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Updating AKMenu-Next

AKMenu-Next, nds-bootstrap and Pico-Loader are all separate projects, so they're updated separately too. You don't have to update them all at once.

You can check what you've currently got by pressing START and choosing About. It shows your AKMenu-Next version and the versions of any loaders it can find.

The latest versions and changelogs are here:

Mac users: Merge, don't Replace

When macOS asks what to do with an existing folder, always pick Merge. Replace deletes the whole old folder first, which takes your themes, plugins, cheats and settings with it.

Your settings are safe

Updating won't reset your settings, favourites or recently played list. AKMenu-Next ships its defaults as -init.ini files and only uses them if you don't already have a real one, so overwriting is fine.

Updating AKMenu-Next

  1. Download the latest release of AKMenu-Next Flashcart Edition.

  2. Extract the downloaded akmenu-next-flashcart.zip file with 7-Zip.

  3. Copy the following files/folders to the root of your SD card:

    • _nds folder
    • BOOT.NDS (or whatever you renamed it to)

  4. Overwrite the existing files when asked.

You don't need to copy the _pico folder or the autoboot files again, those don't change between AKMenu-Next versions.

  1. Download the latest release of AKMenu-Next DSpico Edition.

  2. Extract the downloaded akmenu-next-pico.zip file with 7-Zip.

  3. Copy the following files/folders to the root of your SD card:

    • _nds folder
    • BOOT.NDS
    • _picoboot.nds (only if you autoboot AKMenu-Next)

  4. Overwrite the existing files when asked.

  1. Download the latest release of AKMenu-Next DSi Edition.

  2. Extract the downloaded akmenu-next-dsi.zip file with 7-Zip.

  3. Copy the following files/folders to the root of your SD card:

    • _nds folder
    • akmenu-next.dsi
    • BOOT.NDS (skip this if you use TWiLight Menu++)
    • title folder (only if you have AKMenu-Next installed as a HiyaCFW app)

  4. Overwrite the existing files when asked.

  1. Download the latest release of AKMenu-Next 3DS Edition.

  2. Extract the downloaded akmenu-next-3ds.zip file with 7-Zip.

  3. Copy the following files/folders to the root of your SD card:

    • _nds folder
    • akmenu-next.cia
    • BOOT.NDS (skip this if you use TWiLight Menu++)

  4. Overwrite the existing files when asked.

  5. Install akmenu-next.cia with FBI again. You might need to restart your 3DS before the new version shows up.

Updating nds-bootstrap

  1. Download the latest release of nds-bootstrap.

  2. Extract the downloaded nds-bootstrap.zip file with 7-Zip.

  3. Copy the contents of the zip into the _nds folder on your SD card, overwriting the old files.

Using nightlies

Want to try a nightly build? These come straight from nds-bootstrap's GitHub Actions now:

  1. Go to the nds-bootstrap Actions page and click the newest successful run.
  2. Scroll down to Artifacts and download build. You'll need to be signed in to GitHub for the download to show up.
  3. Extract the zip, then extract the nds-bootstrap.7z inside it with 7-Zip.
  4. Copy nds-bootstrap-nightly.nds into your _nds folder, next to the release version.

Then set nds-bootstrap version to nightly in Settings > Game loader settings. You can keep both and flip between them, or just use the nightly for one game from its per-game settings.

Updating Pico-Loader

  1. Download the latest release of Pico-Loader. Pick the one that matches your flashcart, same as when you installed it. If you're not sure, check the Supported Platforms table. DSpico users want Pico_Loader_DSPICO.zip.

  2. Extract the downloaded zip with 7-Zip.

  3. Copy the contents of the zip into the _pico folder on your SD card, overwriting the old files.