Some problems in your game may be due to corrupted data, hence, a factory reset is needed.
A factory reset lets you fix these corrupted data without the need to re-download or reinstall your game which would usually take longer than a simple factory reset.
This method will temporarily reset everything from your save games to your graphic settings.
You don't have to worry 'though cause you will get everything back by creating a backup of your game.
Here's how:
1) Before anything else, make sure that your game is not running. If you are familiar with this and don't need a detailed instruction, click here.
2) Open the folder: "Documents/Electronic Arts" (Path may vary depending on your operating system and setup)
3) Rename The Sims 4 folder to The Sims 4 Backup (or whatever you want to name it. Just make sure it is different from The Sims 4 folder so you won't mistake one from the other).
4) Launch The Sims 4 game.
A new "The Sims 4" folder will appear under your Documents folder. This new folder has the default game settings like when you first played the game. Do not add your mods here yet to make sure the game runs as it should without any mod/cc conflicting it.
5) Test if the problem still persists by launching the game and playing it for a while as you observe for any glitches.
If you get an error, you just need to undo the factory reset by deleting the new folder "The Sims 4" and then renaming The Sims 4 Backup to its original "The Sims 4".
If there are no errors, copy your old data folder per folder to the newly created The Sims 4 folder as shown below:
Start with your "saves" folder first, launch the game, and then observe for errors or anything unusual. Your mods and CCs will not appear initially as the files are not there yet, and the mods and custom contents are disabled by default after a factory reset.
If there are no errors and you want to have the Mods and CCs in your game again, you will then need to enable them in your game settings:
If there are errors, it is likely that your save game is corrupt or that there is simply a bug that cannot be resolved from your end. If you have an older backup, you may try using it instead by following the same process as above.
If your old backup works or if you don't observe any errors from your save game at all, resume copying the rest of the files, folder per folder, file to file.
Run your game to test after every folder. If anything goes wrong, you will know where to look.
A new "The Sims 4" folder will appear under your Documents folder. This new folder has the default game settings like when you first played the game. Do not add your mods here yet to make sure the game runs as it should without any mod/cc conflicting it.
If you get an error, you just need to undo the factory reset by deleting the new folder "The Sims 4" and then renaming The Sims 4 Backup to its original "The Sims 4".
If there are no errors, copy your old data folder per folder to the newly created The Sims 4 folder as shown below:
Start with your "saves" folder first, launch the game, and then observe for errors or anything unusual. Your mods and CCs will not appear initially as the files are not there yet, and the mods and custom contents are disabled by default after a factory reset.
If there are no errors and you want to have the Mods and CCs in your game again, you will then need to enable them in your game settings:
If there are errors, it is likely that your save game is corrupt or that there is simply a bug that cannot be resolved from your end. If you have an older backup, you may try using it instead by following the same process as above.
If your old backup works or if you don't observe any errors from your save game at all, resume copying the rest of the files, folder per folder, file to file.
Run your game to test after every folder. If anything goes wrong, you will know where to look.
Options.ini: This contains all the settings which you did in the Options in your game except the ones that are saved per save game (such as autonomy and aging). It’s better to re-set all options manually, but you can also simply copy back the file but be sure to test it after.
Screenshots: The screenshoots you have taken in game.
Custom Music: Custom Music you have.
Tray: This folder contains all your houses, Sims, and rooms.
Mods: Your mods and/or Custom Contents. If you get an error again, use the 50/50 method to find what's causing it or you may use the Tray Importer to find the culprit and delete it from there, or use the Sims 4 Studio to repair broken CCs. Another option would be to use the Better Exceptions mod which will notify you in game if it finds any exceptions that may be causing errors in your game.
Here's a summarized version of the instructions from EA if you've already done this before:
Windows
Backing up your game:
Go to My Documents.
Open the Electronic Arts folder.
Find The Sims 4 folder.
Right-click on it and choose Copy.
Go to your Desktop.
Right-click on a free space and choose Paste.
Right-click on the copied folder and choose Rename.
Change the name of the folder to something you'll remember, like Sims 4 Backup.
To reset your game:
Go to My Documents.
Find The Sims 4 folder.
Click on it and press Delete.
Confirm you want to delete the folder.
Empty your Recycle Bin.
Restart your computer.
Mac
Backing up your game:
Open Finder by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.
From Finder, open your Documents folder.
Open the Electronic Arts folder.
Click on The Sims 4 folder.
Press Command and C on your keyboard to copy the folder.
Go to your Home screen.
Click on a free space on the desktop and press Command and V to paste your backup folder.
Rename the folder on your desktop by clicking on it and pressing Return, then entering the new name.
Change it to something you'll remember, like Sims 4 Backup.
To reset your game:
Open Finder by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.
From Finder, open your Documents folder.
Open the Electronic Arts folder.
Click on The Sims 4 folder.
Press Command and Delete.
Confirm you want to delete the folder.
Empty your Trash.
Restart your Mac.
Backing up your game:
Go to My Documents.
Open the Electronic Arts folder.
Find The Sims 4 folder.
Right-click on it and choose Copy.
Go to your Desktop.
Right-click on a free space and choose Paste.
Right-click on the copied folder and choose Rename.
Change the name of the folder to something you'll remember, like Sims 4 Backup.
To reset your game:
Go to My Documents.
Find The Sims 4 folder.
Click on it and press Delete.
Confirm you want to delete the folder.
Empty your Recycle Bin.
Restart your computer.
Mac
Backing up your game:
Open Finder by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.
From Finder, open your Documents folder.
Open the Electronic Arts folder.
Click on The Sims 4 folder.
Press Command and C on your keyboard to copy the folder.
Go to your Home screen.
Click on a free space on the desktop and press Command and V to paste your backup folder.
Rename the folder on your desktop by clicking on it and pressing Return, then entering the new name.
Change it to something you'll remember, like Sims 4 Backup.
To reset your game:
Open Finder by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.
From Finder, open your Documents folder.
Open the Electronic Arts folder.
Click on The Sims 4 folder.
Press Command and Delete.
Confirm you want to delete the folder.
Empty your Trash.
Restart your Mac.
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