Game guide:Backing up your game

Creating backups are an important part of working with computers, programs, and files. Backups help protect against data corruption, hardware failure, catastrophic software mishaps, or the dreaded times when you need to reinstall your game. This game will show you how to back up your saved game data in The Sims series, and how to restore them afterwards.

Note: This game guide was written with Windows in mind only. Procedures for Mac users may differ slightly.

The Sims
In The Sims, your saved game data is located in the same directory as all of the core game files. Chances are you're only interested in backing up your saved games and your custom content, since all of the core game files are replaced when you reinstall the game.

Assuming you saved the game in the default location, this will be located in. If you are using a 64-bit computer, this directory will be in.

In the image below, the game was saved in a non-default location.



Most of the folders you see here do not contain your saved game data, but the core game files. The two folders you probably want to back up are:
 * UserData: This folder contains your neighborhood, along with any lots and Sims you have in it. If you are playing the base game, there will only be one UserData folder. If you have any expansion packs, you will also see folders that have UserData in them followed by a number (e.g. UserData3); these are the additional neighborhoods that ship with your game. The numbers correspond to the neighborhood number you see in-game (UserData is Neighborhood 1, UserData2 is Neighborhood 2, etc.).
 * Downloads: This folder contains your custom content. If you don't have any custom content in your game, you do not need to worry about this folder.

There are two different methods you can use to back up these folders.

Option 1. Copy them to another folder
Select your Downloads folder and any UserData folders you have. (If you do not have the checkboxes on your computer, Ctrl-click on the folders to select them.)



Right click on all of the selected folders and click "Copy".



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



✅! Your saved data is now backed up!

Option 2. Zip them in a ZIP file

 * Need help with ZIP files? See Archive file formats.

Select your Downloads folder and any UserData folders you have. (If you do not have the checkboxes on your computer, Ctrl-click on the folders to select them.)



Right click on all of the selected folders, go to "Send To...", and then "Compressed (zipped) folder".



A ZIP file will be created in that directory. Right-click on that and select "Cut".



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



✅! Your saved data is now backed up!

The Sims 2
In The Sims 2, your saved game data is always located in the  folder (This folder is   in Windows XP).

You have two options here as to how you'd like to back up your game:

Option 1. Back up the entire "The Sims 2" folder
This method will back up all of your neighborhoods, Sims, lots, custom content, Body Shop projects and creations, collections, in-game snapshots, game settings, etc. It will not back up core game files, custom content that you have installed in the core game directories, custom graphics rules settings, or the Allmenus cheat setting.

This method will also take up the most storage space, as the "The Sims 2" folder is quite large!

Right-click on the "The Sims 2" folder and select "Copy".
 * Option 1.1. Copy them to another folder



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



✅! Your saved data is now backed up!


 * Option 1.2. Zip them in a ZIP file
 * Need help with ZIP files? See Archive file formats.

Right-click on the "The Sims 2" folder, go to "Send To...", and then "Compressed (zipped) folder".



A ZIP file will be created in that directory. Right-click on that and select "Cut".



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



✅! Your saved data is now backed up!

Option 2. Back up just your neighborhoods
This method will back up just your neighborhoods. Each neighborhood contains its own Sims, lots, sub-neighborhoods, and set of storytelling snapshots, and each neighborhood is separate from each other. This method will not back up custom content, game settings, Body Shop projects and creations, et al. This backs up less data, but also uses less storage space.

If you want to back up all of your neighborhoods at once, select the "Neighborhoods" folder and select "Copy". If you want to back up individual neighborhoods, go into the "Neighborhoods" folder and select the neighborhood folders you want to back up. Right-click on your selection(s) and select "Copy".
 * Option 2.1. Copy them to another folder





Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



✅! Your saved data is now backed up!


 * Option 2.2. Zip them in a ZIP file
 * Need help with ZIP files? See Archive file formats.

If you want to back up all of your neighborhoods at once, right-click on the "Neighborhoods" folder, go to "Send To...", and then "Compressed (zipped) folder". If you want to back up individual neighborhoods, go into the "Neighborhoods" folder and select the neighborhood folders you want to back up.



A ZIP file will be created in that directory. Right-click on that and select "Cut".



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



✅! Your saved data is now backed up!

The Sims 3
In The Sims 3, your saved game data is always located in the  folder (This folder is   in Windows XP).

