How to Use Sims 4 Sliders for Ultimate Sim Customization
Are you new to playing Sims 4 and don’t know how to use Sims 4 sliders?
Sliders are one of the most powerful tools for personalizing your Sims beyond the default presets. They allow you to create custom characters who fit your preferred aesthetic. You can shape cheekbones, tweak shoulder width, or adjust shoe height with CC.
Sliders give you complete control over how your Sims look. While the base game offers plenty of built-in flexibility, many players overlook how much detail you can truly achieve, especially when you add custom sliders and mods into the mix.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Sims 4 sliders: from in-game basics to advanced modded enhancements.
What Are Sliders in Sims 4?
Sliders are interactive tools in Create-a-Sim (CAS) that let you drag different parts of your Sim’s body or face to reshape them. Instead of choosing from limited face or body types, sliders give you real-time, fluid control over size, shape, and proportions.
There are two main types of sliders:
Default Sliders – These come with the base game and expansions, and they allow you to edit body, face, and muscle/fat distribution.
Custom Sliders (CC) – These are player-made enhancements designed by modders and CC creators. They expand what you can adjust, such as height, eye spacing, breast separation, or even the position of accessories like glasses or hats.
You can apply sliders by clicking and dragging directly on a Sim in CAS. Or, in the case of CC sliders, through subtle UI controls or body part-specific sliders added by mods.
Players use sliders to achieve more realistic, more stylized looks, or anything in between. Think of aliens with long noses or occults with exaggerated facial features. The options are endless when it comes to character customization.
How to Use Sims 4 Sliders in CAS
If you don’t know how to use sliders in CAS, don’t worry. It’s a simple and intuitive process once you know where to click.
However, there’s a significant difference between the built-in sliders and those added through custom content (CC). Here’s how to use both effectively:
Using In-Game (Default) Sliders
You don’t need any extra tools to access these sliders. Just load your game and jump into CAS.
✅ Steps:
Enter Create-a-Sim.
Hover your mouse over a part of your Sim’s body or face.
Click and drag:
Left or Right to widen/narrow.
Up or Down to lengthen/shorten or raise/lower.
Rotate your Sim by dragging with the right mouse button to get different angles.
✅ Editable Body Parts:
Face: forehead, jaw, cheeks, nose, lips, eyes, ears.
Body: shoulders, waist, hips, thighs, arms, calves.
Torso: muscle/fat level, breast size (for feminine frames).
Using Custom Sliders (Mods/CC)
You have to download and install custom sliders from trusted sites like Patreon, CurseForge, and The Sims Resource (TSR). These custom sliders enhance areas EA sliders can’t reach, like height or nose tip rotation.
✅ How to Use Them:
Most appear in the same way as the default base game sliders
Simply hover and drag your mouse over the area you want to adjust
You’ll find some of the sliders in special CAS categories like:
Forehead for forehead/eye/temple sliders
Cheek or Chin for jawline detail sliders
Hat slot or ring slot for height or accessory sliders
Sliders often look subtle. If dragging doesn’t work right away, try small movements or zoom in to ensure you’re in the right spot.
Some of the best practices when using default or custom sliders are:
Zoom in/out often to see changes clearly.
Test outfits after using sliders to check for clipping. Some sliders, especially custom ones, may cause clipping issues with clothes.
Combine with body presets for faster, more realistic results. We have a list of Sims 4 Body Presets you can check out.
Use pose packs to preview sliders before playing.
Types of Sliders in The Sims 4
Sims 4 sliders come in different forms depending on what part of the Sim you’re editing. The base game offers a solid variety, but custom content (CC) significantly expands the possibilities. Here’s a breakdown of the main types of sliders you can use and what they’re designed to control.
Default Sliders
Face Sliders:
You can use these to shape individual facial features for a unique look. For instance, you can create a Sim with a round face or one with a sharp jawline and high cheekbones. It’s really up to you to decide how you want your Sim to look.
Here are the face sliders in the base game:
Eyes – Resize, tilt, and adjust spacing between eyes.
Nose – Control the bridge height, tip size, and nostrils.
Lips – Shape and plump the upper and lower lips.
Jaw & Chin – Widen the jaw or lengthen the chin.
Cheeks – Adjust cheekbone height and fullness.
Ears – Resize, rotate, and move ears up/down.
Forehead – Alter forehead height and width.
