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title: "Basic Information"
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If this is your first time modding a 3DS (or you're unfamiliar with technology), keep reading! Otherwise, if you have prior experience and know what you're doing, skip to [Get Started](get-started).
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This page covers some of the base computer terminology and 3DS-specific quirks that you should know before following this guide.

## 3DS information

### 3DS/2DS compatibility

This guide works with every retail device in the Nintendo 3DS family of consoles (including the New 3DS series and the 2DS), regardless of region or firmware. 

### Computer compatibility

You can follow this guide as long as you are able to download files from the Internet and copy them to your SD card. Depending on your computer/phone/electronic device, you may need to purchase a USB to SD card adapter to allow your computer to read your SD card.

### SD card location, type, and capacity

![]({{ "/images/screenshots/onboarding/sdcard.jpg" | absolute_url }})
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The location of the SD card slot and the type of SD card that is accepted depends on the model of your 3DS. More information can be found on [Nintendo's official support page](https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/271/~/how-to-insert-an-sd-card-or-microsd-card).

The 3DS can read SD cards of any capacity (even those larger than 32GB), but the card must be formatted as FAT32 (**not** exFAT or NTFS). You can use one of the following tools to format your SD card, depending on your operating system: [Windows](formatting-sd-(windows)), [macOS](formatting-sd-(mac)), [Linux](formatting-sd-(linux)).

To follow this guide, you'll need an SD card with a capacity of at least **2GB**.
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If you want, you can check your SD card for errors before following this guide using [H2testw (Windows)](h2testw-(windows)), [F3 (Linux)](f3-(linux)), or [F3XSwift (Mac)](f3xswift-(mac))
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### Potential risks

By modding your device, you subject it to the remote (but non-zero) possibility of the console being banned from online play or bricked (rendered non-functional). **Incorrect file placement will NOT brick your device**, but purposely skipping instructions might. Similarly, the last ban wave occurred over five years ago, but there is no guarantee that another one will not occur in the future.

In short: Modding your device is safe, but it's your responsibility if something goes wrong.

## Base computer terminology

### Downloading, copying, and extracting files

![]({{ "/images/screenshots/onboarding/github.png" | absolute_url }})
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In this guide, you will copy files that are downloaded on your computer/phone to your 3DS SD card. Many of these files come from GitHub, so refer to the above screenshot if you're unfamiliar with how to download files from there.

![]({{ "/images/screenshots/onboarding/zipfiles.png" | absolute_url }})
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Some of the files that you will be asked to download come in the `.zip` file format, which is used to package multiple files into one file.

When you are told to "copy (file) from (file).zip", that means that you need to open (or "extract") the ZIP file. Inside the ZIP file will be the file you're looking for, after which you can copy it to the specified location on your SD card.

On most operating systems, you can extract files by double-clicking the file. If this doesn't work, you can install a reputable third-party extraction tool like [7-zip](https://7-zip.org/) instead.

### Windows only: File extensions

![]({{ "/images/screenshots/onboarding/fileext.png" | absolute_url }})
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If your computer is running Windows, file extensions may be hidden by default, which may make it harder to find the files you're looking for. To enable file extensions, follow [these instructions](file-extensions-(windows)).

## Getting help

If you experience an issue while following this guide, there are many ways that you can get help!

- If you have any questions that haven't been answered on this page, their answers might be in the [Pre-Installation FAQ](faq#pre-installation-faq).
- If you experience an issue while following this guide, you can check the [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting) page for a solution.
- If the resources we've provided here aren't helping, you can get one-on-one support over at [Nintendo Homebrew on Discord](https://discord.gg/MWxPgEp).

Continue to [Get Started](get-started)
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