We collect the Nintendo Switch hacking guide here to hopefully help out anyone wanting to attempt this on their own switch. And help to point anyone in the right direction.
Will I get banned by Nintendo?
If you connect to Nintendo servers after hacking you might get banned. It's been that way since hacking started and it wont change. Some people are lucky and don't get banned, it's best you stay on the safe side and avoid risking a ban outright.
If you wish to keep your WiFi connected you can use 90DNS, which simply blocks your switch from sending data to Nintendo's servers.
emuNAND is a feature that allows you to avoid being banned while running custom firmware. emuNAND is now a part of Atmosphere.
I have version "Insert latest firmware release" will this still work?
Yes, Nintendo cannot fix this bug without direct access to your device, any version should work fine as long as your switch is unpatched (see checking if your switch is unpatched below). Make sure the custom firmware (CFW) you choose is also capable of supporting your version, if it's recently release then yours may not be supported yet.
Assuming you’ve never hacked a switch before here's what you’ll need:
- A PC running windows 10, capable of reading a micro sd card
- You can use macos or linux but you will need to work that out on your own. I suggest checking out sdsetups webcfw
- micro-sd card
- usb-c to usb-a cable
- A ‘Jig’ (read below)
- An unpatched Nintendo Switch
Hacking a switch can take quite a while especially if you are planning to run backups, so make sure you have a lot of free time.
What is a jig?
A Jig is jumper that connects between the first and last pin in the bottom of the right Joycon rail, connecting these enables RCM (Recovery Mode) while your switch is booting.
A Jig can be anything that connects these two pins like a paperclip, a specially made one from anxchip.com, or you can 3D print your own.
Entering RCM mode
- Power off your switch
- Insert the Jig into the right side Joycon rail
- Press and hold the volume up button, then press the power button.
- Your switch should silently turn on and the screen will remain blank. If you see the Nintendo logo it did not work, re-adjust your Jig and try again.
If your switch seems to be bricked, try holding the power button for 10+ seconds.
Checking if your switch is unpatched
You can simply put the serial number into ismyswitchpatched.com which gives a rough idea as to whether or not the exploit will work, the steps below confirm that the device is unpatched.
To check this you will require the Jig to enter RCM mode.
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Open TegraRcmGUI and go to settings > install driver, then run through the install process for the USB driver
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Enter RCM mode using the instructions above
If it worked TegraRcmGUI should report that your switch is in RCM mode
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Copy biskeydump into the TegraRcmGUI folder
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Copy the folder location from the address bar
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Open a new command prompt window as administrator and enter: “cd [paste file location]”
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Run the command: “TegraRcmSmash.exe -w biskeydump.bin BOOT:0x0”
If your switch is showing a QR code, your switch is unpatched. See the PegaScape section at the bottom of this guide
SD card setup
Now RCM mode is pretty much useless without anything to load onto your switch.
SDSetup is a nice website that allows you to download every necessary piece of software all at once. In case you're a bit lost in what to choose, here are some pre-configured ones with extra software to load themes, games, etc..
Which Custom Firmware (CFW) do I use?
Atmosphere and ReiNX are the two best CFW options, they both do exactly the same things and are only different in terms of code and how they work. It comes down to minor personal preferences between the two, and whichever gets updated to the latest release. If you cant decide, go with Atmosphere.
What about SX-OS?
SX OS is PAID. You can use it if you wish and the steps are the same, but now that there are free options I recommend you stay away from paying for it. The extra features of SX-OS includes .xci mounting and emuNAND for preventing bans.
Injecting your chosen CFW
If you plan on installing games that are over 4GB (i.e. Breath of the Wild), you will want to reformat your card as exFAT. To do this, please see the exFAT section at the bottom of this guide. I suggest you do this FIRST to avoid risking a ban.
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Extract .zip folder that you downloaded from SDSetup
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Place the contents of the folder titled "SD" onto the root of your SDcard
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Place the contents of "Payloads" near your copy of TegraRcmGUI
Now for injecting your CFW
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Place the SDCard back into your switch
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Plug your switch into your PC using the USB-A to USB-C cable
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Open TegraRcmGUI
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Select your payload (Atmosphere uses fusee-primary.bin, ReiNX uses ReiNX.bin)
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Place in your Jig and enter RCM mode
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Once TegraRcmGUI detects a switch in RCM mode press "Inject payload"
As soon as you can, create a full system backup.
Homebrew
You should already have the Homebrew menu available when installed with SDSetup
To access it hold the right Joycon bumper then select the photo album icon
It should then load the Homebrew menu with all of your installed apps
Themes
Use NXthemes Installer included in the SDSetup download, it's pretty straight forward, just place the theme file into the themes folder and hit install. Keep in mind that themes can cause system instability.
Piracy
You'll have to sail the seven seas to find downloads, last time I linked sources/homebrew apps they got shutdown. I've also received copyright notices.
Most games will be either a .nsp (eshop copy) or a .xci (game cart image)
If the file is a .nsp you can skip straight to installing with Goldleaf,
If it is a .xci file you can either install it using Tinfoil, or convert it using the steps below.
Converting a .xci to a .nsp
You will need to get the switch keys off your device, the easiest way to do this is to use the Lockpick.bin file downloaded from SDSetup.
Download and extract 4NXCI
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Drag the new prod.keys file into the extracted 4NXCI folder
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Run 4NXCI-GUI.exe
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Select your .xci file
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Select the output location (i.e. in the 4NXCI folder)
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Select your keyset file (prod.keys)
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Press convert
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One or more new .nsp files should be in the output folder
Goldleaf
Goldleaf is a Homebrew app for installing .nsp files as normal switch games, so that they appear on the home menu and run normally. Goldleaf should be included with SDSetup, otherwise you can download it from the Homebrew app store.
To use Goldleaf:
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Place the .nsp file(s) onto your SD card
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Select install (to either NAND or the SD card)
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Repeat for every .nsp file you have
The game should now appear on the home menu. If it doesn't work make sure you have enough storage space on the selected location. Alternately you may wish to use Tinfoil, which follows a similar process.
If the game is above 4GB, the Fat32 file system will not let you transfer the game onto the sd-card, there's 3 solutions for this issue
exFat
By default the switch uses Fat32 file formatting, which has a max file size of 4GB.
If you aren't banned yet, you can format a SD card on your PC as exFat, place it back in your switch and boot without RCM or CFW. Your switch should prompt for an update, if it doesn't force it to check for one. WARNING: this may cause your firmware to be update to a version higher than the ones supported by CFW's. If this is the case use the alternate method.
ChoiDujour (for updates and exFat)
If you're banned, or you want to perform a specific update ChoiDojourNX is the best option.
ChoiDujourNX is a Homebrew firmware updater that prevents your system from 'burning fuses'. It can also be used to apply the exFat update without having upgrade to the latest version.
[link removed due to copyright]
Select the update you wish to use and start installing. Same as last time, if somethings missing or you spot an error in this guide please tell me. If you are unsure about anything, just ask or PM me and I'll try my best to help you.
PegaScape
PegaScape is a new exploit for patched switches running firmware 4.1.0 and below.