Body Sliders:
You can use these to adjust the general structure and proportions of your Sim’s body. For instance, you can create a Sim with a slim waist or one with broad shoulders.
Here are the body sliders in the base game:
Shoulders – Modify width and angle.
Arms – Change upper arm and forearm thickness.
Waist – Adjust waistline size and depth.
Hips & Thighs – Control lower body width and shape.
Calves & Feet – Make minor changes to leg shape.
Breasts – Resize, raise, or lower bust.
Muscle/Fat – Adjust overall tone and weight.
Custom Sliders (CC & Mods)
Modders in the Sims 4 community design custom sliders to expand what the default system can do. These sliders are usually more precise and give you greater control over areas the base game doesn’t cover.
If you’re interested in custom sliders, check out our guide on Must-Have Sims 4 Sliders. It has tons of sliders to choose from.
Custom Body Sliders
These offer more realistic or exaggerated body proportions to suit individual preferences. For instance, the base game has a default height for all Sims, but with a custom body slider, you can adjust height for more realism.
The most popular custom body sliders are:
Height Slider – Change your Sim’s overall height.
Shoulder Width/Slope – Create broader or narrower frames.
Waist Depth – Pull the waist inward or push it outward.
Butt Slider – Adjust size, lift, and shape.
Leg Length/Calf Thickness – Fine-tune lower body proportions.
Breast Shape/Separation – Modify the distance between and the contour of the chest.
Custom Face Sliders
These provide you with greater control over subtle facial expressions and structure. For instance, you can adjust the fullness of your Sim’s or add wrinkles to highlight their old age.
Temple Width – Expand or narrow the side of the head.
Eye Depth/Rotation – Push eyes forward or tilt them.
Lip Curvature – Adjust smile angles and fullness.
Smile Lines/Nasolabial Folds – Add realism or age to faces.
Chin Cleft/Shape – Add or deepen a chin crease.
Eyelid Visibility – Adjust how much eyelid shows.
Popular Creators:
These are the best Sims 4 creators when it comes to custom sliders.
Luumia – Known for realistic body sliders and height.
Obscurus – Specializes in detailed facial edits.
Dumbaby – Offers unique sliders for curves and posture.
Redheadsims – Great for kids, heels, and accessories.
Miiko/Vibrantpixels – Known for lips, noses, and profile tuning.
Accessory-Specific Sliders
These sliders don’t affect your Sim’s body directly, but they help correct or adjust wearable items like hats, shoes, and accessories to prevent clipping or awkward placement. For instance, if a certain hat clips over your favorite Sims 4 hairs, you can adjust the hat to fit correctly.
The most common accessory sliders are:
Hat Sliders: Use these to move hats higher or lower and tilt them to fit better over hair. The only problem is that they don’t work on hair that isn’t compatible with hats.
High Heel Sliders: Most Sims 4 Shoes CC usually sink into the floor, and while this doesn’t affect gameplay, it hinders you from taking CAS screenshots. You can use height sliders to reposition the foot so heels align properly and don’t sink into the floor. Note that high heel sliders are often used in conjunction with a heel mod system.
Accessory Sliders: Use these to fix the position of glasses, piercings, and earrings. These are helpful when using facial presets or extreme sliders that alter face shapes.
Pet Sliders (modded): In some pet-focused mods, you’ll find sliders to customize tail length, ear shape, and even muzzle structure for cats and dogs.
Using Sliders with Clothing & Accessories
Sliders primarily focus on shaping your Sim’s body and face, but they also affect how clothing and accessories fit – and vice versa. If you customize and alter your Sim’s body excessively, certain clothing and accessories may not fit correctly, resulting in clipping issues. For instance, glasses may hang too low or too high, and shoulder-length hair may clip.
In other cases, you can use sliders to fix how CC items appear on your Sim, especially when using high heels, hats, or glasses. Here’s how to make it all work smoothly together.
High Heels & Shoe Sliders
By default, Sims wear flat shoes, and their foot position doesn’t change. But many custom heels require special sliders or systems to prevent sinking into the floor, clipping, and floating.
To avoid such issues, use a High Heels Slider Mod (like those by Redheadsims or MagicBot) to raise the foot arch.
Before downloading and installing high heels and shoe sliders, check the creator’s notes. They often contain specific slider recommendations and terms of service (TOS) to ensure seamless integration into your game.
