Docs/Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to fix them.

Installation & Startup

Windows SmartScreen blocks the installer

SimSweep's installer is code-signed through Microsoft's Trusted Signing service, but SmartScreen can still flag independent apps. Click More info then Run anyway. This is a one-time thing.

App opens off-screen

If SimSweep was last used on a monitor that's no longer connected, the window might open outside your visible area. As of recent versions, the app auto-detects this and centers on your primary display. If you're on an older version, try deleting your settings file and restarting.

Red error screen on startup

This usually means the cloud backend (Convex) is temporarily unavailable. The app wraps all cloud features in an error boundary, so it should still load normally without online features. If you're seeing a full crash, update to the latest version.

Black screen or graphics glitches

Try running SimSweep in safe mode, which disables hardware acceleration:

Open the app with the --safe-mode flag from the command line
Or enable Safe Mode in Settings > Advanced > Performance if you can get to settings

Safe mode disables GPU compositing, rasterization, and GL, which fixes most rendering issues on systems with problematic graphics drivers.

Scanning

Scan takes a very long time

Large mod folders (30,000+ files) will take a few minutes. If it's taking much longer than expected:

Make sure your mods folder isn't on a very slow drive
Try enabling Safe mode in Settings (fewer parallel threads, gentler on your system)
Close other disk-heavy applications during the scan

Browse shows 0 files after scanning

Several possible causes:

Stale filters: A subfolder filter from a previous session might reference a folder that no longer exists. SimSweep auto-resets these in recent versions, but if you're seeing it, click Clear all in the filter bar.
Cache corruption: If you recently updated from a much older version, the SQLite cache format might be incompatible. Go to Settings > Advanced > Storage and clear the scan cache, then re-scan.

Broken CC not showing when clicked

Make sure you're on a recent version. Older versions had a bug where broken items weren't getting their category updated in the browse database, so the filter couldn't find them.

SimSweep uses a local callback server on port 27219 for OAuth. If a previous sign-in attempt didn't release the port (crash, network issue, etc.), the next attempt will fail. Recent versions detect the stuck port, shut down the old listener, and retry automatically. If you're on an older version, restart SimSweep and try again.

Patreon tier not showing up

Make sure your Patreon account is linked in Settings > Account
Check that your Patreon pledge is active (not paused or declined)
The tier detection might take a moment after linking. If it doesn't show after a minute, try signing out and back in.
If the internet drops while SimSweep is checking your tier, it keeps your existing login state and retries after a few seconds instead of wiping your session.

Network issue. SimSweep shows this screen with a retry button. Click retry, or check your internet connection and try again.

Auto Sort

Files going to the wrong folder

The sorter uses both resource data and filename heuristics. If a file ends up in the wrong place:

Run a scan first (sort uses scan data for classification)
Check if the file has an unusual name that might trigger the wrong keywords
Files in folders starting with ! are excluded from sorting
Report the issue, the sort classifier gets improved based on reports

Script mods won't load after sorting

The Sims 4 engine only loads .ts4script files that are zero or one folder deep in the Mods folder. SimSweep protects against this, but if you sorted manually and moved scripts deeper, that's the issue. Move them back up.

Companion Mod

Dashboard shows "not installed"

Make sure SYVR_Companion.ts4script is in your Mods folder (not in a subfolder more than one level deep)
Make sure script mods are enabled in your game settings
Restart the game after adding the mod

Dashboard shows "game not running" when the game IS running

The Companion Mod needs to initialize before it connects. Give it a moment after the game loads.
If you loaded the game before installing the mod, you need to restart the game.
Check that port 27220 isn't blocked by your firewall.

Dashboard disconnects during build mode

Fixed in recent versions. Build mode pauses sim time, which means no messages flow over the socket. The old timeout has been removed, so the connection stays alive during long decorating sessions.

Browser Extension

Downloads not being captured

Make sure the extension is installed and active (check your browser's extension list)
MV3 service workers can die during long downloads. Recent versions have a polling fallback that catches these.
Some sites use unusual CDN patterns. If you find a site that doesn't work, report it.

Source URL showing for the wrong file

This can happen when you download multiple files quickly from the same tab. The extension does its best to match downloads to source pages, but rapid concurrent downloads from the same page can get mixed up. It's rare.

Updates

Auto-update not working

Older versions had an incorrect signing key baked in, preventing update verification. If you're stuck on an old version, download the latest from simsweep.com/download manually.
If switching from Beta to Stable (or vice versa), the updater downloads the correct version directly instead of using version comparison. This prevents the "can't downgrade" issue.

Channel switch does nothing

Fixed in recent versions. The old approach used window.open() which Tauri blocks. Current versions download the installer and run it directly.

Network Drives

Disk space shows 0 for network paths

Fixed in recent versions. SimSweep uses a Windows API fallback (GetDiskFreeSpaceExW) for UNC/network paths that the standard API doesn't handle.

Paths display incorrectly

Network paths with \\?\UNC\ prefixes now display correctly as \\server\share format.

Performance

High CPU usage while idle

The dashboard heartbeat animation used to run at 60 FPS continuously. It's now throttled to 30 FPS and pauses completely when the window is hidden. If you're on an older version, updating fixes this.

High RAM usage after scanning

Scan indices (hash maps for conflicts, dependencies, etc.) used to stay in memory forever. They now auto-free after 5 minutes. The Browse page pulls from SQLite so nothing breaks.

Still stuck?

If none of this helps:

Submit a bug report from the app (header > avatar > Bug Report). It automatically includes your system info, mods folder listing, last scan summary, and recent logs.
Join the Discord for community help and direct support.

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