This article assumes you have already **[hacked your Nintendo Switch](https://nh-server.github.io/switch-guide/)** and **[dumped your Nintendo Switch keys](../keys)** (prod.keys) and firmware file(s).
This guide also illustrates how to use an untrimmed game cartridge dump (XCI file) to install firmware directly to Ryujinx. If you would prefer to dump the firmware standalone, you may follow this **[firmware dumping guide](firmware-dumping)**.
If you haven't already downloaded Ryujinx, get the latest version from the releases page.
<!-- Ryujinx checks for updates automatically at startup. You can disable this feature in `Options > Settings`. You can also check for updates manually by navigating to `Help > Check for Updates`. -->
Ryujinx comes pre-optimized by default. If a particular menu option is not mentioned in this guide, it should be ignored and not changed unless directly instructed by Ryujinx staff.
***When requesting support on the Ryujinx official Discord server, you will usually be asked for your log file. With this in mind, Logging should be left at default settings (enabled) for everything except debug logs. Do not enable debug logs unless specifically instructed by Ryujinx staff.***
By default Ryujinx will use `%appdata%/Ryujinx` (or the equivalent application data folder on Linux/macOS) to store all of it's permanent files. This includes firmware, save files, shader caches and other configuration. If you wish Ryujinx to be fully self-contained you may use [portable mode!](#portable-mode)
1. Now that you've downloaded the *Ryujinx* archive, open it and
extract the contents of the publish folder onto your drive in
the location of your choice. We recommend against using your desktop
or the root of any drive as these can sometimes be protected.
2. Navigate to where you extracted the *Ryujinx* files, and
**Note: always drill down to see the proper status of the DLC .nca file you are managing. Checking and unchecking the .nca file is the way to enable and disable the DLC. The parent container (.nsp file) shows unchecked by default, even if the DLC is enabled.**
Repeat this process, if you wish, for any other games you would like to manage DLC for.
Various game mods are available from enthusiasts & content creators online. _Ryujinx_ supports the following types of mods:
1. ExeFS Partition Replacement
2. ExeFS File Replacement
3. ExeFS Patching
4. RomFS Partition Replacement
5. RomFS File Replacement
**For an in-depth explanation of the mods implementation & advanced usage options in _Ryujinx_, check the description in the original PR [here](https://github.com/ryujinx-mirror/ryujinx/pull/1249)**.
To enable mods:
1. With _Ryujinx_ open, right-click on the game you wish to manage mods for and click _Open Mods Directory_.
This will open the `AppData\Roaming\Ryujinx\mods\contents\<game ID>\` folder.
2. Create a subfolder under the game id folder with an appropriate name conveying the mod you will be using. For instance, you might name the folder "Lana" if you were using a mod to add a Lana skin to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Mods can also be placed in the `AppData\Roaming\Ryujinx\sdcard` folder if the mod has been packaged for real hardware (usually indicated with an "atmosphere" folder as the top directory). With _Ryujinx_ open, right-clicking on the game you wish to manage SD mods for and clicking _Open Atmosphere Mods Directory_ will open the `AppData\Roaming\Ryujinx\sdcard\atmosphere\contents\<game ID>` folder where the romfs/exefs folders are located.
Inside the cheat `zip`, `rar`, or other archive format, there is usually a file structure like this:
```
Cheat_Name\cheats\0123456789ABCDEF.txt
```
Where `0123456789ABCDEF` will vary according to the game and the cheat (this is the build id of the executable the cheat attaches itself to). A cheat can also contain several `txt` files. **Cheats are game-specific and version-specific, they will not work if transferred from one game to another or to an incompatible update of the game.**
To install the cheat:
- Open Ryujinx, right-click the game you wish to install the cheat and select to open its `Mod directory`;
- A directory like this will open: `Ryujinx\mods\contents\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\`, `XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX` will be the id of the chosen game;
- Extract the cheat archive to the mod directory, keeping the cheat name: `Ryujinx\mods\contents\XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX\Cheat_Name\cheats\<all the txt files>`.
