This thread is outdated
A lot of information in this thread is heavilly out of date.
If you have time, and have Staff permission, feel free to edit this thread and remove this statement once necessary.

Some information that needs to be addressed:

• SX OS and Atmosphere now supports proper LayeredFS, instructions for using it has changed since this tutorial was made
• Supported Firmware information is out of date
• LFSKit needs to be updated to properly support non 5.x.x firmware
• Compatability chart needs to be re-made

-PRAGMA

WARNING

• DO NOT GO ONLINE WHEN DOING THIS (YOU WILL BE BANNED)

How to use LayeredFS for Backup Loading

Firmware Supported: ONLY 5.x.x
Use the PRAGMA LFS Kit below.

PRAGMA's LFS Kit

DOWNLOAD
SOURCE

• Go from NOTHING in your SD Card to playing a game backup in a few clicks!
• Decrypt .XCI -> romfs/exefs folder with main.nmpd auto edited aswell as folder's name auto renamed to donor titleid
• Download NOTHING except LFSKit!

ENJOY!

Picking a Donor Title and getting Donor TitleIDRunning Game Backups!

1. 
   
   1. A donor title is the application we will run to open the backup.
      Pick a game you don't care about (Download a Demo or a free game from eShop, for example Octopath Demo)
      saves are something no one knows much about, we don't fully know where or how they are stored.
      They might overwrite the donor titles save, so seriously pick a game you DONT care about, not a game you rarely play.
      
      
   2. I also recommend picking a donor title/game combo that has been tested and reported working just so you know if YOU did something wrong or not.
   3. Find the TitleID of the donor title you chose from http://nswdb.com or http://switchbrew.org/index.php?title=Title_list/Games
      Region must be the same, choose the TitleID for the base-game NOT for the update title, even if your updated.
2. 
   
   1. Once again, boot into Hekate-IPL (Step 1).
   2. Enter "Launch firmware" and select "RomFS".
   3. Your now in your system's home menu.
   4. Open the Donor Title you set the TitleID of on that folder and .npmd file earlier.
   5. The game will load up flawlessly.
      If you opened the Title lets say, Fortnite, and Fortnite booted, the titleid of the folder in sd:/atmosphere/titles/{fortnitetitleid} doesnt exist, or doesnt start with 0100.
      If it gives you an error screen, either you didnt edit the main.npmd properly, or its an incompatible title/donor combo.
   To see which games work and which dont using which donor titles, look below.
   If you notice that you used a combination of Game and Donor title that isnt in the list below, post in the thread and I will add it. (look under to see what I need to add to chart).
   

Troubleshooting

• Black Screen/Infinitely Loading
  Leave it for around 5 minutes then press the home button and go back into the game without closing it. Often this can do the job.
• Freeze when Loading
  Close the game and try again, its a common occurence, you may have to try up to 4-5 times before getting it to work, sometimes you may even have to reboot between retries.

 

[tbp]

When I get to the key dumping part and I'm using cmd to open the hactool folder it gives me a error that says that the path dose not exisist. Anybody wiling to help?

If you have a space in the path you need to surround it in double quotes eg "C:\file folder\file.txt"

 

[Ryab]

How to use LayeredFS for Backup Loading

Firmware Supported: 5.x.x
(for other firmwares, we need a way to patch a kernel.bin thats on 4.x.x firmware, but no such tool exists yet)

Step 1 - Hekate-IPL + CTCaer Hekate Mod + Initial-LayeredFS SupportStep 2 - Getting Switch's KeysStep 3 - Picking a Donor Title and getting Donor TitleIDStep 4 - Kernel PatchingStep 5 - Installing Game BackupsStep 6 - Running Game Backups!

1. 
   
   1. Follow this thread to learn how to enter Hekate-IPL using @CTCaer 's Hekate Mod. (The original hekate mod has bugs).
      You should boot into Hekate-IPL once before continuing so you get it stuck in your head on how it's done and to know your getting it right.
   2. For LayeredFS support, I changed how and where files are loaded for Hekate.
      Delete ALL FILES NOT FOLDERS except hbmenu.nro from SD Cards root.
      Download this and extract it to the SD Cards root.
      Result (Nintendo folder may not exist but its fine):
      
      
      
      
   3. You now have Hekate-IPL + CTCaer Hekate Mod + Initial-LayeredFS Support (still need kernal-patched.bin, more on that later).
2. 
   
