7 Ways to Fix Sims 4 Mods Not Showing Up on a Windows PC

Many players like to enhance Sims 4 with mods that add new features and controls to the game. However, some players reported their mods don’t show up in The Sims 4. This is what a player said about that S4 issue on Reddit: “I’ve noticed a problem with my Sims 4 game: Any of the mods I’ve downloaded and installed for it won’t show up in the game.” Players can’t utilize their mods when they don’t show up in Sims 4. This is how you can fix The Sims 4 mods not showing up in the game.

Read also:4 Ways to Fix The Sims 4 “Script Call Failed” Error on Windows PCs

Check the Enable Mod Setting is Selected

First, check that you’ve got all the required settings for mods selected in your game. Even if you think you have previously enabled that option, a Sims 4 update could have disabled mods. In this case, you would need to re-enable mod settings after an update to fix The Sims 4 mods not showing up. So, try checking the in-game mode settings like this.

1. Start your Sims 4 game.
2. Bring up the game menu and select Options.
3. Select the Other tab.
4. Next, select the Enable Custom Content and Mods checkbox if it’s disabled.
   
   

   The Enable mods setting

5. Select the Script Mods Allowed option.
6. Press the View Custom Content button.
7. Select the Show At Startup checkbox in the Mods window, and click the tick button.
   
   

   The Show at Startup checkbox

8. Press the Apply Changes button.
9. Restart your Sims 4 game.

Check the Right Folder Includes the Mod Files

Next, check all your mods are in the right folder directory. Some players have said they’ve seen two mods folders, which can be confusing. The right folder path for The Sims 4 mods is Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mod folder.

The Mods folder

If your mod files are not in that folder, move them there. You can do that by copying and pasting them into the directory. Select a group of mod files, and press the Ctrl + C key. Then right-click inside the Mod folder to press Ctrl + V.

Move Mod Files Out of Their Archives

Some players say they’ve fixed Sims 4 mods not showing up by moving the files for them out of their ZIP archives. Sims 4 mods won’t show if they’re still in their ZIP archives. You can move the files from a mod’s ZIP archive like this.

1. Go to the Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mod folder in File Explorer.
2. Double-click the ZIP archive for the mod to view its contents.
   
   

   ZIP archives in the Mods folder

3. Press Ctrl + A to select all files within the archive.
4. Drag and drop the selected files from the archive into the Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mod folder.

Alternatively, you can extract the archive for the mod by right-clicking the ZIP file and selecting Extract All. Click Browse to select the Mods folder. Then press Extract to unzip the ZIP archive.

The ZIP extraction tool in Windows

Move Mod Files Out of Subfolders

Also, note that your mods’ files should be placed directly in the Mods folder. Are any of your mods included in subfolders within that directory? If some are, try moving the files for those mods out of their subfolders and into the primary (root) Mods folder.

Create a New Mods Folder

Some players confirm that creating a new Mods folder can fix The Sims 4 mods not showing up. This potential fix is especially recommended if your current Mods folder doesn’t include a Resource.cfg file. Creating a new mods folder will regenerate that important file. This is how you can fix The Sims 4 mods not showing up by creating a new folder.

1. Open Windows File Explorer, and go to the Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\ directory path.
2. Right-click the Mods folder within that directory and select Rename.
3. Change the folder’s name to Mods old.
   
   

   The renamed Mods old folder

4. Run your The Sims 4 game.
5. Exit The Sims 4 after starting it.

Mod files in the Mods old folder

Now you should see a new, recreated Mods folder within The Sims 4 directory alongside the old one. Copy and paste all your mods into the new folder by selecting them inside Mods old with Ctrl + A and pressing Ctrl + C. Right-click inside the new Mods folder to select the Paste context menu option.

Remove Outdated, Incompatible Mods

Some players have fixed Sims 4 mods showing up by deleting old, incompatible mods from their Mods folders. One problematic outdated and incompatible mod file can conflict with others. You can see how old your mod files are by looking at the Date modified column in File Explorer within the Mods directory.

If you have some very old mods, try deleting them. Right-click the files and select the Delete option. Then start your Sims 4 game to see if that resolves the issue. You can update deleted mod files by downloading the latest ones from the website sources they came from.

The moving of a mods file

Alternatively, you can identify problematic mods differently by moving them out of their folder without deleting anything. Then move the files back into the Mods folder on a one-a-time basis. Run the game after adding a mod file to see if the issue persists. Eventually, you’ll find one that causes the issue.

Reinstall Sims 4

If none of the potential fixes above work for you, you might need to reinstall Sims 4. Applying this possible fix will repair corrupted game files and update The Sims 4. Back up your mod files to another directory so you can move them back into the Mods folder after reinstalling the game. This is how you can reinstall Sims 4 with Steam and Epic Games.

Steam

1. Start Steam and click Library.
2. Right-click The Sims 4 to select Manage.
3. Click Uninstall (twice) to remove Sims 4.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Steam

4. Select the uninstalled Sims 4 game in the Library tab and click Install.

Epic Games

1. Bring up Epic Games and its Library tab.
2. Click the three-dot menu option for Sims 4 and select Uninstall.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Epic

3. Next, click The Sims 4 in the Library tab.
4. Press the Install button.

If you’ve installed Sims 4 with the EA app, uninstall the game with that gaming client as covered on this Electronics Art help page. Then select to download Sims 4 again within the EA client software.

Those troubleshooting methods will probably fix The Sims 4 mods not showing up for most users. If the issue continues, however, you can submit a support ticket for Sims 4 to the Electronic Arts help service. This EA page tells you how players can submit support tickets for Electronic Arts games.