## Activating/Deactivating cheats
Currently, all cheats are automatically enabled and cannot be disabled, so mixing, for instance, 60, 90 and 120 fps cheats may cause a conflict.
One alternative is to create a directory `disabled_cheats` in the mod directory and move all unused cheats there. Another one is to prepend something to the file name, for instance `off_0123456789ABCDEF.txt` as a valid cheat must not have anything but `0123456789ABCDEF.txt` in its name.
The .txt files can also contain several cheats that may conflict. To switch off individual cheats inside a .txt file first **backup the .txt file** to something like `bak_0123456789ABCDEF.txt` (this will also prevent the backup to be loaded as a cheat). Next, in the .txt file, there will be sections, each with a name within `[ ]` brackets and filled with sequences of letters and numbers (the code of the cheat), for instance:
```
[New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe]
[Start with 99 Lives]
58000000 00CC9860
78000000 0002A1C0
61000000 00000000 00000063
[Time = 999]
58000000 00C88A70
78001000 00000090
64000000 00000000 003E6F00
[Start as Penguin]
58000000 00CC9860
78000000 0002A1C4
61000000 00000000 00000005
```
To disable the time cheat, just remove its section and the code:
Ryujinx offers the ability to use multiple, customizable user profiles. **WARNING:** Save data is specific to each user profile so if you delete a profile, the save data under that profile is also deleted.
Now in the Manage User Profiles window, you will see the default RyuPlayer profile. This is the default profile that comes with Ryujinx and **cannot be deleted** as it contains all of the original save data for your games. You may, however, rename it and change the picture to something else, if you like.
If you choose to import an image: supported formats are `png`, `bmp`, and `jpg`. You can use the image you want, but it will be resized to 256x256 pixels, so using a square image is recommended.
If you choose to use a built-in firmware avatar, click on **Select Firmware Avatar**
In the Manage Accounts - Avatar window, select the avatar you want, and choose a background color. When finished, click **Choose** to make it the profile's image.
Ryujinx offers the ability to use motion controls with motion-enabled controllers such as a Switch Pro Controller, Joycons, Playstation DS4, smartphones with motion support, Steam controller, and others.
To use motion controls in Ryujinx:
1. Launch & configure your favorite cemuhook server application (Betterjoy, DS4Windows, Steam Gyro, etc.) with your bluetooth or wired motion-enabled controller. Leave the application running.
2. In Ryujinx, navigate to Options > Settings > Input tab and select which controller you are configuring. Remember: if you are in docked mode, configure Player 1. If you are in Handheld mode, configure the Handheld controller.
- If you have already configured your controller's input buttons to your liking and only need to configure motion controls, check the "Enable Motion Controls" box and fill in the following information:
**Controller Slot:** the controller slot # your motion controller is configured as in your cemuhook server application. Default is "0"
**Gyro Sensitivity:** 100% (you may adjust this to suit)
**Server Host:** the IP address of the computer being used to host the cemuhook server. 127.0.0.1 is localhost/the same computer running Ryujinx.
- Alternately, you can simply click on the empty Profile dropdown, select Default, and click Load. This populates the buttons with preset mappings and also fills in the motion control settings with recommended defaults. You may continue tweaking the settings to your liking, or binding each button from scratch if you want a fully custom button layout.
**NOTE: while the default Deadzones are 0.10, we recommend increasing your Deadzones to at least 0.20 in order to avoid unwanted joystick drift.**
Make sure to check the "Enable Motion Controls" box!
If you set your controller type to Joycon Pair, an option called "Mirror Input" becomes available. This is useful for games in which both Joycons are connected to a Joycon grip and are moving together. If you enable this checkbox, the first Joycon's motion will be used for both Joycons.
Repeat steps 2 through 5 for any other motion controllers you wish to configure. If you have more than one, make sure to choose the respective slot # for each controller!
All Amiibo are able to be virtually scanned within the emulator, as long as you are actively connected to the internet. No files or dumps are required!
