We recommend you copy games over with [Wii Backup Manager](/wiibackupmanager) if you use Windows, [Witgui](https://desairem.com/wordpress/category/witgui-download/) if you use macOS, or [Wii Backup Fusion](https://github.com/larsenv/Wii-Backup-Fusion) for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
If you are not copying games using Wii Backup Manager, Witgui, or Wii Backup Fusion, make a folder on the root of the USB drive or SD card named "wbfs" and put the games in there.
To play games, we recommend using an external hard drive for your Wii. Flash drives are not recommended, and may vary in behavior even between the same product.
Make sure your USB drive is formatted as FAT32. Do not format it as other types such as exFAT or extFS. <br> You may format it as NTFS, but it won't work with a majority of apps (eg. The Homebrew Channel, Nintendont)
There is no "guide" to use the USB Loader GX app. This is intended to help you learn how to use it, by giving you a quick start. You should be able to figure out all the great features of USB Loader GX by using it.
* If USB Loader GX says "Waiting for HDD..." with a 20 seconds countdown, it's likely that it can't find the USB drive. Try to exit out of the app, and then relaunch it after you put the USB drive in the other port of the Wii.
* You can press the 1 Button on your Wii Remote to open up a dialog to download game covers and artwork from [GameTDB](https://gametdb.com/). It might take a while to download the game covers and artwork, depending on how many games you have.
* There are WADs that can open up USB Loader GX if you load it from the Wii Menu. This is called a forwarder WAD. An official forwarder WAD can be found [here](https://sourceforge.net/projects/usbloadergx/files/Releases/Forwarders/USB%20Loader%20GX-UNEO_Forwarder_5_1_AHBPROT.wad), and a version for the vWii (Wii U) can be found [here](https://sourceforge.net/projects/usbloadergx/files/Releases/Forwarders/USB%20Loader%20GX-UNEO_Forwarder_5_1_AHBPROT_vWii%20%28Fix%29.wad).
* GameCube or "custom" Wii games may or may not have a custom banner that USB Loader GX uses. To enable this, find or write `CustomBannersURL = http://banner.rc24.xyz/` in config/GXGlobal.cfg on your USB drive. Then you can use the "Custom Banner" download by pressing the 1 Button on your Wii Remote.