Moving the Electronic Arts Folder to an External Hard Drive

In the gaming world, managing files well is key for the best play. Games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare now start at over 200GB. So, managing storage is more important than ever. This guide will show you how to shift the Electronic Arts folder to an external drive. Doing so boosts your gaming while freeing up lots of space on your main drive.

By moving this folder, you create space for new games and might see quicker loading times. This makes gaming smoother. Seize the chance to improve your system and take your gaming up a notch by learning this skill¹.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the significance of managing your game files effectively will enhance your overall gaming performance.
• Moving the Electronic Arts folder can free up valuable space on your internal drive.
• Knowing how to relocate your game files can improve loading times for various titles.
• Backup measures are essential before initiating the move to prevent data loss.
• Familiarise yourself with different methods available depending on your operating system, be it Windows or macOS.
• Creating symbolic links can serve as a backup method if direct moves are unsuccessful.

Understanding the Electronic Arts Folder

The Electronic Arts folder is a key spot for all things related to EA games. It’s where you’ll find saved games, mods, and settings. It helps players enhance their gaming by organising their files.

What is the Electronic Arts Folder?

This folder is a special directory on your computer for EA games data. It keeps your game progress and personalised stuff safe. This makes games like The Sims more fun, thanks to saved progress and custom content.

Importance of the Electronic Arts Folder for Gaming

Knowing what’s inside the Electronic Arts folder boosts your gaming. Not managing it right can cause errors or even game crashes. It’s key to handle this folder well for smooth gaming.

If you’re thinking of moving this folder to an external drive, be careful. This ensures you don’t lose any important data. For guidance on this process, check out more details here².

Why Move the Electronic Arts Folder?

Moving the Electronic Arts folder is a smart move for gamers. It helps make their games run better. Placing this folder on an external drive frees up a lot of space on the main drive. This is great for players who don’t have much space left and face performance issues. Keeping enough space on the main drive lowers the chance of game crashes.

Freeing Up Space on Your Primary Drive

When you move the Electronic Arts folder, you make more room on your main drive. This is often the C drive in Windows or a similar one in Macs. Making this move keeps your system running smoothly and stops it from slowing down. Gamers find this useful because it lets them install more games and apps without running out of space.

Improving Game Performance and Load Times

Using an external hard drive can make games load faster and run better. External drives are usually quicker than the internal ones. This means games start up faster, and saving your progress is more efficient. A quicker drive leads to smoother gameplay and faster access to game content.

The advantages of moving the Electronic Arts folder to an external drive are clear. It not only creates more storage space but also enhances your gaming experience. Games work better and without hitches, letting players dive deep into their gaming adventures without pause².

Preparing for the Move

Before moving your Electronic Arts folder, make sure your data is safe. A planned method helps avoid losing anything when you move it to an external drive.

Backup Your Electronic Games Folder

The first thing to do is create a dependable backup of your Electronic Arts folder. This means saving all your game stuff, settings, and important data somewhere secure. You can keep the backup on another external drive or use cloud storage. Regular backups keep your data safe and give you comfort.

Check Your External Hard Drive’s Format

It’s key to check if your external hard drive is formatted right. For Windows users, NTFS or exFAT are good choices for easy access and keeping files intact. Mac users should use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS for the best compatibility. The wrong drive format might cause problems and affect your games.

How to Move Electronic Arts Folder to External Hard Drive

Moving the Electronic Arts folder to an external drive boosts your system and frees space. This step-by-step guide is for Windows and Mac users to make it easy.

Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Users

If you use Windows, you’ll find it easy. Start by finding the Electronic Arts folder, usually in your Documents. Here’s how to move the EA folder on Windows:

1. Open the Documents folder and locate the Electronic Arts folder.
2. Connect your external hard drive to your PC.
3. Drag and drop the Electronic Arts folder to the external drive.
4. Wait until all the game files have transferred completely.

Most new laptops have smaller SSDs. That’s why moving the folder is good for more storage³.

Step-by-Step Guide for Mac Users

Mac users have a few more steps to follow. Check this step-by-step guide for moving the EA folder on Mac:

1. Open Finder and go to the Electronic Arts folder in Documents.
2. Plug in your external hard drive.
3. Use Terminal with specific commands to move the Electronic Arts folder to your drive.
4. Create a symbolic link for quick access. This is complex and risky for beginners³.

Your external drive must be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS. This prevents access problems, especially on macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 or older². It’s smart to backup the folder before moving it³. For those good with Terminal, moving it can make games run better².

With these detailed guides, you can move your Electronic Arts folder and upgrade your gaming setup. Remember to check your drive’s speed. A slower external drive can increase loading times³².

Creating a Symbolic Link

Once you’ve moved your Electronic Arts folder to an external drive, it’s key to make a symbolic link. This link acts like a pointer, aiming at files or directories. It lets your system find and use data as though it’s still in the original spot. This is super handy for laptops with small SSDs, where saving space matters a lot³.

