Issues with creating a symlink on mac

[Chan_Chan2597]

@Bluebellflora 

Yes, so with the drive being titled GAMING HARD, are those the correct inputs for steps 1 and 2?

Step 1:  mv ~/Documents/Electronic\ Arts /Volumes/Gaming\ Hard/ 

Step 2:  ln –s /Volumes/Gaming\ Hard/Electronic\ Arts ~/Documents/ 

It seems like step one is working but when i open a new game it creates a new EA folder in Documents.

[Bluebellflora]

@Chan_Chan2597

A new EA folder is being created because you have moved the existing one to the external drive and the game can’t find it because you haven’t yet created the symlink correctly.

I have no idea why the symlink isn’t working for you. Did you copy and paste my line and substitute the file names for yours? Check the spaces properly. Your drive is called GAMING HARD, not Gaming Hard. Have you tried it in all caps in case it’s a case sensitive issue on your Mac? Although the move command worked properly apparently.

Why don’t you just go into Disk Utility and rename the external drive with one word to make it easier on yourself?

Have you moved the EA folder within another folder on the external drive?

[Chan_Chan2597]

@Bluebellflora 

I was able to figure it out. I must have been having issues with spacing. All I did was copy it directly from the instructions and use the name is the hard drive where USB is. It’s working perfectly now. 

Thank you so much for your patience and expertise, I really appreciate it!

[Bluebellflora]

@Chan_Chan2597

Great! Spaces are one of the most common problems which is why I recommend to copy/paste the command - I know it works 100% because I tested it myself substituting the L for an I is also very common.

[faithalex22]

Hey! I’m having the same issue and I was wondering how did you resolve it. I named my file and tried the SYMLINK but all it does is make a new EA copy once I start the game. I bought a hard drive for all of my CC but the mods folder is in the EA folder which keeps going into a documents folder and not my actual external hard drive. 

[Bluebellflora]

@faithalex22

It makes a new Sims 4 folder because you haven’t entered the command correctly in Terminal to create the symlink.

[faithalex22]

okay my file name is ALEX, i copied the exact link from the site , can you explain how I can properly do it?

[Bluebellflora]

@faithalex22

What link?

I can only try and help you if you copy/paste the Terminal command you're entering here, although I'm not sure I can make the instructions any easier.

[faithalex22]

mv ~/Documents/Electronic\ Arts /Volumes/ALEX/

ln -s /Volumes/USB/Electronic\ ALEX ~/Documents/

and I used the format from the website not the link, sorry

[Bluebellflora]

@faithalex22

You've only put "Electronic". The correct name of the folder the game creates is "Electronic Arts".

What is ALEX?

I think it may be a good idea to re-read the instructions again and really pay attention to what you're replacing in the command after you copy and paste it, specifically point 1 in Step 2 - https://bluebellflora.com/saving-your-sims-4-folder-to-an-external-drive/

I'm reluctant to help too much with the symlink because if someone is struggling to enter the initial command correctly it could create further problems further down the line if they want to reverse it or something goes awry. It's a really good idea to fully familiarise yourself with the process and understand exactly what a symlink is, why you're doing it and how to fix it if it goes wrong.