The Sims 4 Tray Folder: Location & File Types Inside

If you are diving into the vast world of downloading custom content and beautiful builds for The Sims 4, you have likely stumbled upon three main folders inside your game’s directory: the Mods folder, the saves folder, and the Tray folder.

While the Mods folder gets all the glory and all the attention from custom content creators, the Tray folder is equally important but far less understood. Managing your game files can quickly feel like a digital chore, especially when you download a stunning new mansion only to find it entirely missing from your game because the files were placed in the wrong spot.

In this comprehensive guide, we are going to demystify the Tray folder once and for all. We break down exactly what this folder is, which files belong in it, which files absolutely should be kept out of it, and the best practices for keeping your game organized.

What is the Tray Folder?

At its core, the Tray folder is your offline, personal catalog. In The Sims 4, whenever you save a household (a Sim or a family), a residential or commercial lot (a house, a park, a restaurant), or an individual room to your personal "My Library" tab, the game generates a series of data files to remember that creation and stores the files directly in the Tray folder.

You can easily find the Tray folder on both PC and Mac by navigating to:

Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Tray

Think of the Tray folder as the architectural blueprint room of your game. It does not hold the actual 3D meshes or visual textures of a new custom hairstyle or a downloaded sofa. Nor does it hold your game data saves for the various households you've played.

Instead, it holds the blueprint instructions telling the game how a specific house is built, which traits a specific Sim has, or how a room is laid out. Because it is directly tied to your Library, everything in your Tray folder is available to you offline, even if you are not actively connected to the online Sims 4 Gallery.

Which Files Belong in the Tray Folder (And Why)?

When you download a Sim or a lot from a creator online, it usually arrives in a .zip folder or a .rar compressed folder. Once you extract it, you will see a cluster of files with very specific, somewhat confusing extensions. These are the files that belong in your Tray folder.

Here is a breakdown of the specific file types that should go inside your Tray folder:

Why do they go here? The game's engine is hard-coded to scan the Tray folder exclusively for these specific file extensions. It reads them together as a single package to reconstruct the lot or Sim in your Library. If you put them anywhere else, the game simply will not see them, and your creations will not appear.

What Files Should NEVER Go in the Tray Folder?

The number one mistake players make when downloading Sims or lots is putting Custom Content (CC), Save files, and Mods directly into the Tray folder.

The following file types do not belong in the Tray folder:

• .package files: These are your custom content files, such as hair, makeup, clothing, furniture, and build objects.

• .ts4script files: These are script mods that alter the actual gameplay mechanics, like MC Command Center.

• .save or .save.ver files: These are save files (and .ver backup save files) for the actual game and must go into the 'saves' folder in order to work properly. These files will not work anywhere else but the saves folder.

Why shouldn't they go here? While a creator might use custom .package files to build a beautiful house or dress a Sim, the .package files themselves must always go into your Mods folder (Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods).

And if you are downloading a custom save file for pre-built worlds or any type of game save date, these files always go into your saves folder (Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > saves).

The Tray files only tell the game what items to place. They do not contain the physical items themselves. If you put .package files into your Tray folder, the game will ignore them completely. When you try to place the downloaded house in your game, any custom furniture will be stripped away and replaced with empty space.

If you place a downloaded Sim, they will likely appear bald and naked if their custom hair and clothes were placed in the Tray folder. Always separate your blueprint files (Tray) from your physical item files (Mods).

The Golden Rule: No Subfolders in the Tray Folder!

If you are a highly organized person, your first instinct might be to create neat little subfolders inside the Tray folder, perhaps one labeled "Beautiful Mansions" and another labeled "Celebrity Sims." Do not do this!

Unlike the Mods folder, which allows you to nest .package files in subfolders 5 levels deep to keep things organized, the Tray folder does not support subfolders. The game's code is not designed to dig through subdirectories in the Tray to find your Library items.

If you put your .blueprint or .trayitem files inside a subfolder within the Tray directory, they will be entirely invisible to the game. All files must be placed loosely and directly into the root Tray folder.

Managing Your Tray Folder Using Best Practices

Over time, your Tray folder will become massive. Because all the files are loosely scattered with cryptic alphanumeric string names (like 0x00000000!0x0000000000000000.trayitem), it is impossible to tell what a file is just by looking at its name (do not rename).

If you want to clean out old lots or Sims, do not delete files randomly from the Tray folder, as you will break your saved items. Instead, delete them directly from inside the game through the "My Library" interface. When you delete a lot or one of your Sims inside your game, the game automatically removes the corresponding cryptic files from the Tray folder on your computer safely.

By understanding the clear distinction between the structural blueprints of the Tray folder and the creative assets of the Mods folder, you can keep your game organized, optimize your loading times, and ensure that every gorgeous home and unique Sim you download shows up exactly as intended. Happy Simming!