How to get mods in The Sims 4: the folder, the two settings, and the depth limit
Put the mod file in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods, then tick both Enable Custom Content and Mods and Script Mods Allowed under Game Options, Other, and restart. A .ts4script file must sit at the top of Mods or exactly one folder deep, never deeper.
Almost every failed mod install in The Sims 4 comes down to two settings, one folder and one depth limit. The one people miss is that Script Mods Allowed is a separate checkbox from the main mods switch.
The folder on each platform
| Platform | Mods folder | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods | Created by the game on first run. Do not create it by hand if the game has never launched. |
| Mac | Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Mods inside your user folder | Same structure, forward slashes. The Sims 4 folder sits beside the Mac's own Documents contents. |
| Documents moved or redirected | Wherever your Documents folder actually resolves to | The Sims 4 folder follows Documents. If you cannot find it, search for the folder rather than guessing a path. |
| PlayStation and Xbox | Does not exist | Console builds load no mods and no custom content. |
Two other files live in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4, one folder above Mods, and both matter later on this page: localthumbcache.package, which is the thumbnail cache you delete during a clean test, and the last exception files the game writes when something throws an error.
The two settings are not one setting
Both live under Game Options, then Other. You can reach them from the main menu or in game.
| Setting | What it gates | Restart needed |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Custom Content and Mods | The master switch. Nothing in the Mods folder loads while this is off. | Yes |
| Script Mods Allowed | A second, separate tick, required only for .ts4script files. Ticking the master switch does not tick this one. | Yes |
Once both are on and you have restarted, the game's own mods list shows what loaded: packages under Custom Content, scripts under Script Mods. That list is the fastest way to prove a file was seen, and it is the difference between "the mod is broken" and "the game never read the file".
File types and what each one needs
| File | What is inside | Needs Script Mods Allowed | Folder depth | Breaks when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.package | Game resources: meshes, textures, tuning overrides, interface movies | No | No limit documented by EA. Keep it shallow anyway. | A patch changes a resource the package overrides |
.ts4script | A zip of compiled Python. The Sims 4 runs Python 3.7. | Yes | Top level of Mods, or exactly one folder deep | A patch changes the game code the script hooks into |
.zip, .rar, .7z | Nothing the game can read | n/a | n/a | Always. Extract it first. |
The depth rule gets repeated everywhere as though EA published it, and EA did not. We could not find the one-folder limit for .ts4script files stated on any EA-authored page. It is modding-community consensus: it matches every creator's install instructions and it explains the most common script mod failure, but consensus is not documentation. Treat it as the rule and keep your script files shallow.
Some mods also need another mod first. The XML Injector is the common one: it is a shared script library that other mods hook into instead of each shipping their own script. Its maintainer asks specifically that mod authors do not bundle a copy with their own mod, so that players have exactly one copy and can tell which version they have. If a mod's page says it needs the XML Injector, install it from its own page and only once.
Install a mod, step by step
- Download from the creator's own page. Not a mirror site. If you do not know which page is the creator's, the sims 4 mods lists the verified destination for each one.
Expected result: a zip file, usually named after the mod and its version. - Extract the zip. The game reads
.packageand.ts4scriptfiles. It cannot read an archive.
Expected result: one or more loose files. Note whether a.ts4scriptis among them, because that decides whether you need the second setting.
If it fails: a download that will not extract is usually an interrupted download. Fetch it again from the same page. - Move the files into
Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods. Keep any.ts4scriptat the top level or exactly one folder deep.
Expected result: the files sit in Mods, not inside a folder inside a folder inside Mods.
If it fails: no Mods folder means the game has never been launched. Launch it once and close it. - Open Game Options, then Other, and tick both boxes. Enable Custom Content and Mods, and Script Mods Allowed.
Expected result: both boxes ticked. The second one is separate and is the one that gets missed. - Restart the game completely. Not a save reload; quit and relaunch.
Expected result: the mods list shows your package under Custom Content and your script under Script Mods.
If it fails: a file that does not appear in that list was never read. Go back to the depth rule and the settings. - Updating later: delete the old files first, then add the new ones. Two copies of the same mod is a documented cause of malfunction, and creators say so on their own pages.
Why mods turn themselves off after a patch
Because EA switches them off deliberately. The stated behaviour is that mods are disabled during a game update to limit problems with your game, and that you re-enable them yourself afterwards through the options menu. The files never left the folder. Both checkboxes are simply clear again, including Script Mods Allowed.
