Hello, I am trying to sort out my downloads for my new laptop, there are some old custom content items which I don't want to transfer (such as makeup, hair, clothes etc.), but I want the sims face preset that I made in my old game, if that makes sense.

I followed the tutorial by AndrewGloria here https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=691695, so I exported and cloned my sims, and packaged them.

I installed them into my Downloads folder on the new laptop, using the Sims2Pack Clean Installer. That worked and they showed in game as templates in CAS with all the CC (I do want that version as well as a guide, so I can pick something similar from my new CC).

But I also wanted another version of them with just the face presets, so I could then add the hair, clothes makeup etc. from my new CC instead, but keep the faces shapes.

I tried to install one of them using the Sims2 Pack Clean Installer, but unticking all of the CC, and just installing the file with her name on it (it said Face Preset next to it) - that didn't work, she did not show up anywhere in CAS (I checked Full Sims, Faces and Heads).

Does anyone know how to do it please? I have seen sims for download on Garden of Shadows etc. where people have uploaded sims for other people to download, and they often have a CC version and a non-CC version, so I feel like it can be done, but I am missing something?

Just select the preset and remove the items you don't want. Once you've installed the CC in your game, it's already there, choosing not to install it a second time doesn't remove it. You can remove it from your game if you want, but then you won't be able to use it at all. If you want a preset of the sim that's wearing different items, you'll have to package that version of the sim.

If you just want the preset sim, with maxis hair/skin/etc. (no CC at all), you really only need the face preset file. It's the file that saves as an 8+8 digit name package file (it looks something like "7414b50c_789034ed.package") in SavedSims when you save a sim. As long as you keep track of which file is which sim, you're good to go.

The files even work if renamed - personally I prefer keeping the number in the filename so I know what the file is, because otherwise it's easy to confuse them with extracted sim files or other things (I'll name them something like "SimName_7414b50c_789034ed.package")

If it's just the preset without any CC, there's no need to package the sim - the preset file has all the info the sim needs, and the sims2pack file is only going to contain the sim/preset file anyway. Packaging a sim is a lot more useful when there's CC involved (packaging pulls most of the CC, except accessory meshes and default replacements, possibly some other files as well).

--

Just adding in that if you want to remove CC from a downloaded sim or on you previously made, install them with CC first, keep the sim file, clothes* and hair + meshes, and discard the rest of the files. Make a clone, replace the CC hair and clothes with maxis items (preferably not default replacement items, as those can occasionally be a bit iffy). Then save the sim. This should remove all references to CC.
(*clothes just because it's easier to recognize the sim that way. The only thing you actually need is the CC hair, otherwise the sim shows up bald, and there's no way to fix them in Bodyshop).

Thanks both, sorry for the late reply!