Finalizing Setup

For support in English, ask for help at Nintendo Homebrew on Discord.
If you appreciate this guide, we accept Donations.

Required Reading

The file boot.firm is what is launched by boot9strap itself after it finishes loading off of NAND. In this case, we are using Luma3DS by LumaTeam to patch the console, allowing it to run homebrew software.

On this page, we will make critical system file backups and install some homebrew programs. Most of these steps will be automated using a script that you will run on your console.

List of homebrew applications that will be installed

Click the links to view the GitHub repository of each application. (Give them a star if you appreciate them!)

  • FBI (installs CIA formatted applications)
  • Homebrew Launcher Loader (launches the Homebrew Launcher)
  • Anemone3DS (installs custom themes)
  • Checkpoint (backs up and restores save files for 3DS and DS games)
  • ftpd (access your 3DS SD card wirelessly)
  • Universal-Updater (a homebrew app store for downloading homebrew from the 3DS over Wi-Fi)
  • GodMode9 (multipurpose tool which can do NAND and cartridge functions)

Compatibility Notes

If your New 3DS was on version 2.1.0 before following this guide, you should restore your NAND backup before continuing. This likely doesn’t apply to you unless you were following this guide in 2017.

If your previous CFW setup was EmuNAND-based and you wish to move the contents of your EmuNAND/RedNAND to SysNAND, follow Move EmuNAND before following this page. If you don’t know what an EmuNAND is, this doesn’t apply to you.

What You Need

Instructions

Section I - Prep Work

In this section, you will copy the files necessary to follow the rest of the instructions on this page.

  1. Power off your console
  2. Insert your SD card into your computer
  3. Copy the contents of finalize.zip to the root of your SD card, merging/replacing any existing folders if prompted
  4. Insert your SD card into your console

The screenshot below indicates the minimum SD card layout that is required to follow this page. You may have extra files or folders on your SD card, depending on your previous setup or the method that you followed.

Section II - CFW Check

As an additional safety measure, we will perform an additional check for custom firmware. If custom firmware is not installed by this point for any reason, the next section may render your console unable to be hacked without external hardware.

  1. Power off your console
  2. Hold the (Select) button
  3. Power on your console while still holding the (Select) button
  4. If the check was successful, your console should have booted into the Luma3DS configuration menu
  5. Press (Start) to save and reboot
  6. Power off your console

If you do NOT boot into the Luma3DS configuration menu, custom firmware was not installed on your console. Join Nintendo Homebrew on Discord and ask, in English, for help.

Section III - Updating the System

In this section, you will update your system to the latest version, which is safe to do with custom firmware.

  1. Update your console by going to System Settings, then “Other Settings”, then going all the way to the right and using “System Update”
    • Updates while using B9S + Luma (what you have) are safe
    • The updater may display a message saying “Your system is up to date” instead of updating. This is normal if you are already up to date; continue to the next section
    • If this gives you an error, set both your DNS settings and Proxy settings to “Auto”
    • If this still gives you an error, follow this troubleshooting guide

Section IV - RTC and DSP setup

In this section, you will sync your 3DS internal clock with the actual time and dump the sound firmware (which is necesssary for some homebrew software to use sound properly).

  1. Press (Left Shoulder) + (D-Pad Down) + (Select) at the same time to open the Rosalina menu
    • If one of these buttons is broken, download config.ini and put it in your luma folder, replacing the existing one. This will change the Rosalina menu key combination to (X) + (Y)
  2. Select “Miscellaneous options”
  3. Select “Dump DSP firmware”
  4. Press (B) to continue
  5. Select “Nullify user time offset”
  6. Press (B) to continue
  7. Press (B) to return to the Rosalina main menu
  8. Press (B) to exit the Rosalina menu

Section V - Setup Script

In this section, you will use a script to automate homebrew installation, SD card cleanup, and system file backup.

  1. Power off your console
  2. Press and hold (Start), and while holding (Start), power on your console. This will launch GodMode9
    • If you do not boot into GodMode9, ensure that GodMode9.firm is in /luma/payloads/ and that payloads is correctly spelled
  3. If you are prompted to create an essential files backup, press (A) to do so, then press (A) to continue once it has completed
  4. If you are prompted to fix the RTC date&time, press (A) to do so, then set the date and time, then press (A) to continue
  5. Press (Home) to bring up the action menu
  6. Select “Scripts…”
  7. Select “finalize”
  8. Follow the prompts in the script, answering each question that you are asked
    • If you encounter an error, follow the instructions in the error message or consult the troubleshooting page
  9. Once the script says “Setup complete!”, press (A) to power off the device
    • If you do NOT see the message “Setup complete!”, the script was not successful and you will need to redo this section
  10. Insert your SD card into your computer
  11. Copy the /gm9/out/ folder to a safe location on your computer
    • This folder contains critical file backups and should be backed up to multiple locations (i.e. cloud storage) if possible
    • The two SysNAND files are your NAND backup and can be used to revert your console to a working state if it is bricked by a software issue
    • The essential.exefs file contains your console’s system-unique files and can be used to recover your data in the event of a hardware failure

You’re done! Custom firmware is now fully configured on your console.

Information and Notes

Here are some key combos that you should know:

  • Holding (Select) on boot will launch the Luma3DS configuration menu.
  • Holding (Start) on boot will launch GodMode9, or if you have multiple payloads in /luma/payloads/, the Luma3DS chainloader.
  • By default, pressing (Left Shoulder) + (Down D-Pad) + (Select) while in 3DS mode will open the Rosalina menu, where you can check system information, take screenshots, enable cheats, and more. This can be changed from the Rosalina menu.
  • Holding (Start) + (Select) + (X) on boot will make the notification LED show a color for debug purposes. See the changelog for a list.

See here for some suggestions on things to do with custom firmware.

For information on using GodMode9’s various features, check out the GodMode9 Usage and Dumping Titles and Game Cartridges pages.