   1. Follow this tutorial to get your "keys.ini" file which will be needed.
3. 
   
   1. A donor title is the application we will run to open the backup.
      Pick a game you don't care about (Download a Demo or a free game from eShop, for example Octopath Demo)
      saves are something no one knows much about, we don't fully know where or how they are stored.
      They might overwrite the donor titles save, so seriously pick a game you DONT care about, not a game you rarely play.
      
      
   2. I also recommend picking a donor title/game combo that has been tested and reported working just so you know if YOU did something wrong or not.
   3. Look below for the Title ID or google it and remember it, jot it down on Notepad, we will need it later.
4. 
   
   1. Kernel patching is required for LayeredFS to be able to run.
      Either, Find "kernel-patched.bin" using my SHA-1: a445c342d31dd1435629893c5ecb60ad6cf0ff7f (Google ) and place it in sd:/modules/romfs
      Or, continue on to patch your own kernel.bin to kernel-patched.bin
   2. Download HxD v2.0 (not v1.7.7 from HxD Homepage) and install it if you havent already got HxD v2.0
      
   3. Remember how to open Hekate-IPL using CTCaer's Hekate Mod? Do that now.
   4. Click "Tools" -> Dump eMMC SYS (not eMMC USER)
   5. Once its finished, put your SD Card in your PC, and follow this using this .bat file (extract the .bat out of the .zip).
   6. You now have your very own kernel.bin. This file is NOT patched yet.
   7. To patch it, download kernelpatches.exe from @thomasnet here and just put the kernelpatches.exe next to your kernel.bin, let it run and you will have kernel-patched.bin
   8. Delete the original kernel.bin and kernelpatches.exe, we dont need them anymore, and place kernel-patched.bin in your SD Card at: sd:/modules/romfs/kernel-patched.bin
5. 
   
   1. Follow this thread to get your .XCI file decrypted.
   2. You should now have an xciDecrypted folder.
   3. Rename that xciDecrypted folder to the Donor Title's Title ID you picked earlier. Do note, it should always start with 0100. So if your Title ID is 100XXXXXXXXXXXX add a 0 to the start.
   4. Download HxD v2.0 (not v1.7.7 from HxD Homepage) and install it if you havent already got HxD v2.0
   5. Follow the video tutorial here (the main.npmd that was opened, is in the xciDecrypted->exefs folder we just renamed, the titleid we paste in, should be the same one we used for the folders name, just no 0 at the start)
   6. You should now have a folder named as a titleid starting with 0100 and has an edited main.npmd
   7. Copy that folder, and paste it into your SD Card at: sd:/atmosphere/titles/
      The SD Card should look like this: (010025400AECE000 is Fortnite and is a Backup of Mario+Rabbids)
      
      
6. 
   
   1. Once again, boot into Hekate-IPL (Step 1).
   2. Enter "Launch firmware" and select "RomFS".
   3. Your now in your system's home menu.
   4. Open the Donor Title you set the TitleID of on that folder and .npmd file earlier.
   5. The game will load up flawlessly.
      If you opened the Title lets say, Fortnite, and Fortnite booted, the titleid of the folder in sd:/atmosphere/titles/{fortnitetitleid} doesnt exist, or doesnt start with 0100.
      If it gives you an error screen, either you didnt edit the main.npmd properly, or its an incompatible title/donor combo.
   To see which games work and which dont using which donor titles, look below.
   If you notice that you used a combination of Game and Donor title that isnt in the list below, post in the thread and I will add it. (look under to see what I need to add to chart).
   

Title ID list (may be incomplete)

http://switchbrew.org/index.php?title=Title_list/Games
https://nswdb.com
(never use the "Update" title id's even if your title is updated and always use the same region of the installed title)

All free eShop Title's ID's - Handy for testing working games

Title Name	Title ID
Fortnite	010025400AECE000
Hulu	0100A66003384000
The Pinball Arcade	0100cd300880E000
Fallout Shelter	010043500A17A000
Octopath Demo	010096000B3EA000
Kitten Squad	01000C900A136000
Blazblue	0100C6E00AF2C000
Pinball FX3	0100DB7003828000
Pokemon Quest	01005D100807A000
Stern Pinball Arcade	0100AE0006474000
PaccMan VS	0100BA3003B70000

Working Titles - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE TITLES ONLINE!

