Sims 4 saves 100. Export of sims and lots. How to leave only the necessary files in the Tray folder

Find save files in Documents > Electronic Arts > Sims 4 > Saves

If the most new file save is corrupted, you can use any of the older versions of the same save point and you will only lose a few sim hours in the game.

  1. First, find the save you want to use. You can restore your last saved game or go back a couple of days.
    • If a folder of files is displayed in a table, you'll see the date and time of each file, making it easier to find newer save points.
    • In-game save points also have a date and time that must match the date and time of the files in the Saves folder or menu "Load game".
  2. Once you have found the necessary save points in the game and the folder with the save files, do not forget to close the game. Never change game files while the game is running.
  3. Transfer the main version of the file(with extension .save) to another folder to save it.
    • You can also rename the file or delete it.
  4. Select the new save file you want to load. You will have a certain number of files with an extension indicating more old version this file conservation.
    • To start the game as close as possible to the previous save, select the file with the extension .save.ver0.
    • To start the game as far away from the previous save as possible, select the file with the extension .save.ver4.
  5. Make the selected file your new primary save point.
    • Click right click mouse over the file and select "Rename".
    • Remove the extension part after .save.
    • Press Enter.
    • Example: Slot_000000012.save.ver4 will become Slot_000000012.save
  6. Launch The Sims 4 and select "Load Game". Select a save point and the game will load the file you renamed and made your primary save point.

Judging by the questions I've been getting lately about The Sims 4, many people need to publish their Sim or item without using the gallery, but not everyone knows what exactly needs to be pulled out of the game so that you can install your creation on another player's computer. Today we will not only figure out what files we need and where they come from, but we will also learn how to use publishing to leave in a folder only those that need to be archived to export your Sim or lot.

So, if you have already tried to export your handmade masterpiece using file archiving rather than gallery, you already know that all game files of families and lots remain in a certain Tray folder at Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Tray. It is in this folder that, after saving in the library, several files appear (a strictly defined number for families and lots), which can simply be packed into an archive - and after transferring to another player and installing these files in his Tray folder, your SIM or lot will appear in his game, bypassing publication and downloading from the gallery.

For every family there are at least five files with extensions 1x. HOUSEHOLDBINARY, 1x .TRAYITEM, 2x .SGI, 1x.HHI (if there is more than one Sims in a family, then the number of .SGI files increases by one with each Sim), and for each lot - at least six files with 1x extensions .BLUEPRINT, 4x .BPI, 1x .TRAYITEM(again, if there is more than one floor on the site, then there will be more than six files: with each floor a new .BPI file is added). To export a room you will need four files: 1x .ROOM, 2x .MIDI, 1x .TRAYITEM. Files of one family or one lot have the same name and differ only in extensions, so by sorting the materials in the Tray folder by date of modification, you can, if you have just saved the lot or family to the library, simply take the most recent files with certain extensions and with the same name and with peace of mind pack them into the archive: they will definitely relate to the newly preserved plot or family. However, if you saved a plot or a Sim a long time ago or, say, just now, but also a plot and a family at the same time, then confusion may arise with the files you need. In any case, there is a way to show in the Tray folder only the files you need to publish a specific site or family. Now we will look at it.

So, I will try to leave in the Tray folder only those files that I need to export my lot (I will show it using the example of the Tradition restaurant). You will do the same with families. First, let's do a little preparation: find our lot in the library and publish it in the gallery (don't worry, after exporting the lot or family can be deleted from the gallery).

Now we exit the game and open our Tray folder (reminder: Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Tray). There we will see a bunch of files, among which are those we need.


Now let's select all the files in the Tray folder and temporarily move them somewhere. For example, I moved it to the "Misc" folder that I created in my Sims downloads. You can move the files anywhere outside of the "The Sims 4" folder in "Documents".


Why is this needed: we have cleared our game library, and now when you download a lot or family, only its files will appear in the Tray folder. We launch the game, and we see that only families created by EA remain in our library, and all our saved lots and Sims are gone. Don’t worry, this is how it should be: as soon as we return the files from the Tray folder to their place, everything will be restored. Click on your Origin nickname in the upper right corner of the gallery to go to the lots you have published in the community.



Check that the item appears in the library and exit the game. Now, looking at the Tray folder, we will see that several files have appeared there. They are exactly what we need in order to publish our lot or Sim in the form of an archive.


Calmly archive these files and distribute the resulting archive to your friends and acquaintances :) As a last step, do not forget to transfer the files that we removed from the Tray folder to their place so that your saved families and lots return to the game.


Now you can cancel the publication of a lot or family in the gallery if for some reason it bothers you there. Don't forget also that if you used any mods when creating a lot or sim, now they are not published along with your creation automatically. To transfer mods along with the publication, you must manually find them in the Mods folder and add them to the archive with the lot/give download links from the authors. Do not mix mods with files from the Tray folder so as not to confuse people.

I hope this article will help you publish your The Sims 4 creations easier and faster. Enjoy the game :)

Oh boy has this been a journey and a half. Recreating all of the Sims 4′s world from scratch alone is a lot but trying to recreate a whole canon universe? DEAD. I’ve been going through scenes frame by frame to get each lot accurate as possible (And with limitations of the Sims)

At this point, I have 40 something lots done. That’s not even scratching the surface. Plus Island Living’s coming out this week.

I really want to finish this world and upload it but I’ve got two problems I’ve thought about since the beginning:

  1. Am I going to run out of canon locations to build?
  2. Am I going to run out of canon Sims to add to residential lots?

I’ll probably start making generic lots, especially since a lot of demons/angels/etc don’t really have a home.

Yes! When? I don’t know yet, I’m still trying to decide if I want to go ahead and upload them as I build or finish the world then upload them

When will the world be finished/be uploaded?

I hope before Season 15′s premiere. Hope. At least finish all canon lots/sims

Bela Talbot's apartment





Heaven's portal


The park from…Season 6? Godstiel? I think it was from ‘The man who would be king’ but I honestly forgot lol



Lucifer's cage. Gotta put Luci and Michael somewhere. Might as well add Adam to the household too at this point loool


Biggersons! Specifically from Season 7


Crowley's throne room (+ more, this one got big)



Chuck's house from S5




Harvelle's Roadhouse