Hat Sliders
If you download Sims 4 Hair CC, you’ll notice they vary wildly in volume and shape. As a result, hats often clip through them or sit awkwardly.
Luckily, you can install a Hat Position Slider that lets you make appropriate adjustments. You can:
Move the hats up or down.
Tilt them forward or backward.
Slightly rotate for style or compatibility.
Creators like Obscurus and Miiko offer great hat placement sliders that work well with alpha and maxis-match hair. Be sure to download the updated versions of their mod to ensure they work seamlessly.
Glasses & Accessory Sliders
Accessories like glasses, earrings, piercings, and even face masks can look off if you heavily modify your Sim’s facial features. I recommend using Acc Fix Sliders to reposition:
Glasses that float or sink into the face.
Earrings that don’t align with modified ears.
Nose piercings that clip through reshaped noses.
Some sliders are available as ring or hat slot accessories that you can layer over other items and adjust manually in CAS.
Since not all sliders can work with all clothing and accessories, here are some tips to ensure compatibility:
Layer carefully: Not all accessories play well together with extreme sliders.
Test outfits in CAS before saving a Sim to ensure there’s no clipping.
Avoid using too many sliders at once on a single body part to minimize visual glitches.
Save frequently when creating Sims with a lot of custom content (CC) – some combinations can cause crashes in CAS.
Top Mods & Creators for Sliders
If you want to go beyond the default CAS tools, custom slider mods are the way to unlock next-level customization. As mentioned earlier, we have a separate article on the best Sims 4 sliders that you can add to your mods file.
However, here’s a summary of the most reliable creators and essential mods to download for maximum control over your Sims’ bodies, faces, and accessories.
Must-Have Slider Mods
| Mod Name | What It Does | Creator |
|---|---|---|
| Height Slider | Adjust your Sim’s height realistically or dramatically. | Luumia |
| Shoulder & Back Sliders | Create broad or sloped shoulders, and define upper body shape. | Dumbaby |
| Butt & Waist Sliders | Customize waist depth and butt curve. | Vibrantpixels |
| Eye Depth & Lid Sliders | Bring out facial nuance, especially for stylized Sims. | Obscurus |
| High Heels System | Repositions Sim feet to match custom high heel shoes. | Redheadsims |
| Accessory Position Sliders | Move glasses, hats, piercings, and more for better fit. | Miiko, MagicBot |
| Forehead/Temple Width Sliders | Enhance upper facial realism and profile symmetry. | Obscurus |
| Jaw, Chin, and Smile Sliders | Redefine lower face structure and facial expressions. | Obscurus, Miiko |
Recommended Creators
These modders consistently produce high-quality, stable sliders that are widely used by players and creators:
| Creator | Specialty |
|---|---|
| Luumia | Height, body realism, male-focused sliders |
| Obscurus | Facial sliders with extreme detail and subtlety |
| Redheadsims | Kids/toddler sliders, heels, accessory mods |
| Dumbaby | Curves, posture, shoulder/back sliders |
| Vibrantpixels | Detailed body sliders with Maxis-match compatibility |
| Miiko | Facial refinements, lip shape, accessory fixes |
When downloading slider mods, always check:
Whether they require other mods (e.g., rig replacements, Heels System files)
If they conflict with other sliders (especially facial ones)
The update date – some sliders break with EA patches
How to Install Slider Mods
Installing slider mods in The Sims 4 is simple, but getting them to work correctly requires a few extra steps. Follow these steps to learn how to install slider mods correctly in your mods file:
Step 1: Download Slider Mods
Download your chosen slider mods from trusted sources like:
Patreon (for early access or exclusive sliders)
Creator blogs (Luumia, Obscurus, Redheadsims, etc.)
Files usually come in .package format or zipped folders (you must extract .zip or .rar files first).
Step 2: Place in Mods Folder
Navigate to:
Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > ModsMove the downloaded .package files into the Mods folder or a subfolder, such as Sliders, for organization. I recommend checking out our piece on How to Organize Sims 4 Mods Folder for easy access and management.
Avoid placing them deeper than one subfolder (e.g., Mods > Sliders > Body) to ensure they load.
Step 3: Enable Mods In-Game (if you haven’t)
Launch The Sims 4.
Go to Game Options > Other.
Check both:
✅ Enable Custom Content and Mods
✅ Script Mods Allowed
Restart the game for changes to take effect.
