According to the Readme file for The Sims 2 Mac, the player can launch The Sims 2 in windowed mode (as versus fullscreen mode) by holding down the ⌘ (Command/Apple) key while double-clicking the game’s icon.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t work if you’re running OS X Leopard 10.5.4. According to user feedback in forums, there is a bug in Leopard that prevents the game from launching in a window. I decided to poke around and see if I could stumble upon one. And I did. Here are the steps to get The Sims 2 running in windowed mode in OS X Leopard 10.5.4.
1. Open up com.aspyr.TheSims2.plist in ~/Library/Preferences. You may have to open it with Apple’s Property List Editor, which is part of Apple’s Xcode download (requires free Apple Developer Connection membership) and also included in the Developer tools package that comes on the OS X Leopard installation DVD; once you install this, you’ll find Property List Editor at the root level of your hard drive in the /Developer/Applications/Utilities folder.
2. Expand ‘Root’, and look at the entry ‘CommandClickIsRightClick‘. By default, its value should read ‘Yes‘. Click on it and change it to ‘No‘.
3. Save the plist. 4. Now hold down the ⌘ (Command/Apple) key as you double-click the icon for The Sims 2 to launch it, and you should get this dialog box.
By default, The Sims 2 will run in an 800×600 window, so if you wish to run it at another resolution, you may want to leave ‘Always display this dialog at startup’ checked.
My guess is that CommandClickIsRightClick is a setting meant for older Macs, those that did not come with a secondary mouse button, when ⌘+click meant a right-click. Since OS X Leopard (and, presumably, the newer machine you are running it on) has the two-finger tap as right-click, the ⌘+double-click shortcut doesn’t work because the application is actually seeing ⌘+double-click as a right-click and not as a modifier key. I am by no means a Mac expert, so that’s my guess…
Let me know if it worked for you.
34, male and very Cancerian. Often irascible, even if he is prescient to his emotions. Lives for the resonance of beautiful passages, cinematic magic and aural bliss. Dabbles in 
It works just fine! Now i have the window dialog at every start. Thanks!
eh.. i used to play The Sims.. i love to make them do stupid things.. hahahaa…
I’m on a brand-new MacBook, Leopard 10.5.4 and this doesn’t work for me.
I tried the command-clicking, didn’t work. When i looked for the com.aspyr file, it wasn’t there. Then i looked at the read-me that came with the sims and it just said command-click for the options window, I tried it again and miraculously, it worked the second time. I’m on a MacBook Pro running OSX 10.5.4 so apparently it works now…
“I tried the command-clicking, didn’t work. When i looked for the com.aspyr file, it wasn’t there. Then i looked at the read-me that came with the sims and it just said command-click for the options window, I tried it again and miraculously, it worked the second time. I’m on a MacBook Pro running OSX 10.5.4 so apparently it works now…”
I have tried all of these but nothing seems to work, is there anyone else out there that still is having this problem, PLEASE HELP
i am running an iMac with leopard 10.5.4
Yep, I tried all of the above and it didn’t work. Tried reverting the changes and command + double-clicking and that didn’t work either.
Any other ideas?
Running OSX Leopard 10.5.4 on Macbook.
Its really annoying because I run dual-screen.
Like I noted before, I did have problems, but I found it to be solved after correctly installing all updates.
OK this is so easy for leopard just click the apple key and then the icon. If your icon is in your dock it will direct you to another saved destination just click on that icon with the appel key of course. if you look at your dock you will see the icon bounce without the light under the icon “the blue light”. This means it’s working. I have a Powerbook g4 and this works great! hope this helps
I have the newest mac and this DOES WORK!
um, it doesn’t work for me. Maybe I’m doing something wrong? I didn’t quiet get what to do))
It doesn’t work on my iMac :(
Thanks a lot for the tip ;) I can play on my job now! LOL rs… Works like a charm here
Command-clicking worked for me – I’m running OS X 10.5.5 on a MacBook.
At the bottom, there is a “use ctrl as command” or something like that with XCode 3.1.1 … I switched that off as well and it worked great, but I haven’t got a dialog menu for which mode to start in.
i figured it out! when you double click you have to keep holding the command button until the window appears, or else it will go fullscreen, hope that helps gurl!
<3
Thanks mate, it helps me a lot. And I suppose it may be useful with other games. :B
You don’t need to use this to make it open in a window. Like others have said you have to 1) make sure you’re clicking the icon in the folder where the app is, not in the dock and 2) keep holding command until the dialogue shows up.
yes it worked! thank you! I have a MacBook from 2007 and this worked perfectly. For those who say they can’t find their .plist. it’s in Hard Drive/Users/(whatever your name is for that side of the computer your on, mostly your name or the one with house picture)/library/Preferences and scroll down and find the file. If you still can’t find it look harder because spotlight won’t find it.
If you look in the prefs list pasted in above, you’ll see a setting called PrefsDialogAlways. If it isn’t in your pList file you can add it–make it data type Boolean, set it to True, and the window you want will come up every time you start the game.
I am running 10.4.11 and I did exactly as you said, and it worked perfectly :D
Thank you so much
I have the newest macbook, and this worked:
1) make sure you’re clicking the icon in the folder where the app is, not in the dock and
2) keep holding command until the dialogue shows up.
This worked perfect!
Yes! It worked!
Holding down the command totally works! Thanks. Running 10.5.7
You’re most welcome.
the holding down command and double clicking thing worked for me running version 10.6.4, id suggest trying that before the complicated way
I have a Macbook from 2007. I played my Sims 2 probably a few months ago and now it doesnt work. I’ve tried to do everything above but I’m so confused and I’m not sure if I’m doing it right. What else can I do?
Could you have deleted the game files in
~/Documents/EA Games/Sims 2or the support files in~/Library/Application Support/?This works! Just make sure you hold the command/apple key down for a while. Also if you don’t have a property list editor, open up the com.Aspyr.TheSims2.plist with text editor or Coda. It works just as great!
This would probably work very well, if apple actually let you download it for free. :/ My macbook didn’t come with XCodex on any of its software discs, and apple only allows a free download to those in iOS developer program.