October 2020 - last edited September 2021
A number of people are reporting issues when trying to install .Sims3Pack-based content, whether Store items or custom content.
Your previously downloaded files may not work in your new install. Please try downloading a fresh copy of at least one store item or two custom content items before troubleshooting.
Always delete your cache files after adding (or removing) content from your game.
Open Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3, and delete the five cache files in that folder. They will regenerate the next time you launch the game. For reference, they are:
If you click Install in the launcher and nothing happens
Please close the launcher and open it again, and if that doesn't work, quit Origin and reopen it.
If you see an Error Downloading Content {0} or critical system failure
These errors are caused by missing .plist files in ~/Library/Application Support/Origin/Installer Data. If you're wondering whether this is the underlying issue with your game, another symptom is having the base game icon grayed out along the bottom of the launcher.
With the November 9 update for Sims 3, repairing the game should create or restore the Installer Data folder and place the relevant .plist files inside. (Open your Origin game library, right-click or crtl-click on the Sims 3 icon, and select Repair.) If your base game icon is still grayed out, run the Origin reset tool for macOS, repair again, and try to install your content.
If you have this issue and your base game icon is not grayed out in the launcher, move your entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts, open the launcher to create a new folder, and try to download a fresh copy of one item. If it works, you can continue to download and install your content in small batches.
Sims3Pack can't be opened (there is no file set to open...)
Downloaded .Sims3Pack-based custom content cannot for now be opened automatically or double-clicked to install. Here's how to install a downloaded Sims3Pack:
Store content was installed but no longer loads
Please try repairing the game in Origin: open your game library, right-click (or hold down crtl and click) on the Sims 3 icon, and select Repair. If that doesn't help, run the Origin reset tool for macOS:
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/how-to-reset-origin-on-mac/
Restart your computer, and repair again.
Mods or .package-based cc doesn't work
The Mods folder works in this version of Sims 3 the same way it always has. If you're having trouble getting your Mods folder to work, please refer to the instructions where you downloaded the content. And be sure to delete the cache files listed above.
Please remember that .package files should not be opened and cannot be seen in the launcher. Simply place them in Mods > Packages, delete the cache files, and the game should read them when loading.
Solved! Go to Solution.
November 2020 - last edited November 2020
Marked as a solution for visibility
For anyone still having issues installing store or custom content, the update today (November 9) has fixed the underlying problem that is the most common cause of an "Error downloading content" or "critical system failure."
If you have this issue, please repair the game in Origin: open your game library, right-click on the Sims 3 icon, and select Repair. Then open the launcher and see whether the base game icon in the lower left corner is grayed out. If it's now green, the underlying issue should be solved, and you should be able to install content again.
Although the underlying cause of expansion and stuff pack icons being grayed out is the same, that is not addressed in this fix. However, the grayed out pack icons should not affect your ability to install or use store or custom content.
If you still get the same errors when downloading or installing content, and your base game icon is NOT grayed out in the launcher, please move the entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents/Electronic Arts and onto your desktop, open the launcher to spawn a clean folder, and download a fresh copy of one item to test.
October 2020
I successfully installed the new 64 bit - metal version of Sims 3 on my MacBook and the related expansion packs that I owned and played it to make sure it worked. At first the game did not show in my Origin library but when I contacted through the live chat they were able to make it show up for me. Yay! I also had asked the chat person if the previously purchased content that I bought years ago in the Sims 3 Store would work and they said it would. But when I went to download one small item as a test it did not work. The Launcher opened and the icon for the item showed as a brown box and then i got a pop up error message staging "There was an error Downloading Content {0}". I tried it on Safari first and then on Firefox and had issue with both. Also tried the "repair" option on the game in Origin to make sure and that went through easily but still got the error with the content.
I spent real dollars on these items and it would be a shame to not be able to access them, and it kind of ruined my buzz of playing the game again. Any suggestions?
October 2020 - last edited October 2020
@nlferrari Please move your entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop. Open the launcher to create a new folder, and download one item from the store, using Firefox. If it doesn't work, clear the caches for both Firefox and Safari, quit Origin and restart it, and try again.
If that doesn't help, please open a Finder window, hold down the optn(alt) key, click Go at the top of your screen, then select Library. From there, open Application Support > Origin, and see whether you have a folder inside labeled Installer Data. If you do, please open it, take a screenshot of its contents, and attach it to a post.
If you don't have the folder, create one; be sure to get the name and case exactly right. If you have one, trash it and make a new one. Then try to install a new download of one item, and let me know whether it works. It may help to install a Store item first, although I'm not sure.
October 2020
October 2020
@nlferrari Just to be clear, you're still getting exactly the same error as before, and despite the suggestions? Are you downloading store content from the same account (username and password) as you use to sign into Origin? Store content is encrypted and won't work when the product key for the installed game doesn't match what's on file in the account.
Do you have an antivirus that might be blocking store stuff, or a cleaner app that might be getting in the way? If so, try disabling the app.
October 2020
Hello, so I tried downloading some of the DLC I purchased but unfortunately, the launcher seems to be unable to download that content. Here is the output from Sims3LauncherLogFile.log:
2020/10/29|01:20:00|OFB-SIM3:72090|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||Build Version: 1.70.292.024017|Platform: Mac|Locale: en_US|Content URL: http://store.thesims3.com|Web Services URL: http://igs.thesims3.com|
2020/10/29|01:20:09|OFB-SIM3:70233|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||
2020/10/29|01:20:36|OFB-SIM3:21889|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||
2020/10/29|01:21:16|OFB-SIM3:21889|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||Build Version: 1.70.292.024017|Platform: Mac|Locale: en_US|Content URL: http://store.thesims3.com|Web Services URL: http://igs.thesims3.com|
2020/10/29|01:23:42|OFB-SIM3:72090|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||
2020/10/30|21:27:46|OFB-SIM3:19074|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||Build Version: 1.70.292.024017|Platform: Mac|Locale: en_US|Content URL: http://store.thesims3.com|Web Services URL: http://igs.thesims3.com|
2020/10/30|21:27:48|OFB-SIM3:18779|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||
2020/10/30|21:27:55|OFB-SIM3:70233|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||
2020/10/30|21:27:59|OFB-SIM3:72090|Store Download Failure. Failed to transform header||||
Is there any particular reason for this? Anything I can do to troubleshoot it?
October 2020
I've tried the steps in the "there was an error Downloading Content {0}" and none have worked. Please help.
October 2020
October 2020
@VeroniqueBellamy What error are you seeing from the launcher? It's hard to know what to say without some context.
October 2020
@Tolkeininmysleep and @Babi2410 What are you trying to install? Do all your packs appear as installed in the launcher?