How to back up The Sims 4 before the July 21 update is worth knowing before you install the patch, remove mods or test an important save. A complete Sims 4 backup protects your households, builds, saves, mods and custom content if the update causes problems.
The safest method is to copy the entire Sims 4 user folder rather than saving only the Mods folder. This gives you a complete pre-update version that can be restored if a save becomes damaged, custom content disappears or an outdated mod causes errors.
How to Back Up The Sims 4 Before Updating
To learn how to back up The Sims 4 properly, begin by closing both the game and the EA app.
Open the following location on your computer:
Documents > Electronic Arts
Inside the Electronic Arts folder, you should see a folder named:
The Sims 4
Right-click The Sims 4 folder and select Copy.
Paste the copied folder somewhere outside the Electronic Arts directory. Good backup locations include:
- A folder on your desktop
- An external hard drive
- A USB drive
- A separate internal drive
- A dedicated backup folder
Rename the copied folder so you can easily identify it later.
For example:
The Sims 4 Backup Before July 21 Update
Do not move the original folder. The original Sims 4 folder must remain inside Documents so the game can continue using it.
Why You Should Back Up the Entire Sims 4 Folder
When players ask how to back up The Sims 4, they often copy only their save files or Mods folder. That protects part of the game, but it does not create a complete backup.
The full Sims 4 folder contains:
| Folder or file | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Saves | Your saved games and previous save versions |
| Mods | Mods, script mods and custom content |
| Tray | Households, rooms and lots saved to your Library |
| Screenshots | Images taken inside the game |
| Recorded Videos | Videos recorded through The Sims 4 |
| Options.ini | Your game settings |
| UserSetting.ini | Additional user settings |
| Custom Music | Music added to the game |
| Mods Resource.cfg | Instructions used to load mod files |
Copying the complete folder means you do not have to remember which individual files need protecting.
If something goes wrong after the July 21 update, you can return to a known working version instead of attempting to rebuild your Sims 4 folder from memory.
How to Check That Your Sims 4 Backup Worked
Knowing how to back up The Sims 4 also means checking that the copy was created correctly.
Open the backup folder after it has finished copying.
Check that it contains folders named:
- Saves
- Tray
- Mods
Open the Saves folder and make sure it contains files beginning with:
Slot_
These are your Sims 4 save files.
Open the Tray folder and check that it contains files. The Tray folder stores households, lots and rooms saved to your personal Library.
When you use mods, open the Mods folder and confirm that your package and script files were copied.
Do not assume the backup is complete simply because a folder with the correct name exists. Check that the important folders contain files before allowing the update to install.
How Much Space Does a Sims 4 Backup Need?
The amount of storage required depends mostly on the size of your Mods, Screenshots and Recorded Videos folders.
Players with a large custom content collection may need several gigabytes of free space. Right-click The Sims 4 folder and select Properties to see its total size before creating the backup.
Make sure the backup destination has more free space than the folder requires.
When the copy stops partway through because the drive is full, you may be left with an incomplete backup that appears normal until you try to restore it.
How to Back Up The Sims 4 Saves Only
When storage is limited, you can create a smaller backup containing only your save files.
Open:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4
Copy the saves folder and paste it somewhere safe.
This protects your active households and worlds, but it does not protect:
- Mods
- Custom content
- Library households
- Library lots
- Screenshots
- Game settings
A saves-only copy is useful as an additional backup, but it should not replace a complete Sims 4 backup when you have enough storage space.
How to Back Up Sims and Lots From Your Library
Households and builds saved to My Library are stored locally inside the Tray folder.
To protect them, copy:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Tray
The Tray folder contains several different file types that work together. Do not rename individual files or copy only one file belonging to a household or lot.
Copy the complete Tray folder.
Items uploaded to the Gallery may remain connected to your account, but locally saved Library content should still be backed up. Do not rely on the Gallery as the only copy of a household or build you want to keep.