Step 4: Test in Create-a-Sim (CAS)
Enter CAS and select a Sim.
Try hovering over new facial or body areas to find added sliders.
Many CC sliders won’t be labeled – they rely on drag-and-drop like EA’s default sliders.
Please read the creator’s instructions on how to use the slider mods, so they work correctly in your game.
Note that some sliders only affect specific life stages (adults vs toddlers), so test with a range of Sims. When installing your Sims 4 sliders, avoid making these mistakes:
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Sliders not showing up | Ensure .package files aren’t too deeply nested |
| Game crashes in CAS | Remove conflicting sliders or outdated versions |
| Heels don’t work | Download and install the required rig or heel mod |
| Facial features look broken | Update or remove sliders that conflict with other CAS CC |
Common Slider Conflicts & How to Fix Them
If you download and use various Sims 4 sliders, it can unlock amazing customization options. However, using too many at once or outdated files can cause glitches, distortion, or even game crashes.
Here’s a breakdown of typical problems and what to do about them.
Types of Common Conflicts
1. Sliders Not Showing Up
If your sliders aren’t showing up in CAS after you hover your mouse over the area, it may indicate a problem with the installation. You may have placed the files too deep in the folder hierarchy or are missing dependencies.
To fix this, do the following:
Always read the creator’s instructions on how to use the slider mods, so they work correctly in your game.
Ensure sliders are no more than one folder deep (Mods > Sliders > sliderfile.package).
Avoid placing zip files in Mods.
Never download outdated versions of mods. Instead, wait for the creator to upload an updated version for download.
2. Clipping or Distorted Meshes
If you experience clipping or distorted meshes with your sliders, it may indicate a problem with double installation. You may have downloaded multiple sliders affecting the same area (e.g., two jawline sliders).
To fix this, remove or test sliders one by one. I know this can be an annoying process, but it’s the only way to figure out what’s not working. Alternatively, don’t mix sliders and use only one slider per facial/body region if distortion occurs.
3. Game Crashes in CAS
If your game crashes in CAS, it may be caused by broken or outdated slider files. To fix this, temporarily move the sliders out of your Mods folder and place them in a Google Drive or a separate folder on your PC. Reintroduce them slowly while testing out the game and use The Sims 4 Tray Importer or Mod Conflict Detector to find issues.
4. Shoes or Accessories Not Aligning
If your shoes or accessories aren’t aligning, you’re probably missing required mods like Heels Offset or Accessory Position sliders.
You need to download and install all dependencies for the slider to work. Most creators list them in the download post. For heels, always use a compatible Heels System (like Redheadsims’ rig).
5. Toddler/Child Sliders Not Working
Unfortunately, most sliders are designed for Young Adults and Adults, so they may not work for toddlers and children.
You need to download and install age-specific sliders from creators like Redheadsims or Luumia for toddlers/kids.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do sliders affect genetics?
Yes, but not always accurately. Sliders can heavily alter a Sim’s appearance, but children born in-game may not inherit those features correctly, especially height, custom eye spacing, or body shape. This is due to how The Sims 4 handles genetics based on presets, not slider values.
Why don’t my sliders show up?
This usually means:
The files are too deep in your Mods folder.
You forgot to enable custom content in Game Options.
You installed a script mod in a zipped folder (unzip it first!).
The slider is outdated or incompatible with your game version.
Can I use sliders on toddlers or pets?
Not by default. Most sliders work only on teens and older. However, creators like Redheadsims have specific sliders for toddlers, children, and even pets if you install supporting mods.
Will sliders conflict with each other?
Yes, they can. If two sliders control the same part of the body or face, they might cause visual glitches or override each other. It’s best to test them individually and remove any that conflict with your setup.
Do I need other mods to use sliders?
Some sliders (especially for high heels or accessories) require rig replacements or system files to function properly. Always read the download description in the creator’s post, as it usually lists the required files and compatible mods.
Can I use sliders with presets?
Yes, you can, and it’s recommended. Presets provide a great starting point, and sliders allow for fine-tuning the look. Just remember that extreme sliders may distort presets if not used carefully.
Conclusion
Sliders are one of the most powerful tools for creating personalized characters that match your preference, taste, and looks. I hope this Sims 4 sliders guide was helpful, and if you have any questions or comments, leave them below.
Happy Simming!
