Latest Versions

Using Forwarders

Guide Information

Create shortcuts to homebrew applications and RetroArch games on your home screen next to your game icons.

  • 10+ Minutes

What You Need

  • Unpatched/Modchipped Switch
  • MicroSD Card (64GB+)
  • Lockpick_RCM
  • prod.keys
  • Menu_vx.xxx_AIO.zip
  • Windows PC
  • Installing forwarders will result in a ban if you connect to Nintendo.
  • Forwarders may break after updating firmware/CFW and will need recreating.
  • All credit for this forwarder creation tool goes to the users on GBATemp mentioned in the first post on the link below.

Forwarder Tool Set Up

  1. Visit GBATemp and download the Menu_vx.xxx_AIO.zip located at the bottom of the first post by clicking the link below.
Click To Visit
Click To Visit

  1. Create a new folder called Forwarder on your desktop.

  1. Extract the Menu_vx.xxx_AIO.zip to the Forwarder folder.

Backup prod.keys

  1. Download the software from the link below.
Click To Download
Click To Download
  1. Put your Switch into RCM and inject the Lockpick_RCM.bin.
  1. Select Dump from sysNAND. Your Switch will inform you Lockpick dumped the prod.keys to the switch folder on your microSD card.
  1. Exit back to the Lockpick home screen.
  1. Either reboot to Hekate or power off and copy the prod.keys from the switch folder on your microSD card to the Forwarder folder on your desktop.

Creating Icons & Logos

  1. Download or create an image for the icon which will appear on the home screen for the forwarder you are creating (the image must be 256 x 256 Pixels and be in .jpg format).
  1. Open the image in Microsoft Paint and click File > Save As > BMP picture.
  1. Open the .bmp image in Microsoft Paint and click File > Save As > JPEG picture (this will ensure the image is in the correct format).
  1. (Optional) Download or create an image for the logo which will appear on the top left of the screen when you open the forwarder (the image must be 160 x 40 Pixels and be in .png format).

Create Forwarders For Homebrew Apps

  1. Open the Forwarder folder on your desktop and run the Menu x.xx beta.exe.
  1. In the ‘Application Name’ box, type the name of the forwarder you are creating. For example: 90DNS Tester.
  1. In the ‘Author Name’ box type whatever you like. This can be your name or the devs name who created the app. For example: meganukebmp created the 90DNS tester app.
  1. In the ‘Title ID’ box there will already be a number added. Click on the ‘Random’ button to generate a spoofed title ID (forwarders don’t have a real title ID because they are not official software).
  1. In the ‘Icon Path’ box click ‘Browse’ and navigate to the icon you created for your homebrew app forwarder.
  1. You can leave the ‘Logo Path’ box as default, or click ‘Browse’ and navigate to the logo you created.
  1. Ensure the ‘Standard Nro Forwarder’ option is ticked.
  1. In the ‘Nro Path’ box enter: switch/Switch_90DNS_tester.nro
  1. Click ‘Create Forwarder’.
  1. The .nsp file for your forwarder will be in the Forwarder/NSP folder.
  1. Install the .nsp and your forwarder will now be on your home screen next to your games.

Create Forwarders For RetroArch Games

  1. Open the Forwarder folder on your desktop and run the Menu x.xx beta.exe.
  1. In the ‘Application Name’ box, type the name of the forwarder you are creating. For example: Super Mario World.
  1. In the ‘Author Name’ box type whatever you like. This can be your name or the publisher name who created the game. For example: Nintendo created the Super Mario World game.
  1. In the ‘Title ID’ box there will already be a number added. Click on the ‘Random’ button to generate a spoofed title ID (forwarders don’t have a real title ID because they are not official software).
  1. In the ‘Icon Path’ box click ‘Browse’ and navigate to the icon you created for your RetroArch game forwarder.
  1. You can leave the ‘Logo Path’ box as default, or click ‘Browse’ and navigate to the logo you created.
  1. Ensure the ‘RetroArch Rom Forwarder’ option is ticked.
  1. In the ‘Core Path’ box enter the core location (on your microSD card) and name of the RetroArch core you use to run games for this system. For example: retroarch/cores/snes9x_libretro_libnx.nro. (yours will be different depending on where the folders/files are located on your microSD card).
  1. In the ‘Rom Path’ box you need to put the rom location (on your microSD card) and the name of the game. For example: retroarch/downloads/SNES/Super Mario World.smc. (yours will be different depending on where the folders/files are located on your microSD card).
  1. Click ‘Create Forwarder’.
  1. The .nsp file for your forwarder will be in the Forwarder/NSP folder.
  1. Install the .nsp and your forwarder will now be on your home screen next to your games.

Optional Next Steps