If the title is infinitely loading or black screen, leave it for roughly 5 minutes, press home button, go back into the donor title and see if it loads.
Some games just need a little push.
I have a theory that some games work and some dont due to SD Card and LayeredFS filesize reading limitations.
Of course, I could be wrong, but is it really a coincidence most of the BIG games dont run?
If a title FREEZES when loading, just close the game and try again. Try 3-4 times. If it still freezes, try rebooting.
Some testers had freezes on games for ex: DOOM + Fortnite(donor) yet some testers did that combo, and got through.

Boots?	Game	Donor Title's that WORK	Donor Title's that FAIL	Firmware	Saves?
✓	Owlboy	Fortnite	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	DOOM	Fortnite (doesnt save)	Fallout Shelter (crashes before menu), Pokemon Quest (freezes for 1 tester, blackscreen for another tester), Octopath Traveler Demo (buggy)	5.1.0	X
✓	Poi: Explorer Edition	Fortnite	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	I Am Setsuna	Fortnite	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Scribblenauts Showdown	Fallout Shelter	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Overcooked!	Fortnite (saves?), The Pinball Arcade (saves!)	Hulu	5.1.0	✓
✓	Skyrim	Octopath Traveler Demo (saves!), Fortnite (doesnt save)	Super Mario Odyssey (crashes starting a save), Mario Kart 8 DELUXE (infinite loading screen)	5.1.0	✓
✓	Fire Emblem Warriors	Fortnite (buggy?), Super Mario Odyssey (saves!), Dragon Quest Builders (saves!)	-	5.1.0	✓?
✓	Stardew Valley	Skyrim	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Bayonetta	Fortnite (saves!), Oceanhorn Demo (saves?)	-	5.1.0	✓?
✓	Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2	Kitten Squad	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers	Kitten Squad	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap	Astro Bears Party	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Wild Guns Reloaded	Pokemon Quest	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Lost Sphear	I Am Setsuna, Pokemon Quest	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Little Nightmares: Complete Edition	Pokemon Quest	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Gal Gun 2	Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	RAYMAN LEGENDS: DEFINITIVE EDITION	Fortnite	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Sonic Forces	Fallout Shelter	Fortnite, Super Mario Odyssey	5.1.0	✓
✓	LEGO Worlds	Fortnite, Stern Pinball Arcade	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Super Bomberman R	Fallout Shelter	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition	Super Mario Odyssey	Fortnite, Pinball PX3	5.1.0	✓
✓	Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle	Fortnite, Super Mario Odyssey, Fallout Shelter, Golf Story, Oxenfree	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Kirby Star Allies	Fortnite (doesnt save, max savesize of 5.3mb?), Pokemon Quest (?), Minecraft (saves!), Stardew Valley (saves!)	Pokken Tournament DX Demo (infinite loading), Pokken Tournament DX (freezes/infinite loading)	5.1.0	✓?
✓	Splatoon 2	Super Mario Odyssey, Just Dance 2018, Splatoon 2 Splatfest Demo	Rocket League (black screen), Fallout Shelter (crash 1 tester, blackscreen another tester), Kitten Squad, Fortnite	5.1.0	✓
✓	Nintendo Labo - Toy-Con 02 ROBOT KIT	Super Mario Odyssey, Rocket League	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Minecraft - Switch Edition	Super One More Jump Demo	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Dragon Quest Builders	Fallout Shelter, ARMS, Blaster Master Zero, Kitten Squad, Pinball FX3, I Am Setsuna	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	The Binding of Isaac	Fallout Shelter (saves!), FAST RMX (saves?), Rocket League (saves?), Super Mario Odyssey (saves!), Minecraft (saves!)	-	5.1.0	✓?
✓	Darkest Dungeon	FAST RMX	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Just Dance 2018	Fortnite	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Human: Fall Flat	Fortnite	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Pokkén Tournament DX	Skyrim, Fortnite, Just Dance 2018	Fallout Shelter (freezes on auto-save warning), Pokkén Tournament DX DEMO, Splatoon 2 (freezes)	5.1.0	X
✓	Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze	Super Mario Odyssey, Fallout Shelter, Fortnite, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Voez	Voez Demo, Fortnite, Super Mario Odyssey	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Sonic Mania	Super Mario Odyssey	-	5.0.2	✓
✓	Payday 2	Pokemon Quest	FAST RMX	5.1.0	✓
✓	ARMS	Super Mario Odyssey (saves!), Namco Museum (saves!), Overcooked! (doesn't save)	-	5.1.0	✓?
✓	Shantae: Half-Genie Hero	Fallout Shelter, Super Mario Odyssey	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Scribblenauts Showdown	Rocket League	-	5.1.0	?
✓	Disgea 5	Super Mario Odyssey	Fortnite	5.1.0	✓
✓	Cave Story+	VOEZ (Demo)	-	5.1.0	✓
✓	Monster Hunter XX	Skyrim (loading screen doesnt fade, home button, and back in game to fix), Phantasy Star Online 2	-	5.1.0	✓
X	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	-	Fortnite (black screen), Fallout Shelter (black screen), Kitten Squad (black screen)	5.1.0	-
X	Snipperclips	-	Snipperclips DEMO (freeze)	5.1.0	-
X	Puyo Puyo Tetris Demo	-	Pokemon Quest	5.1.0	-
X	Puyo Puyo Tetris	-	Fortnite, Snipperclips Demo	5.1.0	-
X	Azure Striker Gunvolt Striker Pack	-	VOEZ Demo	5.1.0	-
X	Mario Kart 8 DELUXE	-	Super Mario Odyssey, Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Fortnite, RAYMAN LEGENDS: DEFINITIVE EDITION DEMO, Rocket League (error screen), Stern Pinball Arcade, Pinball FX3, Pac-Man VS, Blazblue	5.1.0	-
X	1-2-Switch	-	Fortnite, Splatoon 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Snipperclips Demo, Fallout Shelter (error screen), Rocket League (black screen)	5.1.0	-
X	Xenoblade Chronicles 2	-	Fortnite, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, RAYMAN LEGENDS: DEFINITIVE EDITION DEMO, Fallout Shelter, Super Mario Odyssey, Pokemon Quest, Blaster Master Zero DEMO, Disgaea 5	5.1.0	-
X	Super Mario Odyssey	-	Fortnite, Pokemon Quest, FAST RMX, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Namco Museum, Fallout Shelter, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Octopath Traveler Demo, Mario Kart 8 DELUXE	5.1.0	-
X	South Park: The Fractured But Whole	-	Fortnite, Pokemon Quest, ARMS	5.1.0	-
X	NBA 2K18	-	Super Mario Odyssey (black screen), Pokemon Quest (black screen)	5.1.0	-

