How do you force save The Sims 4 when it is frozen?

How to save The Sims 4 when the game is frozen

The Sims 4 has no official force-save key. Wait a few minutes first, mainly if "Autosaving" shows on screen. Then press Esc and try Save from the Options Menu. If nothing responds, force quit: Ctrl + Shift + Esc opens Task Manager on PC, and Cmd + Option + Esc opens Force Quit on Mac. Unsaved progress is lost.

Pack: Juego base.

Pasos

PC

Wait a few minutes. If "Autosaving" is on screen, do not close the game until it finishes.
Press Esc to close any open menu or action.
If the game responds, open the Options Menu (the three dots in the top-right corner) and select Save.
If the game stays frozen, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, or press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and choose Task Manager.
Select The Sims 4 and click End task.
Start the game again. In Load Game, pick your manual save or the save with Autosave in its title.

Mac

Wait a few minutes. If "Autosaving" is on screen, do not close the game until it finishes.
Press Esc, then try Save from the Options Menu (the three dots in the top-right corner).
If the game stays frozen, press Option + Command + Esc together, or choose Force Quit from the Apple menu.
Select The Sims 4 and click Force Quit.
Start the game again and open Load Game to pick your latest save.

PlayStation y Xbox

Wait a few minutes. If "Autosaving" is on screen, let it finish.
If the game responds, open the Options Menu and select Save.
If it stays frozen, close the game from your console's home menu and start it again.
On console, the game always autosaves when it enters a loading screen, so check the Autosave slot in Load Game.

Controles

Acción	PC	Mac	PlayStation	Xbox
Close a menu or cancel	Esc	Esc	See the in-game Controls list	See the in-game Controls list
Force quit the game	Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Task Manager)	Option + Command + Esc	Close from the home menu	Close from the home menu

Set up autosave so a freeze costs less

Open the Options Menu, select Game Options and choose Save Settings. Autosave on Loading Screen is on by default. You can also autosave when you exit Build Mode, every 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours of real time, or at midnight or every Sunday in game time.

Save Reminders are off by default. Turn them on in the same Save Settings and pick how often they appear.

There is only one Autosave slot, and each autosave replaces the last one. Make manual saves too.

Recover an earlier save

The game keeps several backup save points for each manual save. From the Main Menu, select Load Game, choose your save, then select Recover Save (the floppy disk icon) and pick a save point.

Common problems

The game does not save and shows an error code

Save errors appear in Live Mode or Build Mode. Causes include damaged saves and outdated mods or CC. Test without mods, and try Recover Save to load an older save point.

Only one Sim is frozen, not the game

Reset the Sim. Open the cheat console with Ctrl + Shift + C (PC), Cmd + Shift + C (Mac), L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 (PlayStation) or LB + LT + RB + RT (Xbox). Type resetsim Bella Goth with your Sim's name and press Enter.

The game freezes again after an update

Updates often break mods. Start the game with mods turned off and test. Remove mods that are not updated for the new patch.

I force quit and lost hours of play

Open Load Game and check the Autosave slot and Recover Save. Then raise the autosave rate in Save Settings so it does not happen again.

Cheats on this page

Open the cheat box with Ctrl + Shift + C on PC, Cmd + Shift + C on Mac, or all four shoulder buttons on PlayStation and Xbox. See todos los trucos de Los Sims 4.

resetsim Bella Goth Resets a stuck Sim, named by first and last name: they stop what they're doing and reappear. More on resetsim

In the Sims 4 database

More how-to guides

Play your Sims somewhere new

LifeSim is a free life sim in your browser, set in real cities. It can bring in a household from your Sims 4 Tray files or a save: importar una unidad doméstica de Los Sims 4. It doesn't change your Sims 4 game.

Fuentes

Checked on November 5, 2026.

Preguntas

How do I save Sims 4 while frozen on a Mac?

Wait, then press Esc and try Save from the Options Menu. If the game will not respond, press Option + Command + Esc to force quit. Unsaved progress is lost, so load your latest Autosave.

Is there a force save key in The Sims 4?

EA does not list one. Saving works from the Options Menu, a Save Reminder or autosave only.

How do I unfreeze The Sims 4?

Wait a few minutes and press Esc. If a Sim is stuck, use resetsim with the Sim's name. If the whole game is stuck, force quit and load your last save.

Does The Sims 4 autosave?

Yes. Autosave on Loading Screen is on by default on all platforms. On PC and Mac you can change or turn off autosave in Game Options > Save Settings; on console it always stays on for loading screens.