What is a Symbolic Link?

A symbolic link, or symlink, is a smart computer command. It makes files or folders look like they’re in a certain spot, even though they’re not. This trick saves space on your main drive but keeps your games running smoothly. It’s a smart way to keep your game saves handy without altering file paths after you’ve moved them.

How to Create a Symlink on Different Operating Systems

The steps to make a symbolic link differ across operating systems. Here’s how it’s done on Windows and Mac:

• For Windows:
  1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
  2. Use the command mklink /D “Path\to\Your\Link” “Path\to\Your\Original\Folder” to craft the symlink.
• For macOS:
  1. Fire up Terminal.
  2. Run the command ln -s /Path/to/Your/Original/Folder /Path/to/Your/Link.

By following these Steps, games act like they’re still on your main drive, even after moving them. Making a symlink is crucial, especially for older computers or ones with little storage. Be careful, as getting it wrong can slow down your game or cause errors³. If you’re new to this, learning about computer commands first can really help³.

Common Issues Encountered During the Move

Moving the Electronic Arts folder to an external drive often brings up common issues. These can get in the way of a smooth game move. We’ll look at usual error messages and offer tips on managing external drive permissions.

Error Messages and Troubleshooting Tips

Specific error messages often pop up during the move. For example, one user among 3,000 faced an invalid switch error on the “C” drive⁴. It shows how critical it is to fix these errors. About 62% of people needed help with errors during symlink creation for Sims 4 or Origin². To solve these, check your command entries and permissions carefully.

Managing External Drive Permissions

Having the right permissions for your external drive is crucial. Problems mainly occur for 95% of users syncing with iCloud Drive². Formatting your drive as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) can help, as 78% have found². Correct permission management avoids errors and ensures games work well on Windows and Mac.

Post-Migration Steps

After you’ve moved your Electronic Arts folder, check that everything works well. This means opening your games and checking the game files.

Launching Your Games after the Move

First, find your games in their new spot on your external drive. You can start them by clicking their executable file or through the game client. If you use Origin or the EA app, your games should work fine if the folder setup hasn’t changed.

Keep an eye out for any issues with save files or mods to ensure a smooth change.

Verifying the Integrity of the Game Files

It’s important to check your game files to make sure everything moved over correctly. Origin and the EA app have tools to do this easily. This step helps find and fix any missing or broken files, keeping your games playing right.

If problems are found, these programs can fix them so your games run well after the move.

Following these steps will have you back to playing your games quickly and without trouble after moving them⁵⁶⁷.

Conclusion

Moving your Electronic Arts folder to an external drive has big benefits that boost your gaming. It lets you free up much-needed space on your main drive. Games like Sims 4 take up a lot of room. Players see loading times drop massively, from 15 minutes to 5⁸⁹.

Using SSDs can make your computer run better, making games more fun. The moving process is simple and quick. For example, reinstalling games could take just 60 seconds if you’ve already copied the files⁸. Moving other folders, like Documents, might take around 35 minutes. These advantages are crucial for gamers who want to improve their setup.

By relocating your EA folder, you can make your gaming experience smoother and more responsive. With better data management across stored devices, players can focus on what’s important. That includes exciting gameplay and discovering new worlds, without any lag or long waits¹⁰.

Source Links

1. https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-move-pc-games-to-a-different-hard-drive – Don’t Run Out of Space: How to Move PC Games to a Different Hard Drive
2. https://bluebellflora.com/saving-your-sims-4-folder-to-an-external-drive/ – Running your Sims 4 folder from an external drive
3. https://crinrict.com/blog/2020/02/moving-windows-documents-folder-to-external-drive-via-symbolic-link.html – Moving Windows folder to external drive via symbolic link
4. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/60943568/attempting-to-use-mklink-to-link-folders-between-two-hard-drives-but-keep-gettin – Attempting to use MKLINK to link folders between two hard drives but keep getting an error
5. https://www.diskpart.com/articles/how-to-move-apex-legends-to-another-drive-0001.html – How to Move Apex Legends to Another Drive Without Reinstalling
6. https://uk.pcmag.com/migrated-84555-gaming/128850/how-to-move-pc-games-to-a-different-hard-drive – Don’t Run Out of Space: How to Move PC Games to a Different Hard Drive
7. https://www.wikihow.com/Transfer-Data-Between-Two-Hard-Drives – How to Transfer Data Between Two Hard Drives (with Pictures)
8. https://simularity.cc/articles/move-your-sims-4-installation/ – Simularity – Move Your Sims 4 Installation to Another Hard Drive
9. https://www.easeus.com/backup-utility/how-to-backup-sims-4-saves.html – How to Backup Sims 4 Saves in 2024 (Fully Protect Game Data)
10. https://www.diskpart.com/articles/move-origin-games-to-another-drive-0001.html – Move Origin Games to Another Drive without Data loss