TWiLight Menu++

Installing TWiLight Menu++ (3DS)

You will first need to have custom firmware on your 3DS, follow 3ds.hacks.guide to install it

Installing #

  1. Open Universal-Updater
  2. Find TWiLight Menu++ in the app grid, you can search with the 3rd tab on the sidebar if you have trouble finding it
  3. Press A or tap the download icon in the sidebar and select TWiLight Menu++ to install it
    • This will take a while
    • If installation fails, ensure the console is connected to the internet. Otherwise, use the manual method
  1. Open FBI and select Remote Install, then Scan QR Code
  2. Scan this QR code to install the latest version of Universal-Updater
    Universal-Updater QR code
  3. Close FBI and continue with the Universal-Updater method
    • If it doesn’t show up on your home menu, reboot your 3DS
  1. Download the latest Universal-Updater.cia
  2. Place the Universal-Updater.cia file anywhere on your SD card
  3. Launch FBI on your Nintendo 3DS
  4. In FBI, go to the place you pasted the Universal-Updater.cia file
  5. Select the Universal-Updater.cia file and hit “Install & Delete”
  6. Close FBI and continue with the Universal-Updater method
    • If it doesn’t show up on your home menu, reboot your 3DS
  1. Download the latest TWiLightMenu-3DS.7z
    • If it does not download, see the release page and scroll down to Assets to download the file
  2. Extract TWiLightMenu-3DS.7z
    • If you’re using Windows, right-click on TWiLightMenu-3DS.7z, click Show more options (if using Win11), hover over 7-Zip, then click Open archive
  3. Copy the following files/folders to your SD card root:
    • _nds
    • BOOT.NDS
    • roms
    • TWiLight Menu.cia
  4. On your 3DS, install the CIA with FBI

Optional: If you want to play games from before the DS(i) & GBA and/or use other additional features (known as add-ons), see Installing Add-ons.

Accessing flashcard contents #

A flashcard is something that goes in the game card slot, and contains a microSD card slot. If you do not have a flashcard, you are done with this guide.

  • For cheats, widescreen, and other nds-bootstrap features to work, keep the Game Loader setting set to nds-bootstrap
  • As B4DS mode will not be used in nds-bootstrap in this case, compatibility will mostly be the same as running from the 3DS’ SD card slot

If you use one of these flashcards, follow the recommended method. Otherwise, follow the alternate method.

  • Acekard 2(i)
  • CycloDS Evolution
  • DSpico
  • DSTT
  • Demon/DSTTi clones
  • EZ Flash Parellel
  • Games n’ Music
  • N-Card
  • R4 (Original, no SDHC)
  • R4(i) Ultra (r4ultra.com)
  1. Follow this guide starting from Flashcard Kernel
    • You can safely ignore the warnings
  2. Open TWLMenu++ Settings
  3. Switch to the Misc settings page
  4. Turn on Slot-1 microSD access
  5. Exit TWLMenu++ Settings by pressing B button
    • If you end up in the DS Classic Menu, press B again

Alternate method #

  1. Create a file or folder called primary in sd:/_nds/ (not the flashcard one), so that TWiLight Menu++ reads settings from the console’s SD card after it starts your flashcard
  2. Follow this guide starting from Autobooting TWiLight Menu++
  3. Copy the BOOT.NDS file from TWiLightMenu-Flashcard.7z to your flashcard’s microSD card root
  4. Open TWLMenu++ Settings
  5. Switch to the Misc settings page
  6. Turn on SD access in Slot-1
  7. Turn on SCFG access in Slot-1
  8. Turn on Auto-start Slot-1
  9. Exit TWLMenu++ Settings by pressing B button
    • If you end up in the DS Classic Menu, launch your flashcard
    • Otherwise, restart TWiLight Menu++

Switching between SD and flashcard contents #

  • Press either SELECT+Up or SELECT+Down to switch between the SD and flashcard contents
    • If the SELECT menu is enabled, you can do so there as well
    • If you use the 3DS UI, touch the Game Card/SD Card icon
    • If you use the R4, GBC, or Wood UIs, press R button