How to Back Up The Sims 4 Mods
To create a separate mods backup, copy:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods
Store the copied Mods folder outside the active Sims 4 directory.
This is useful before:
- Installing a game update
- Updating a large script mod
- Running a custom content batch fix
- Reorganising the Mods folder
- Testing files with the 50/50 method
- Removing duplicate content
Keep the original pre-update backup unchanged. When mod creators release compatible files, install those updated versions into the active Mods folder rather than changing your backup copy.
That gives you a reference containing the exact files you used before the update.
Is OneDrive a Sims 4 Backup?
OneDrive can synchronise your Documents folder, but it should not be treated as your only Sims 4 backup.
A synchronised folder is not always the same as an independent backup. Deleting, replacing or corrupting a file on one connected device may cause the change to synchronise elsewhere.
OneDrive can also create confusion when The Sims 4 begins using:
OneDrive > Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4
instead of the local Documents folder.
For the July 21 update, create a manual copy that sits outside the folder currently being used by the game.
An external drive or clearly labelled desktop folder is easier to identify and less likely to be altered automatically.
Should You Delete Cache Files Before Backing Up?
You do not need to delete cache files before learning how to back up The Sims 4.
The purpose of the backup is to preserve your working pre-update setup exactly as it exists.
After creating the backup, you may delete localthumbcache.package from the active Sims 4 folder when removing or updating mods.
The game will generate a new localthumbcache.package file the next time it launches.
Do not delete files from the backup unless you are certain they are unnecessary. Keeping the pre-update folder untouched gives you a reliable recovery point.
How to Restore a Sims 4 Backup
Close The Sims 4 and the EA app before restoring files.
Open:
Documents > Electronic Arts
Rename the current active folder to something such as:
The Sims 4 After Update
Then copy your backed-up Sims 4 folder into the Electronic Arts directory and rename it:
The Sims 4
This restores the backed-up user files, but it does not reverse the installed game update.
An older mod that worked before July 21 may still be incompatible with the updated game. Restoring the old Mods folder does not make outdated script mods safe to use.
When restoring after an update, you may want to return only:
- Saves
- Tray
- Screenshots
- Recorded Videos
- Confirmed compatible custom content
Keep outdated mods outside the active folder until their creators confirm compatibility.
How to Restore One Sims 4 Save
When only one save needs restoring, open the backup’s Saves folder.
Copy the relevant Slot_ file into:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves
Before replacing anything, copy the current Saves folder somewhere safe.
The Sims 4 also keeps several previous versions of each save. These normally appear with endings such as:
.save.ver0.save.ver1.save.ver2.save.ver3.save.ver4
The in-game Recover Save option may allow you to return to one of these earlier versions without manually renaming files.
Do not overwrite your only copy of a damaged save while testing recovery options.
Create More Than One Backup for Important Saves
For an important long-term household, the safest answer to how to back up The Sims 4 is to keep more than one copy.
You could keep:
- One full backup before the July 21 update
- One separate backup of your Saves folder
- One copy on an external drive
- One later backup after mods are confirmed compatible
Give each folder a date or clear description.
For example:
The Sims 4 Backup 20 July 2026
Clear names prevent you from accidentally restoring an outdated or already damaged folder.
What to Do After Creating the Backup
After learning how to back up The Sims 4 and checking the copied files, you can prepare the game for the update.
The safest order is:
- Close The Sims 4.
- Copy the complete Sims 4 folder.
- Check that the backup contains your saves and Tray files.
- Move the active Mods folder outside the game.
- Install the July 21 update.
- Launch The Sims 4 without mods.
- Test with a new or disposable save.
- Exit without saving over an important modded household.
- Check mod creator compatibility updates.
- Return compatible mods gradually.
Do not delete the backup as soon as the game launches successfully. Keep it until you have tested your main saves, builds, custom content and updated mods.
Understanding how to back up The Sims 4 before the July 21 update gives you a reliable way back if anything goes wrong. Copy the complete user folder, verify that the important files are present and keep the backup untouched while you test the updated game.
