Can't change install location on Mac OS Catalina

[alicepaver]

Hi,

I can't change the download/saves location in origin in Mac OS Catalina. When accessing the preferences page, clicking on 'Change folder' just does nothing.

I'm just trying to install the 64 bit version of the sims 3 and it downloads fine, but then I get an error when I try to install the download. 

Already tried deleting and reinstalling origin, and also resetting with the Reset Origin tool.

Pls help!!

[rodiak88 · Accepted solution]

Have been having the same problem with Origin on macOS Catalina. Tried many solutions and finally found a workaround.

Make sure the Origin application is closed.

Open a new Finder window and in the menu bar click  Go > Go to Folder...   (You can also use the keyboard shortcut SHIFT+CMD+G)

In the dialogue box that pops up copy and paste the following path:    ~/Library/Application Support/Origin/   and click Go or press Enter on you keyboard.

Once inside the folder you will see a list of files and sub-folders. One of the files is titled  local.xml  right-click on it then click Open With...  >  TextEdit   (if TextEdit does not appear in the menu click Other... and then scroll down to find TextEdit and double click it)

The file local.xml should now open in the TextEdit app. The file includes several lines with Settings and Values.

The line we're looking for is this:  

 <Setting type="10" key="DownloadInPlaceDir" value="/Users/USERNAME/Applications"/>  

(your macOS user name will appear instead of USERNAME)

Now in order to change the default Origin game library location all we have to do is change the value in this line to the folder path that we want to use.

For example if you want to change the install location to a folder on an external drive the line should look something like this:

<Setting type="10" key="DownloadInPlaceDir" value="/Volumes/EXTERNAL DRIVE/FOLDER NAME"/>

Of course you must change EXTERNAL DRIVE and FOLDER NAME to the actual drive and folder name on your Mac. On mine for example the external drive is called X5 SSD and I created a folder named Origin on it. So my line looks like this:

<Setting type="10" key="DownloadInPlaceDir" value="/Volumes/X5 SSD/Origin"/>

Make sure you only change the value inside the quotation marks while keeping everything else intact.

When you're done save the changes by pressing CMD + S on you keyboard. Close the TextEdit window.

Now launch the Origin app. If the folder path you entered in the local.xml file is valid Origin should open as usual and you can go to Origin > Preferences in the menu bar. Check under Installs & Saves and you should see the folder path updated under Game Library Location. Any new game you install in Origin will now be installed in the new folder.

If the folder path you entered in the locals.xml file is invalid you will get a pop up window after launching Origin alerting you that games cannot be installed to the folder you chose and that you must change it. You must quit Origin and edit the local.xml file again.

Hope this helps!

[puzzlezaddict]

@alicepaver  There is no 64-bit version of Sims 3, at least not yet.  EA has announced plans to release one in early 2020.  Here's the full post on the subject:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/An-announcement-for-The-Sims-3-players-on-Mac/td-p/82...

In the meantime, there's no way to run Sims 3 in Catalina.  You're getting an error because the game and installer are 32-bit, so the installer won't run.

As for the issue changing the download location in Origin, are you trying to change the install location, or the folder where the downloaded files go before they're installed?  Does it make a difference if you click "Restore Default" and then try to change it?

[alicepaver]

@puzzlezaddict ah ok, thanks, I read on another thread that they had already released the 64 bit version of the game but I guess maybe they haven't yet.

It doesn't make a difference if I click 'restore default' first. It pops up with the message saying the installation directory has changed, and then when I try to click 'Change folder' under 'Game library location' it still does nothing!

[puzzlezaddict]

@alicepaver  Try a new user account on your Mac.  Run the Origin reset tool first.  Create a new admin user and try to download the game in that account instead.  As long as you install to a shared folder, i.e. Applications instead of users/[your username]/Applications, the game should be accessible for your existing user as well.

[peteyk24]

I have the exact same problem with my game library location. I've tried everything you did too and none of them have worked including creating a new user on my Mac. I can get Origin and Sims 4 to download to my Mac but haven't been able to figure out how to get anything to move and work on my external hard drive.

[alicepaver]

@peteyk24 Yep, I still can't get it to work even after leaving it for a while and hoping that an update would fix it. I've sent a bug report but this is really frustrating!

[rodiak88 · Accepted solution]

Have been having the same problem with Origin on macOS Catalina. Tried many solutions and finally found a workaround.

Make sure the Origin application is closed.

Open a new Finder window and in the menu bar click  Go > Go to Folder...   (You can also use the keyboard shortcut SHIFT+CMD+G)

In the dialogue box that pops up copy and paste the following path:    ~/Library/Application Support/Origin/   and click Go or press Enter on you keyboard.

Once inside the folder you will see a list of files and sub-folders. One of the files is titled  local.xml  right-click on it then click Open With...  >  TextEdit   (if TextEdit does not appear in the menu click Other... and then scroll down to find TextEdit and double click it)

The file local.xml should now open in the TextEdit app. The file includes several lines with Settings and Values.

The line we're looking for is this:  

 <Setting type="10" key="DownloadInPlaceDir" value="/Users/USERNAME/Applications"/>  

(your macOS user name will appear instead of USERNAME)

Now in order to change the default Origin game library location all we have to do is change the value in this line to the folder path that we want to use.

For example if you want to change the install location to a folder on an external drive the line should look something like this:

<Setting type="10" key="DownloadInPlaceDir" value="/Volumes/EXTERNAL DRIVE/FOLDER NAME"/>

Of course you must change EXTERNAL DRIVE and FOLDER NAME to the actual drive and folder name on your Mac. On mine for example the external drive is called X5 SSD and I created a folder named Origin on it. So my line looks like this:

<Setting type="10" key="DownloadInPlaceDir" value="/Volumes/X5 SSD/Origin"/>

Make sure you only change the value inside the quotation marks while keeping everything else intact.

When you're done save the changes by pressing CMD + S on you keyboard. Close the TextEdit window.

Now launch the Origin app. If the folder path you entered in the local.xml file is valid Origin should open as usual and you can go to Origin > Preferences in the menu bar. Check under Installs & Saves and you should see the folder path updated under Game Library Location. Any new game you install in Origin will now be installed in the new folder.

If the folder path you entered in the locals.xml file is invalid you will get a pop up window after launching Origin alerting you that games cannot be installed to the folder you chose and that you must change it. You must quit Origin and edit the local.xml file again.

Hope this helps!

[Hoss007x]

@rodiak88 Thanks for this! Worked perfectly! All you have to do is repair the game in origin, and everything works perfectly.

[alicepaver]

@rodiak88 Amazing, this seems to have worked. Thank so much!

[dazycrazybeauty]

I can't find

The line we're looking for is this:  

 <Setting type="10" key="DownloadInPlaceDir" value="/Users/USERNAME/Applications"/>