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Frequently Asked Questions

What do you need help with?

Quick Start

I am new. What is the fastest safe way to start?

Follow this order:

  1. Mod your Switch first using the Nintendo Homebrew Guide.
  2. Install NXThemes Installer from the Homebrew App Store or official releases.
  3. Start with a Theme Pack on Themezer.
  4. Reboot and enjoy!

What is the difference between themes, layouts, and packs?

  • Theme: changes visuals for one menu or applet.
  • Pack: a bundle of themes (and sometimes matching assets/layouts) for a consistent look across multiple menus.
  • Layout: moves/resizes/hides UI elements (icons, clock, buttons, etc.) - advanced.

If you are new, install a pack or theme first.

How do I mod my Switch?

Use the Nintendo Homebrew Guide as your source of truth.

If your console is currently unmodded, complete that guide first before trying Themezer themes.

Themezer focuses on themes/layouts/packs after CFW is set up; CFW setup steps themselves are not hosted here.

Fix an issue

My Switch crashes on boot after installing a theme

This is fixable, and most likely caused by the Lockscreen theme. Remaking the theme won’t help.

Try these steps:

  1. Uninstall the themes. Delete these folders from sd:/atmosphere/contents:
    • 0100000000001000 (qlaunch applet),
    • 0100000000001007 (playerselect applet),
    • 0100000000001013 (user applet), and
    • 0100000000000811 (font)
  2. Make sure you’re on the latest version of the NXThemes Installer app (check for updates in the HBAppStore).
  3. Make sure NXThemes Installer can download the latest patches by being connected to WiFi, or install them manually from here.
  4. Try ‘extract home menu’ in the NXThemes Installer again.
  5. Then try installing your themes again, one by one.

Note: contents is called titles on Atmosphère version 0.9.4 and below.

My theme does not show the 'all apps' icon on the Home Screen. How can I access the rest?

Short answer, either:

  • Install random apps to meet the minimum amount of 13, or
  • Install a different theme that uses a different layout

Long answer: The theme you installed uses a custom ‘layout’: the layout of the menu components (game icons, user icons, time, etc.). That custom layout removes a few of the app icons from the home menu to make it more minimal. There is no way to access these. The Switch simply doesn’t display the all-apps button when you have less than 13 apps installed.

Do themes work on Firmware X.X? / Themes don't work on X.X

The NXThemesInstaller will try to download the latest patches for your firmware version. Every FW update will break lockscreen themes. If a firmware update released only recently, it may take some time for the developer to release the required patches. The application will download them as soon as they are available. You need internet, so make sure you’ve set up Atmosphere’s dns mitm or 90dns, or install them manually from here.

Themeing questions

Can I create animated themes?

Short answer: Yes, but low quality and with a lot of effort. Long answer: The Switch menus do not have enough memory to handle more than one extra background image. Animated themes would require multiple background images, which would exceed the memory limit and cause crashes. There are some who have done it, but it requires advanced knowledge of Switch theming, results in very low-resolution backgrounds, and is not recommended for most users. View the guide here. Example themes:

Do themes affect my battery?

No, themes don’t affect your battery. Not even animated ones.

My Switch crashes on boot after I installed a font

  • Cause 1: You installed a font that was too large in file size (maximum file size being 1.9MB). You can remove your installed custom font data by navigating to sd:/atmosphere/contents and deleting the 0100000000000811 folder.
  • Cause 2: You installed a font that wasn’t the right file type (e.g. .otf). You can remove your installed custom font data by navigating to sd:/atmosphere/contents and deleting the 0100000000000811 folder.

Note: contents is called titles on Atmosphère version 0.9.4 and below.

The NXTheme installer crashes when I launch it

This is probably due to the archive bit being set on either the app or the .nxtheme files. This is usually the result of copying files to a microSD card via a Mac. If you are experiencing this issue, try running the archive bit fixer utility via hekate for all files.

This can be done by booting into hekate and going to Tools > Arch bit • RCM Touch • Pkg1/2 > Fix Archive Bit.

Can I swap themes without rebooting?

Currently no, the OS can’t swap themes on the go and it does need a reboot.

A theme shows no bottom line on the screenshot, but when I install it it's there

The creator messed up and has to update their theme.

Some parts of the home menu disappear with certain themes

This depends on the layout of the theme, some may hide on purpose the news or eshop applets or other parts of the home menu. Some layouts may hide some games from the end of the list, the only way to access those games is to use the all apps menu. The all apps button shows up only if there are at least 13 titles installed, currently there’s no way around that.

How do I create my own layouts? Where can I find details on how the menu works? Where can I find the user icons or \<insert component name here>?

You can try to find what you need on LayoutDocs

It covers:

  • How to get started (set up the required tools, tips)
  • Where you can find components
  • Examples for specific changes
  • Layout/theming related word definitions

It’s far from done and if you have anything to add, feel free to let me know or create a PR yourself (see the main page)

If you still didn’t manage to find a component, I’m pretty confident I am able to help you. DM migush or send a message in #switch-support

Outdated questions

"ResidentMenu not found in lyt dir"

You’re following an outdated guide, download latest version of the theme installer, it will extract all the needed files automatically.

What's the difference between nxtheme and szs?

NXThemes works on every supported firmware and it’s legal to share so it’s allowed on websites like GBATemp or Reddit. SZS is firmware dependent (aka crashes on the wrong firmware) and NOT legal to share. You shouldn’t be posting szs links on other sites. To install NXThemes you need the NXThemes Installer homebrew (which can install szs files as well if you’d like) https://github.com/exelix11/SwitchThemeInjector/releases

Q: CONNECTION ISSUES

SXOS’ Stealth Mode is known to cause issues with the NX app.

A solution to this problem:

  1. Configure 90dns (Google how to)
  2. Disable stealth mode
  3. Open the app and let it load results
  4. Enable stealth mode
  5. (Optionally) remove 90dns

This should only need to be done once, until (I’m assuming) the SSL certificate expires.

In case the issue is back after a reboot, consider replacing Stealth Mode with incognito_rcm or 90dns.

Other

How do I publish my layouts on Themezer?

Read the documentation here, or I can process it for you, but I need two things:

  1. The layout json file
  2. A transparent png you get by diffing your theme (TODO UPDATE)

DM me or ping @migush in #switch-support with the files

Still not found your answer?

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