Sims 4: How to Use Sims 4 Studio

To use Sims 4 Studio, register on the official Sims 4 Studio forum, download the build for your computer, install it, and type a name into the Creator Name box on the home screen. After that, My CC lets you inspect and delete your custom content, Content Management > Batch Fixes repairs known problems across a whole folder, and the Standalone Recolor tools make new items for The Sims 4. It is a separate program that runs outside the game, and it does not go in your Mods folder.

Below we cover which version to get, setup, managing your CC, batch fixes and their backups, merging, a first recolor, and where Studio fits when you are hunting for a broken file. Since it works on mods and CC, it is for PC and Mac only: per EA, mods cannot be installed on PlayStation or Xbox.

What Sims 4 Studio Is

The Studio team describes it as “a free, fully supported, and user-friendly program used to create custom content,” and it also handles CC you download from others. Most people use it for one of two jobs:

• Looking after a CC collection. Checking what is in a file, deleting items, and running fixes across a folder.
• Making CC. Recoloring items and, with Blender, building new meshes and animations.

Which Version to Download

Downloads live on the Studio forum, and the team’s own post says downloading “requires registration.” As of November 8, 2026, the boards list these:

The Open Beta threads are where new game kits and fixes get added, so that is the place to look when an item from a recent pack does not show up.

Requirements for Star on Windows: 64-bit Windows and the x64 .NET Desktop Runtime for .NET 6.0. Requirements for Aurora on Mac: Mac OS 10.11 or higher, and the thread says it should run on both Intel and Apple Silicon. On either one, Blender is only needed for meshing and animation.

How to Install Sims 4 Studio

1. Register on the forum and open the thread for your platform. Each thread lists its requirements and download links.
2. On Windows, install the runtime first. The installer should include it, but the thread says some people have had to install it separately. A Studio moderator stresses that you need the specified .NET version, not the latest one.
3. Install it. Use the installer and follow the wizard, or extract the whole zip to a folder and double-click S4Studio.exe.
4. On a Mac, run the package. If macOS says the app is from an unidentified developer, hold Ctrl, click the app icon and choose Open.
5. If it will not open, the same moderator’s fix is to delete all older versions, install the exact .NET version listed, and extract the Star zip into C:\Program Files\ before trying again.

First Launch

Type a name into the Creator Name box on the home screen, which is where Studio’s own tutorials start. Leave the game path as it is unless it is wrong, since the default is usually fine, and do not add /Mods to the end of it. To get back to the home screen at any point, use the house icon at the top left. The current beta has no Cancel button.

How to Manage Your CC With My CC

1. Click My CC on the home screen. Your Mods folder appears in the left column.
2. Open a subfolder with the small triangle beside it.
3. Click a .package. Its mesh, swatch thumbnails and tags appear on the right.
4. Change tags if you want to, then click Save. Nothing changes until you do.
5. Remove one swatch with Remove Swatch, then click Save.
6. Delete a file with the red Delete button. This removes the .package from your Mods folder for good, with no Save step.

Be careful with merged packages: Delete removes the whole file, not one item inside it. Back up first by copying your Mods folder somewhere safe.

How to Run a Batch Fix

Studio’s tech lead describes batch fixes as tools that “correct issues or make small modifications to all packages in a folder.” They are for specific known problems, so pick the one that matches yours.

1. Open Content Management > Batch Fixes from the top menu and choose a fix. They are grouped by type, such as CAS.
2. Check the folder. It is usually your Mods folder. The fix changes every package in that folder, so to limit it, move only the files you want to fix into another folder and browse to that one.
3. Click Run. A results box shows how many items were fixed, could not be fixed, or did not need it.
4. Test in the game before you delete anything.

Every run saves a backup to Documents/Sims 4 Studio/Batch Fixes, in a folder named for the fix and the time it ran, holding the original of every file it changed. Studio’s team warns that a large CC library makes these backups big enough to fill your drive, so delete them once a fix has passed your test in the game. They also describe some newer fixes, such as the toddler preset ones, as experimental.

Some older fixes run from Studio’s own cheat console instead, which opens with Ctrl+Shift+C inside Studio. For example, disallowforrandom stops CC from appearing on randomly generated Sims. Run it again after you add new CC, since it only covers files already in the folder. That console is separate from the game’s cheat console.

How to Merge Packages

Choose Content Management > Merge Packages, add your files with the Add button or by dragging them in, click Merge and pick where to save the new file. Finish any edits first, because each package stays unchanged inside the merged file. The swatches will not combine into one catalog entry either. Keep in mind the trade-off from above: once merged, the items can only be deleted together from My CC.

How to Make a First Recolor

Studio’s beginner tutorial for objects runs like this:

1. Select Standalone Recolor on the home screen, then click Object.
2. Pick the item and click Next.
3. Name your file in the save dialog.
4. Open the Texture tab and click Export to save the texture.
5. Edit it in a 2D image editor, saving as a .png.
6. Click Import and choose your edited image.
7. Click Save, put the .package in your Mods folder and test it in the game.

Recoloring clothing or hair starts from the CAS Standalone option instead, and it has its own tutorials. These date back several years, so a button may have moved. The full tutorial index covers everything from thumbnails to meshing.

Where Studio Fits When CC Is Broken

Batch fixes repair specific problems. They do not tell you which file is causing a crash, so find the file first. Read your LastException file, run Better Exceptions, or use the 50/50 method in our guide to finding broken CC. Once you know the file, check the creator’s page for an update, then look for a batch fix that matches what is wrong. For example, MC Command Center‘s author points to Studio for clothing wrongly flagged as a bathing outfit, and Studio’s tutorial board has a fix that removes that tag.

For tidying a folder without opening each file, our guide to using a mod manager covers duplicate and conflict scans. The rest of our Sims coverage is on the Sims guides hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sims 4 Studio free? Yes. The team describes it as a free program, and you need to register on its forum to download it.

Is Sims 4 Studio a mod? No. It is a separate program, so it does not go in your Mods folder. The files you make with it do.

Can Sims 4 Studio find broken CC? Batch fixes repair specific known problems, but they do not name the file causing a crash. Use LastException, Better Exceptions or the 50/50 method to find it first.

Where do batch fix backups go? To Documents/Sims 4 Studio/Batch Fixes by default. Delete old ones after testing, because they can take up a lot of space.

Do I need Blender for Sims 4 Studio? Only for meshing and animation. Recolors and batch fixes do not need it.

Does Sims 4 Studio work on a Mac? Yes. Aurora and Apple Blossom are the Mac builds.

Why won’t Sims 4 Studio open? Check that you installed the exact .NET version its thread lists rather than the latest. A Studio moderator also suggests deleting older versions and extracting the zip into your Program Files folder on the C: drive.