, backing up your saves before installing the patch is one of the smartest things you can do.
While many updates install without any issues, major patches can temporarily affect mods and custom content. Creating a backup beforehand means you’ll always have a safe copy of your progress if you need it.
Whether you play with hundreds of mods or enjoy a completely vanilla game, knowing how to back up Sims 4 saves gives you an extra layer of protection before every update.