**To scan an Amiibo:**
1. While playing a game that supports Amiibo, either navigate to the area where Amiibo scanning is expected, or press/hold the correct button to enable the Amiibo scan prompt (this site has a basic list of supported games and what benefits are provided by each: https://amiibo.life/games
2. Click the "Actions" menu header, then click "Scan an Amiibo"
3. Choose the Amiibo you want from the Amiibo Series and Character dropdowns. Note: only the Amiibo that have content for the game you are currently playing are shown in this window. All the same, if you'd like to see all Amiibo you may check the box that says "Show All Amiibo".
**Addendum:** In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you may continually scan Amiibo as many times as you wish by checking the box labeled "Hack: Use Random Tag Uuid" box.
*Ryujinx* offers a few graphics enhancement options.
1._Resolution Scaling_, which offers a much sharper image with little to no impact to performance. Resolution scaling can increase image quality much more noticeably than Anisotropic Filtering. Ryujinx's resolution scaling implementation allows native, 2x, 3x, 4x, or even custom ratios for upscaling.
2._Anisotropic Filtering_, which can visibly improve graphic quality.
_In layman\'s terms, anisotropic filtering retains the \"sharpness\" of_
_a texture normally lost by MIP map texture\'s attempts to avoid_
_aliasing. Anisotropic filtering can therefore be said to maintain crisp_
_texture detail at all viewing orientations while providing fast_
_anti-aliased texture filtering._
3._Shader Cache_, which stores onto disk the shaders that have already been compiled, negating the need to compile them again. This feature is highly sought after as it significantly reduces stuttering and FPS drops on subsequent plays of a particular game making for a smoother, more enjoyable gameplay experience. **Note: Shader Cache is enabled by default.**
4._Aspect Ratio Options_, which allow you to adjust the width-to-height ratio to your liking. **Note: these options may give your game a stretched or squeezed appearance unless you are using mods that change the expected aspect ratio of the game.**
**Shader Cache is enabled by default**. There are no good reasons to disable it other than for testing purposes.
Disabling this setting is strongly discouraged. However, if you absolutely must disable it:
1. With Ryujinx open, navigate to _Options > Settings_.
2. Navigate to the Graphics tab and disable shader cache by unchecking the box marked "Enable Shader Cache"
In some rare cases, a shader cache might become corrupted and crash when compiling shaders on boot. To solve this you'll have to purge the shader cache for that particular game:
1. Right click on a game in the game list and navigate to Cache Management > Purge Shader Cache.
- With Ryujinx open, navigate to Options > Settings and click on the Graphics tab. Click on the Aspect Ratio dropdown and adjust the ratio to your liking.
If you wish, you may use a custom folder location for all Ryujinx data (as opposed to keeping it in its default location: %appdata%). This is done via the command-line or, more conveniently, a custom shortcut. In the future, the ability to configure custom data folders may be added to the GUI.
**NOTE: You must manually create the custom folder first before using portable mode! After enabling portable mode, you will need to copy your prod.keys file and any desired game data/save data from its original location to the new data folder.**
To enable *Portable Mode*
**Option 1: (Recommended)** Create a "portable" subfolder
1. Create a subfolder in the Ryujinx program base directory called "portable". This automatically enables portable mode and utilizes this "portable" folder for system folder contents (keys, firmware, PPTC/shader caches, etc.).
1. Open a command prompt, navigate to the location of the Ryujinx executable and type the following command: ryujinx.exe -r d:\[folderpath]. For example, if your custom folder was d:\ryujinxdata, your command would be the following, without quotes (_THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE. USE WHATEVER CUSTOM FOLDER NAME YOU PREFER_):
3. In the Properties window, click into the Target field and add a space onto the end of the existing command. Then add "-r [folderpath]" without quotes where [folderpath] is your own custom data folder full path, and click OK. For example, if your custom data folder was d:\ryujinxdata, the addition you would paste into the target field would be "-r d:\ryujinxdata" without the quotes.