Adding to List

Post the game name, donor name tried, firmware (probably 5.1.0).
If it boots I also need to know if it saves or not

LayeredFS Backup Loading Challenge/Test

- Get one of these games on your switch installed normally, no layeredfs stuff with them: Fallout Shelter, ARMS, Blaster Master Zero, Kitten Squad, Pinball FX3, I Am Setsuna
- Lets say you have Fallout Shelter, Use that as a Donor Title to load Dragon Quest Builders.
- Now, also use Dragon Quest Builders as a donor title to load Fire Emblem Warriors.

I wanna see if you can get from Fallout Shelter->Dragon Quest Builders->Fire Emblem Warriors, just from boot a free game like Fallout Shelter lmao

Notes

Seems fortnite is a good title to test with. Apparently using Fortnite as a Target Title and redirecting Axiom Verge works but I havent tried myself.
1-2-Switch seems to not work for anything, possibly as it doesnt use User-Accounts?

Puyo Puyo tetris over its own demo boots to black screen

 

[szczuru]

pls del

 

[XorTroll]

Binding of Isaac works, donor: Mario Odyssey
Firm 5.1.0, no idea if saves work, and no lag or bugs

 

[serenewarfare]

When I get to the key dumping part and I'm using cmd to open the hactool folder it gives me a error that says that the path dose not exisist. Anybody wiling to help?

Same was happening to me. What I did was just copied the folder location from the explorer and past in in the command line instead of typing it out and it worked.