So the first move after any update is: tick both boxes, restart, then look. Only after that does it make sense to ask whether a mod is genuinely broken, and EA also notes that a mod may need a full reinstall to be compatible with a new patch and that creators need time to update. Patch-by-patch mod status is tracked in the community broken mods thread on the EA forums, and we track what breaks and why in patch notes.
It installed and nothing happens
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Mod does not appear in the game's mods list at all | File never read: wrong folder, still zipped, or master switch off | Extract, move into Mods, tick Enable Custom Content and Mods, restart |
| Package half of a mod works, script half does not | .ts4script too deep, or Script Mods Allowed off | Move the script to the top of Mods or one folder deep, tick the second box, restart |
| A dialog opens but entering a value changes nothing | Same cause. The interface loaded, the code did not. | As above. This is the classic half-install and creators document it by name. |
| Worked yesterday, dead after an update | Both settings were cleared by the patch | Re-tick both, restart, then check the mod's own page for an update |
| Odd behaviour after updating a mod | Two copies of it in the folder | Delete every older copy. Keep exactly one file of each name. |
| Interface panels missing, blank or frozen | A mod that replaces interface resources is built for an older game version | Update the game fully, then install the current build of that mod |
| Everything above checked and it still fails | Another mod interfering, or a stale cache | The standard clean test: delete localthumbcache.package from Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4, then run the suspect mod as the only thing in the Mods folder |
Cheat mods versus the game's own cheat console
A large share of people looking for "mods for The Sims 4" want cheats, and those are two different products. The game registers its own cheat commands with no install required. A cheat mod is a file you install that puts an interface on top of them or adds its own.
The game's console opens with Ctrl+Shift+C, and most cheats need one command first:
testingcheats true
Registered as a Live command in game build 1.126.73.1030, so it runs in a retail game with no mod installed. testingcheats on, 1, yes, y, t and enable all reach the same code path.
The combination is Ctrl+Shift+C on Windows and on Mac. On a Mac that is the Control key, not Command, which trips up plenty of Mac players. On PlayStation and Xbox, hold all four shoulder buttons instead, or press Ctrl+Shift+C if you have a keyboard attached. Consoles also show a confirmation dialog before cheats turn on, which desktop players never see.
Of the 1,847 commands The Sims 4 ships, 1,086 are registered in a retail build and only 633 can ever be run by a player. The rest are debug and automation commands that are either never registered in a shipped build or driven only through an internal channel, which is why so many published cheat lists contain codes that silently do nothing. A cheat mod does not change that; it changes how you reach the commands that do work.
The established cheat mod in this category is ui cheat sims 4, which is free and downloads from its creator's own Patreon post. It needs both settings on, because it ships a .package and a .ts4script, and if only the money click works you have found the half-install described above.
Consoles
There is nothing to install. The Sims 4 on PlayStation and Xbox loads no mods, no custom content and no script mods, and there is no folder or setting to change. Any site offering you a console version of a Sims 4 mod is wrong. Console players get the cheat console and the commands the game itself registers, which is a large set.
Common questions
Where is the Sims 4 Mods folder?
Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods on Windows, and the same path under your user Documents folder on Mac. The game creates it the first time it runs, so if it is missing, launch the game once rather than making the folder by hand. If your Documents folder has been moved or redirected, the Mods folder moves with it.
What is the difference between a .package and a .ts4script?
A .package is a container of game resources: custom content, an object, a tuning override, a replaced interface panel. A .ts4script is a zip of Python code that runs inside the game. Only the .ts4script needs the Script Mods Allowed setting, and only the .ts4script has a folder depth limit.
Why do my mods stop working after every Sims 4 update?
Because the update switches the mod settings off. EA disables mods when the game updates to limit problems during patching, so the files are still on disk while both checkboxes are cleared. Re-tick Enable Custom Content and Mods and Script Mods Allowed, restart, and check again before assuming a mod is broken.
The mod installed but nothing happens in game. What now?
For a script mod that is almost always one of three things: the .ts4script is buried more than one folder deep, Script Mods Allowed is off, or two copies of the mod are installed. Fix all three, restart, and if it still fails, delete localthumbcache.package and test the mod as the only thing in the Mods folder.
Can I use mods on PS4, PS5 or Xbox?
No. The Sims 4 on PlayStation and Xbox does not load mods or custom content of any kind, and script mods in particular have no console equivalent. Console players get the game's own cheat console, which you open by holding all four shoulder buttons instead of pressing Ctrl+Shift+C.
Is a cheat mod the same thing as a cheat code?
No. Cheat codes are commands the game itself registers and you type into the console; the game ships 1,847 of them and 633 actually run in a retail build. A cheat mod is a separate file you install that adds its own interface or its own commands on top. Cheat codes need no install; a cheat mod does.