Save games work a little differently in The Sims 3. Instead of each household being its own saved game, which are in turn collectively organized in neighborhoods that are separate from each other, saves consist of entire worlds with one actively played household. Saves are displayed in the main menu and can easily be duplicated in-game. It is still possible to back up saved games in the traditional method, however.

Method 1. Backing up from the main menu
Start up the game and enter the main menu. Click on the saved game you want to back up, then select the "Copy Town" option.



You will be prompted to give your saved game a new name. This name will appear in the main menu and in your "Saves" folder. It may help to suffix a number and increment it as you go along (e.g. "Bridgeport" → "Bridgeport (2)" when you copy for the first time, then "Bridgeport (2)" → "Bridgeport (3)" after that, and so on).



You will see another copy of your saved game in the main menu, and in the "Saves" folder.





Right-click on the new folder that was created and select "Cut".



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



Method 2. Backing up using the "Save" option
Simply save your game using the "Save" option. The game will automatically create a backup of your save in the state before you saved the game, which will be located in your "Saves" folder with the ".backup" suffix.





Right-click on the backup folder and select "Cut".



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



Method 3. Backing up using the "Save As" option
Save your game using the "Save As" option.



You will be prompted to give your saved game a new name. This name will appear in the main menu and in your "Saves" folder. If you want to use the "Save As" function every time you save your game, it may help to suffix a number and increment it as you go along (e.g. "Bridgeport" → "Bridgeport (2)" when you save for the first time, then "Bridgeport (2)" → "Bridgeport (3)" after that, and so on).



You will see another copy of your saved game in the main menu, and in the "Saves" folder.





Right-click on the new folder that was created and select "Cut".



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



Method 4. Backing up using Windows/File Explorer (traditional method)
This method will back up all of your user files, including your custom content, mods, saved Sims, family bin Sims, etc. It will not back up core game files or any modifications you made to said files.

Right-click on the "The Sims 3" folder and select "Copy".
 * Method 4.1. Copy them to another folder



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



✅! Your saved data is now backed up!


 * Method 4.2. Zip them in a ZIP file
 * Need help with ZIP files? See Archive file formats.

Right-click on the "The Sims 3" folder, go to "Send To...", and then "Compressed (zipped) folder".



A ZIP file will be created in that directory. Right-click on that and select "Cut".



Now create a folder somewhere on your computer where you would like to store your backed up files in (We recommend being organized here!). You can also choose to back up to a portable flash drive or a cloud storage service, such as Google Drive. Go into that folder and right-click anywhere inside of it, then select "Paste".



✅! Your saved data is now backed up!

Restoring from backup
Now that you know how to back up your saved data, this section will show you how to restore them in the event of an unfortunate mishap that results in you needing to restore from backup.

The Sims
Before you restore any files, go to your  folder (   for 64-bit computers) and delete the Downloads and UserData folders. This is important, since they may contain a different set of files than the ones you have in your backup, and if you try to mix and match, you could potentially break something! You can also back these files up before you begin; just make sure you've organized all of your backups so you don't get mixed up.



Option 1. If you backed up by copying files to another folder
Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. If you want to keep a copy of your backups (and we recommend you do!), select the folders, right-click on them, and click "Copy".



Go to the game directory, right-click on an empty spot in the folder, and then select "Paste".



✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.

Option 2. If you backed up by zipping them in a ZIP file
Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. Right-click on the ZIP file you created and select "Extract All".



Click on "Browse" and then navigate to the game directory.





Click on "Extract". Wait for all the files to be extracted and placed into the game directory.



✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.

Option 1. If you backed up your entire "The Sims 2" folder
First, delete your entire  (  in Windows XP) folder. This is important, since if you're restoring from backup, you want to make sure that all of the backup files are correctly restored and that there aren't any newer files in there that could potentially cause problems. You can also choose to back this folder up again; just make sure you've organized all of your backups so you don't get mixed up.




 * Option 1.1 If you backed up by copying files to another folder

Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. If you want to keep a copy of your backups (and we recommend you do!), select the folder, right-click on it, and click "Copy".



Go to  (  in Windows XP), right-click on an empty spot in the folder, and then select "Paste".



✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.


 * Option 1.2. If you backed up by zipping them in a ZIP file

Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. Right-click on the ZIP file you created and select "Extract All".



Click on "Browse" and then navigate to  (  in Windows XP).





Click on "Extract". Wait for all the files to be extracted and placed into the game directory.



✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.

Option 2. If you backed up just your neighborhoods
Go to  (  in Windows XP). If you are restoring all of your neighborhoods, delete the entire folder. If you are restoring individual neighborhoods, delete the neighborhood folders that you are about to replace.