 

[Deleted-447798]

.

 

[DollyWhipDoll]

Am I right in thinking that firmware 4.1.0 is incompatible as of now?

You should read The OP before trying any of these hacks.

 

[Deleted-447798]

.

 

[DagbEdd]

Game: Rocket League
Donor: Kitten Squad
Boot: No
Save: N/A

Game: Rocket League
Donor: Fortnite
Boot: Yes
Save: Yes

 

[Ty_]

Tried Lego City Undercover, got vastly different results with different donors.

With a Fortnite donor it loads up immediately and begins well, but then it crashes when it tries to save the profile, just like Doom. Tried it twice and exactly the same happened.

Using Pokemon Quest donor it runs fine, however messages pop up about there not being enough free space (even though I do). after a few tries you can get through but it won't save anything. I closed the game and re-tried it, and it crashed on the 2nd run.

Octopath Traveler Prologue donor had a weird effect where it displays the Switch loading screen as a top and bottom border at the same time as the game is running (going to home menu then re-opening fixes it). Saving fully works (I tested with a console reset).

Octopath is the winner so far, I'll try a couple others

 

[Draxzelex]

So, is that a yes? I'm really paranoid about these things and I don't want to update for no reason.

IMO, this is not worth updating for. Not all games are supported and this is technically not backup loading but backup swapping. So, this will be replaced by something that will run the backups more straightforward such as a cartridge emulator (similar to SX OS) or a title manager (like FBI on the 3DS).

 

[eldgrim001]

Can confirm DKTF working with Fortnite as donor

 

[Deleted User]

SPLATOON 2 WORKS ON 5.1.0
Settings used:
Donor: pokemon Quest
Requirements:delete donor save data
Save:works

 

[Stoned]

SPLATOON 2 WORKS ON 5.1.0
Settings used:
Donor: pokemon Quest
Requirements:delete donor save data
Save:works

How to delete safe data?

 

[Ty_]

Tried Lego City Undercover, got vastly different results with different donors.

With a Fortnite donor it loads up immediately and begins well, but then it crashes when it tries to save the profile, just like Doom. Tried it twice and exactly the same happened.

Using Pokemon Quest donor it runs fine, however messages pop up about there not being enough free space (even though I do). after a few tries you can get through but it won't save anything. I closed the game and re-tried it, and it crashed on the 2nd run.

Octopath Traveler Prologue donor had a weird effect where it displays the Switch loading screen as a top and bottom border at the same time as the game is running (going to home menu then re-opening fixes it). Saving fully works (I tested with a console reset).

Octopath is the winner so far, I'll try a couple others

Okay last donor I'm trying with this game is Fallout Shelter. Has exactly the same result as using Fortnite.

Best method is using Octopath Traveller Prologue, then going to home (not closing) and opening it back up again to deal with the border issue. From my brief time with it it played fine. Some slowdown but I think the game does anyway

 

[DollyWhipDoll]

How this is going to go {not really, lmao};

1. Those on 4.1 aren't going to be able to stand the excitement and will update by tomorrow.

2. The day after they update, a fork will be out for compatibility with ALL FWs.

3 The day after that, a soft mod will be out for 1.0-4.1.

Tada

 

[Deleted User]

How to delete safe data?

Data management

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

LAST TIME I SAY :
IF THE SAVES DON'T WORK GO TO DATA MANAGEMENT AND DELETE DONOR SAVE DATA IT WORKS ON MOST GAMES LIKE PAYDAY OR SPLATOON!!!

 

[Dvdxploitr]

Bomberman R
Used Fortnite
BOOTS: Yes
SAVES: Yes

(I know Bomberman R was already on the list, but it was using Fallout Shelter, I used Fortnite)

 

[focusonme]

LAST TIME I SAY :
IF THE SAVES DON'T WORK GO TO DATA MANAGEMENT AND DELETE DONOR SAVE DATA IT WORKS ON MOST GAMES LIKE PAYDAY OR SPLATOON!!!

didnt work for kirby

Kirby WORKS ON 5.1.0
Donor: pokemon Quest
Save:no

 

[AtomicallyRetro]

ARMS works on Pokémon Quest, 5.1.0, does not save.