Your first scan
How SimSweep finds your Sims 4 folders, how to start and cancel a scan, and what each scan stage means.
The scan is what makes SimSweep useful. It reads your entire Mods folder, cross-references your saves, and builds a report of everything it found. Here's how to get it going.
How SimSweep finds your folders#
When you first open SimSweep, it auto-detects your Sims 4 paths. You can see the detected paths in Settings > Advanced:
- Mods folder - Where your CC and mods live
- Tray folder - Where your saved Sims, lots, and rooms are stored
- Saves folder - Where your save files are
- Game install - Your Sims 4 installation directory
If auto-detect got something wrong (common with non-standard installs or moved folders), you can fix it from the same screen:
- Change Sims 4 folder - Pick a new root folder and SimSweep re-derives the others
- Change Mods folder - Set the Mods path directly
- Reset to auto-detect - Wipe your manual overrides and let SimSweep try again
Running your first scan#
Once your paths look right, hit Scan. You'll find it in the sticky header at the top of most screens, or as Scan Now on the Home page.
The header changes to Scanning... while it runs. The footer shows a progress bar with the current stage, a file count, and files-per-second throughput.
Tip: Turn on Include save files in scan if you want SimSweep to figure out which CC your Sims are actually wearing vs. which files are just sitting unused. It takes a little longer but makes the results much more useful.
To stop a scan mid-way, press Cancel in the footer.
Only one scan can run at a time. If you press Scan while one is already running, it won't start a second one.
What the scan stages mean#
The footer walks through these stages as SimSweep works:
| Stage | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Discovering files | Finding every file in your Mods folder |
| Preparing package index | Setting up the index for this scan |
| Indexing packages | Opening each package file and reading its contents |
| Saving package index | Caching the index so future scans only re-read changed files |
| Reading game module data | Loading Sims 4 game data to help detect broken CC |
| Analyzing CC | Checking for conflicts, missing meshes, and issues |
| Analyzing script frameworks | Checking your script mods |
| Computing dependencies | Mapping what depends on what |
| Scanning tray | Reading your tray folder |
| Scanning saves | Reading your save files to detect CC usage |
| Generating report | Building the final results |
| Caching previews | Generating thumbnails |
| Checking for threats | Running the safety check |
Save scanning takes longer because SimSweep reads the actual save files. If you have a lot of saves, this stage adds some time. It's worth it.
What you see after a scan#
When the scan finishes, Head to Home, My CC, Diagnostics, or Tools to explore the results.
If My CC is empty and shows "Welcome to SimSweep," you haven't scanned yet. Press Scan Now right there to kick it off. The same goes for Diagnostics ("Run a scan to see diagnostics data") and the tool cards that say "Run a scan first."
Tips#
- Re-scanning is fast. SimSweep caches results, so it only re-reads files that changed since the last scan. Re-scans after adding a few mods finish quickly.
- Broken CC detection needs the game index. If SimSweep can't read your Sims 4 game install, it suppresses broken CC results to avoid false positives. Make sure the Game install path in Settings is correct.
- Don't delete based on "unused" alone. Build/Buy, Presets, and Animation files don't appear in saves even when they're actively used. Use quarantine or backup first if you're not sure about a file.
Next up#
You've got data. Now explore it: Diagnostics shows you what needs attention, and My CC lets you browse everything.