# Sims 3 Mods Folder: Where It Goes and How to Set It Up

Source: https://sims3mods.com/mods-folder

Last updated: 2026-11-10

The Sims 3 Mods folder is `Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods`. The game does not create it. Make a `Mods` folder there with two folders inside, `Packages` and `Overrides`, and one file, `Resource.cfg`. Mods go in `Packages`. Without Resource.cfg the game ignores the whole folder.

## Where the Mods folder goes

| System | Path |
| --- | --- |
| Windows (EA app, Steam, disc) | `C:\Users\\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods` |
| Mac | `/Users//Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Mods` |

This is the user folder that also holds `Saves`, `Downloads` and `Thumbnails`. It is not the install folder in Program Files. Mod The Sims, which hosts the standard setup guide, says the Documents location has been the way to do it since game patch 1.12. If you still have a Mods folder inside the install directory from an older guide, NRaas says to delete it, because the game does not handle mods properly from there.

Spelling and capitals matter: `Mods`, `Packages`, `Overrides`.

## The folder layout

| Item | Type | What it is for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `Mods\Resource.cfg` | File | Tells the game which folders to read. Must sit directly in `Mods` |
| `Mods\Packages` | Folder | Every `.package` mod and CC file, unless told otherwise |
| `Mods\Overrides` | Folder | Only for files whose creator says to put them here. It loads with higher priority |

Three things do not belong in Mods: `.sims3pack` files (the launcher installs those from `Downloads`), archives that are still zipped, and engine patches that use `.asi` or `.dll` files (those go in the game's `Game\Bin` folder). The [install guide](/how-to-install) covers each file type.

## What to put in Resource.cfg

Resource.cfg is a plain text file. Create it in Notepad, save it into `Mods`, and make sure Windows did not name it `Resource.cfg.txt`. It contains these lines:

- `Priority 500`
- `PackedFile Packages/*.package`
- `PackedFile Packages/*/*.package`
- `PackedFile Packages/*/*/*.package`
- `PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*.package`
- `PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*/*.package`
- `Priority 600`
- `PackedFile Overrides/*.package`

The five `Packages` lines let the game read files up to five folders deep, so you can sort mods into `Packages\NRaas`, `Packages\Lighting` and so on. The higher number on `Overrides` means files there win over files in `Packages`.

### Ready-made downloads

- [Mod The Sims setup guide](https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Installing_Sims_3_Package_Files/Setup_and_Files): links **FrameworkSetup.zip**. Extract it into `Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3` and you get `Mods` with both folders, Resource.cfg and two small test mods.

- [NRaas How To Install page](https://www.nraas.net/community/How-To-Install): links **Resource.zip**, which holds only the Resource.cfg file. Unpack it into `Mods`.

## Test that it works

FrameworkSetup.zip puts two files in `Packages` for exactly this purpose:

| Test file | If the folder works |
| --- | --- |
| `nointro.package` | The game skips the EA intro video and goes straight to the loading screen |
| `NoBuildSparkles.package` | No sparkles appear when you build a wall in Build mode |

Mod The Sims says both work on any patch level and with any expansion. If you still see the intro and the sparkles, delete the `Mods` folder and set it up again. Once it works you can delete the two test files, or keep them.

With NRaas mods installed there is a second sign: a pop-up at startup that lists the script mods the game loaded.

## Keeping the folder tidy

- **Sort by type.** One folder per kind of mod makes it easy to pull a group out when something breaks.

- **One copy of each mod.** NRaas updates keep the same file name, so copying the new file over the old one replaces it. Then delete `scriptCache.package`.

- **Need a custom load order?** Two UI recolors on Mod The Sims, Gray UI and Golden UI, document the same trick: make a folder such as `Mods\uimod` and add `Priority 499` and `PackedFile uimod/*.package` to the end of Resource.cfg. A lower number loads with lower priority than `Packages`.

- **Clear caches after every change.** Delete `CASPartCache.package`, `compositorCache.package`, `scriptCache.package` and `simCompositorCache.package` in `Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3`.

- **Back up before big changes.** Copy `Mods` and `Saves` somewhere else first. EA Help gives the same advice before removing custom content.

Not sure what to put in the folder first? Start with the [NRaas essentials](/nraas) or the [best Sims 3 mods by purpose](/best-mods).

## FAQ

### Why is there no Mods folder in my Sims 3 folder?

The game never creates one. You make it yourself, or extract FrameworkSetup.zip from Mod The Sims into Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3.

### Where does Resource.cfg go?

Directly inside the Mods folder, next to Packages and Overrides. It does not go inside Packages, and it must not be named Resource.cfg.txt.

### Do I need the Overrides folder?

Only when a creator asks for it. NRaas's install page says the Overrides folder is for mods whose developer tells you to place them there. Everything else goes in Packages.

### Is the Mods folder the same for Steam and the EA app?

Yes. It is in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 for every Windows version. Only the game's install folder differs.