A guide collaboration between Nintendo Homebrew's Helpers and Staff, from stock to CBHC custom firmware.
?> **Discord Help**
For live support with this guide please visit us in **#wiiu-assistance** on [Nintendo Homebrew Discord](https://discord.gg/C29hYvh).
### Homebrew
> Homebrew applications are custom, user-made software, which haven’t been authorised by Nintendo. This can include save editing tools, games, emulators, and more.
> Homebrew can be run on your Wii U as long as you have a way to put files on an SD Card and your Wii U is updated to the latest version for your region.
> Custom Firmware (“CFW”) enables you to use more advanced hacks that userland homebrew can’t easily do. For instance, installing game modifications with ease.
>
>
> Among other things, it allows you to do the following:
> * Use “ROM hacks” for games that you own
> * Backup, edit, and restore saves for many games
> * Play games for older systems with various emulators, using RetroArch or other standalone emulators
> This guide has the end goal of taking a completely unmodified Wii U from Stock to Custom Firmware.
### Before starting
!> Before beginning the guide, you must know the risks of Wii U hacking: EVERY time you modify your system, there is always the potential for an UNRECOVERABLE brick. They’re rare but still a possibility so make sure you follow ALL directions EXACTLY.
>
> This guide will work on all Wii U consoles in all regions on firmware 5.5.4 or below.
> - A device such as a Computer to place files onto the SD Card
> - A Wii U with internet access
>
> Your SD card should preferably be 32 gigabytes large, as a full NAND backup for the console will take up around 8 or 30 gigabytes depending on your model.
If everything goes according to plan, you will lose no data and end up with everything that you started with (games, NNID, saves, etc will be preserved).
