3DS:GodMode9/Usage

For information on dumping cartridges or SD card content, see 3DS:Dump titles and game cartridges.

For support (in English) with GodMode9, as well as help with scripting and to get updates and info, join GodMode9 on Discord.

GodMode9 is a full access file browser for the Nintendo 3DS console, giving you access to your SD card, the FAT partitions inside your SysNAND and EmuNAND, and basically anything else. Among other functionality, you can copy, delete, rename files, and create folders.

Note that if you have any payload files other than GodMode9.firm in the /luma/payloads/ folder on your SD card, holding Start on boot will display a "chainloader menu" where you will have to use the D-Pad and the A button to select "GodMode9" for these instructions.

GodMode9 is powerful software that has the capability to modify essentially anything on your console. Though many of these modifications are locked behind a permissions system, and it is impossible to accidentally perform dangerous actions without deliberately unlocking permissions, you should still follow instructions carefully and keep backups just in case.

Updating GodMode9

Some of the instructions below are only applicable to the latest version of GodMode9, and as such you should follow this section to update your copy before continuing. Overwrite any existing files.

What You Need

• The latest release of GodMode9 (the GodMode9 .zip file)

Instructions

1. Power off your console
2. Insert your SD card into your computer
3. Open the luma folder on your SD card and create a folder named payloads inside, if it does not already exist
4. Copy GodMode9.firm from the GodMode9 .zip to the payloads folder
5. Copy the gm9 folder from the GodMode9 .zip to the root of your SD card
6. Reinsert your SD card into your console

GodMode9 is now up to date.

Creating a NAND backup

1. Press and hold Start, and while holding Start, power on your console. This will launch GodMode9
2. Press Home to bring up the action menu
3. Select "Scripts..."
4. Select "GM9Megascript"
5. Select "Backup Options"
6. Select "SysNAND Backup"
7. Press A to confirm
   • This process will take some time
   • If you get an error, make sure that you have at least 1.3GB of free space on your SD card
8. Press A to continue
9. Press B to return to the main menu
10. Select "Exit"
11. Press A to relock write permissions if prompted
12. Navigate to [S:] SYSNAND VIRTUAL
13. Press A on essential.exefs to select it
14. Select "Copy to 0:/gm9/out"
    • If you see "Destination already exists", press A on "Overwrite file(s)"
15. Press A to continue
16. Press and hold R, and while holding R, press START to power off your console
17. Insert your SD card into your computer
18. Copy <date>_<serialnumber>_sysnand_##.bin, <date>_<serialnumber>_sysnand_##.bin.sha, and essential.exefs from the /gm9/out/ folder on your SD card to a safe location on your computer
    • Copy these backups to multiple locations (such as online file storage, an external hard drive, etc.)
    • These backups will save you from a brick and/or help you recover files from the NAND image if anything goes wrong in the future
19. Delete <date>_<serialnumber>_sysnand_##.bin and <date>_<serialnumber>_sysnand_##.bin.sha from the /gm9/out/ folder on your SD card after copying it
    • The other backup files are negligible in size and may be kept on your SD card for ease of access
20. Reinsert your SD card into your console

Your NAND backup has been successfully created.

Restoring a NAND backup

1. Power off your console
2. Insert your SD card into your computer
3. Copy <date>_<serialnumber>_sysnand_##.bin from your computer to the /gm9/out/ folder on your SD card
4. Reinsert your SD card into your console
5. Press and hold Start, and while holding Start, power on your console. This will launch GodMode9
6. Press Home to bring up the action menu
7. Select "Scripts..."
8. Select "GM9Megascript"
9. Select "Restore Options"
10. Select "SysNAND Restore (safe)"
11. Select your NAND backup
12. Press A to unlock SysNAND (lvl3) writing, then input the key combo given
    • This will not overwrite your boot9strap installation
    • This process will take some time
13. Press A to continue
14. Press B to return to the main menu
15. Select "Exit"
16. Press A to relock write permissions if prompted
17. Press and hold R, and while holding R, press START to power off your console

Your NAND backup has been successfully restored. You can now delete <date>_<serialnumber>_sysnand_##.bin from your SD card.

Injecting any .CIA app into Health & Safety

Note that you cannot inject something that is larger than Health & Safety. You'll only be able to install inject relatively small homebrew (no retail games).

1. Press and hold Start, and while holding Start, power on your console. This will launch GodMode9
2. Navigate to the location of your .cia file
3. Press A on the .cia file to select it
4. Select "CIA image options..."
5. Select "Mount image to drive"
6. Press A on the .app file
7. Select "NCCH image options
8. Select "Inject to H&S"
9. Press A to unlock SysNAND (lvl1) writing, then input the key combo given
10. Press A to continue
11. Press A to relock write permissions if prompted

Your desired application has now been injected into Health & Safety.

Restoring Health & Safety after injecting a .CIA app

This will only work if you performed the initial injection with GodMode9. If you've been following this page, then you did it with GodMode9.

1. Press and hold Start, and while holding Start, power on your console. This will launch GodMode9
2. Press Home to bring up the action menu
3. Select "More..."
4. Select "Restore H&S"
5. Press A to unlock SysNAND (lvl1) writing, then input the key combo given
6. Press A to relock write permissions if prompted

Health & Safety has been reverted to normal.

Format an SD card

This will erase the contents of your SD card!

1. Press and hold Start, and while holding Start, power on your console. This will launch GodMode9
2. Press R+B to unmount the current SD card and insert the one you want to format
   • If GodMode9 shows an initialization error when inserting the SD Card to be formatted, it can safely be dismissed
3. Press Home to bring up the action menu
4. Select "More..."
5. Select "SD format menu"
6. Select "No EmuNAND"
7. Select "Auto"
8. Press A to accept the label GM9SD
   • You can input a custom name if you want
9. When prompted, input the key combo given to confirm the format

Your SD card has successfully been formatted for use with the 3DS.

Removing an NNID without formatting your console

This process will only log you out of your NNID. You will still not be able to use the NNID on another console, as the NNID remains linked to the console.

1. Press and hold Start, and while holding Start, power on your console. This will launch GodMode9
2. Press Home to bring up the action menu
3. Select "Scripts..."
4. Select "GM9Megascript"
5. Select "Scripts from Plailect's Guide"
6. Select "Remove NNID"
7. Press A to continue
8. Press A to unlock SysNAND (lvl1) writing, then input the key combo given
9. Press A to continue
10. Press B to return to the main menu
11. Select "Exit"
12. Press A to relock write permissions if prompted
13. Press Start to reboot your console

You have now been logged out of your NNID.