 * Option 2.1. If you backed up by copying files to another folder

Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. If you want to keep a copy of your backups (and we recommend you do!), select the folder, right-click on it, and click "Copy".





Right-click on an empty spot in the folder, and then select "Paste".





✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.


 * Option 2.2. If you backed up by zipping them in a ZIP file

Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. Right-click on the ZIP file you created and select "Extract All".



Click on "Browse". If you're restoring your entire Neighborhoods folder, navigate to  (  in Windows XP). If you're restoring individual neighborhoods, navigate to  (  in Windows XP).





✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.

Method 1. If you followed Methods 1 or 3
Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. If you want to keep a copy of your backups (and we recommend you do!), select the folders, right-click on them, and click "Copy".



Go to your  folder, right-click on an empty spot in the folder, and then select "Paste". (If a folder with the same name as the one you're about to paste exists already, you must delete it completely before pasting the backed up copy)



✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.

Method 2. If you followed Method 2
Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. If you want to keep a copy of your backups (and we recommend you do!), select the folder, right-click on them, and click "Copy".



Go to your  folder, right-click on an empty spot in the folder, and then select "Paste".



Rename the folder you just pasted and remove the " " suffix. Do not touch the " " suffix. If a folder with the same name as the one you're renaming your backed up copy to exists already, you must delete it completely before renaming.





✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.

Method 3. If you backed up using the traditional method
First, delete your entire  folder (  in Windows XP). This is important, since if you're restoring from backup, you want to make sure that all of the backup files are correctly restored and that there aren't any newer files in there that could potentially cause problems. You can also choose to back this folder up again; just make sure you've organized all of your backups so you don't get mixed up.


 * Method 3.1. If you backed up by copying files to another folder

Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. If you want to keep a copy of your backups (and we recommend you do!), select the folder, right-click on it, and click "Copy".



Go to  (  in Windows XP), right-click on an empty spot in the folder, and then select "Paste".



✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.


 * Method 3.2. If you backed up by zipping them in a ZIP file

Go to the folder where you placed your backup files in. Right-click on the ZIP file you created and select "Extract All".



Click on "Browse" and then navigate to  (  in Windows XP).





Click on "Extract". Wait for all the files to be extracted and placed into the game directory.



✅! Your data has now been restored! You may want to start up the game to make sure everything's working correctly.

Backing up to other storage devices
The above guide has covered how to back up to your computer's main drive in a different directory from where the game files are housed. While this preserves your data when you reinstall your game, it won't work if you suffer a fatal hardware failure, or if you lose access to the computer where your backup was saved in. In such circumstances, you can also choose to save your backup files to another storage device, such as a USB flash drive, or to a cloud storage solution, such as Google Drive.

USB flash drive

 * Backing up to

First, plug in your USB flash drive.



Copy the files that you want to back up.



Go to "This PC" (8.1/10), "Computer" (Vista/7), or "My Computer" (XP), and open the flash drive you plugged in.



Right-click on an empty spot in there (or in the folder of your choosing) and select "Paste".




 * Restoring from

Again, plug in your flash drive and open the folder where you saved your backup files.



Right-click on your backup and select "Copy".



Then paste them into the folder of your choosing on your main drive.



Cloud storage

 * In this game guide, we will use Google Drive. While other cloud storage providers differ slightly in their instructions, in general it should all work the same.

Backing up to Google Drive is easy. Simply open Google Drive in your browser, navigate to the folder you wish to place the backup file into, and then drag and drop the file.



To restore the file, simply right-click on the file in Google Drive and then select "Download". Depending on your browser settings, you will be able to decide where you wish to send the downloaded file to.





Archive file formats
Saved games can get pretty large at times, so there is also the option to store them in an archive file, also known as a compressed folder. A compressed folder is basically a file that contains other files that have been compressed to reduce their file sizes. These compressed folders are handy, since they can reduce the amount of storage space your files use, and make it easy to share with other people. In fact, most custom content creators and modders distribute their works through these compressed folders. Files inside compressed folders must be extracted, or uncompressed, before they can be used, however. They are therefore best used to store files that do not need to be accessed all the time, or for transporting files between computers.

There are many different archive file formats out there, and countless programs that can handle the job of compressing and extracting files. We used the ZIP file format, which most modern operating systems have built-in support for, in this game guide. We also used the compressing and extracting functionality built into Microsoft's Windows Explorer (known as File Explorer in Windows 8.1 and 10).