Saves Totally Deleted - Any Recovery Suggestions?

[salamoore]

Hello,

I updated my game tonight and now despite having over 70 hours of gameplay, all my saves are totally gone.

I've already spent hours reading the threads - I am on a mac, I am not synced to any type of cloud, and I have searched my computer for the files in pretty much every way possible, from locating the new and old Sims 4 folders to searching the file extensions and general file names (i.e, Slot_00000002.save). I checked my trash and tried moving forward with a new sim so I could access the load game function, but nothing. Unless they got renamed somewhere, they are totally gone. 

I understand that EA is trying to comply with new apple standards about the location of certain files (https://simscommunity.info/2020/04/06/the-sims-4-new-update-coming-soon-changes-planned-for-mac-game...) but the saves are supposed to remain in the same location, so I don't understand why my saves were wiped. The cache folders were empty as well. 

I'm at a loss. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to recover the files? I've been playing the Sims for 20 years and literally have never had this issue or even had it suggested to me that I should back up my save files. I will moving forward but I really hate to lose all the effort I put into the game till now. 

[Bluebellflora]

@salamoore 

The notarisation update you linked to has absolutely no bearing at all on your save files.

Please open Terminal, copy and paste the following command and hit Enter/Return:

find ~ -type d -name "*The Sims 4*" 2>/dev/null

After a little while it will return the results of the search. Please copy and paste them here.

[Aymee32]

You totally just helped me out here! I had the same issue so I did what you said and realised the file directory had changed, s I copied from the old saved file and pasted in the new and its all back to how it was.

[salamoore]

Hi @Bluebellflora,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. 

The location looks like it's the same as where I was originally searching - /Users/salamoore/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4

Thoughts?

Glad this helped @Aymee32 so far!

[Bluebellflora]

@salamoore

That's the only location? Nothing else showed up in the results?

[salamoore]

@Bluebellflora 

Correct :/ I've attached a screenshot in case it's helpful

[Bluebellflora]

@salamoore

Thanks. Where is the game installed to? Presumably the system Applications folder or an external drive?

Can you also screenshot the contents of your saves folder?

[salamoore]

@Bluebellflora 

Yeah it's just in the applications folder, no external or cloud.

Sure, I've attached a screenshot of my saves folder.

I had mentioned in my original post that I created a new sim just to see if it would load any previous households but I have since deleted that save file since none of my old files were pulled up. I have also attached a screenshot of that new save file in my trash folder in case it is somehow helpful.

I don't know if this matters but while the game was updating, I was cleaning up my desktop and probably emptied my trash at some point. 

I'm happy to provide any additional screenshots if needed!

[Bluebellflora]

@salamoore

To clarify, is your game installed in your User Applications folder or the Macintosh HD Applications folder? If it was in your User Applications folder it should have shown up in the Terminal search. I'm asking because if for some reason it missed that then it may be missing another Sims 4 folder that is in another location on your Mac, although a Spotlight search should have picked that up (the Electronic Arts folder is hidden from a Spotlight search IF it is in the Documents folder. A search in Terminal looks everywhere in the User account including hidden folders).

[salamoore]

@Bluebellflora 

Ah gotcha, it is installed in my Macintosh HD Applications folder, not the user folder.

I took a look at the user folder just to see and it looks like there is also a Sims 4 folder in the user Documents folder, but the Applications folder is empty along with the save folder.