When you power on your modded Switch, the first thing you’ll see is the Hekate bootloader menu. This is your control center – it determines how your Switch boots and what firmware environment you’re running. If you’re new to modding, this screen can look intimidating, but each option has a clear purpose.
Here’s what everything does.
Hekate Main Menu Overview
Launch – This is where all your boot options live for the Switch OS. You’ll use this most of the time.
More Configs – Additional boot configurations. If you install Android or Linux, their launch options appear here.
Payload – For launching specific tools and utilities like system wipes, downgrade fixes, and other advanced payloads.
emuMMC – Where you create or manage your emuMMC partition. Your Switch will already have a file-based EmuMMC created if it was professionally set up.
Tools – Utilities for creating NAND and emuMMC backups, partitioning or formatting your SD card, mounting your SD card over USB to browse files from your PC, running benchmarks, and more.
Launch Options Explained
SysMMC OFW (Official Firmware)
This boots the normal Switch operating system from internal memory. The Switch runs exactly as if it isn’t modded – completely stock behavior.
Use this for:
- Playing owned games online
- Cloud save backups
- eShop access and game updates
- Online multiplayer
- Anything that touches Nintendo’s servers
This is your clean, safe boot option. Nintendo sees a normal, unmodified Switch.
SysMMC Semi-Stock
This boots the normal Switch OS from internal memory, but also skips fuse checks during boot.
Use this for:
- Loading official firmware if you have fuse mismatch issues from updating improperly
- Everything you’d use SysMMC OFW for, with the added benefit of bypassing fuse errors
For most users, this behaves identically to OFW. You’ll only need it if you’ve encountered fuse-related boot problems.
SysMMC CFW (Custom Firmware)
This boots Atmosphère custom firmware on your internal memory with Nintendo’s servers blocked by default.
Use this for:
- Playing online with WiFi-safe mods (alternate Smash Bros skins, overclocking, input delay mods, etc.)
- Backing up saves from internal memory using JKSV or Checkpoint
- Restoring modified saves to internal memory (like transferring edited Pokemon to Pokemon Home)
- Dumping games installed on internal memory using NXDumpTool
Warning: If you install NSP files or non-WiFi-safe mods while on SysMMC CFW and then connect to Nintendo’s servers on official firmware, you can get banned. Only use this boot option for activities listed under “currently safe” in our Ban Prevention Guide.
Note for online play: If you’re playing online with WiFi-safe mods through SysMMC CFW, you must disable Exosphere in the Hekate config file first. Exosphere blanks your serial number, which will cause online authentication to fail.
EmuMMC CFW (Recommended for Homebrew)
This boots Atmosphère custom firmware on a copy of your NAND stored on your SD card. It’s a completely separate environment from your internal memory.
This is your safe sandbox. Nintendo’s servers are blocked and your serial number is blanked by default, so nothing you do here can get your console banned. Wi-Fi still works for homebrew – FTP transfers, Moonlight streaming, DBI over network, and everything else that doesn’t need Nintendo’s servers.
Use this for:
- Installing games
- Installing homebrew forwarders to the home menu
- Running game mods and cheats
- Emulation
- Overclocking
- Custom themes
- Anything and everything you want to do with your modded Switch
This is where you use your console to its full potential without any risk.
Quick Reference
| Boot Option | Firmware | Storage | Nintendo Servers | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SysMMC OFW | Stock | Internal | Connected | Online play, eShop |
| SysMMC Semi-Stock | Stock (skip fuse check) | Internal | Connected | Fuse mismatch recovery |
| SysMMC CFW | Atmosphère | Internal | Blocked | Save backups, game dumps |
| EmuMMC CFW | Atmosphère | SD Card | Blocked | Everything homebrew |
Which Should I Use Day-to-Day?
For most people, you’ll bounce between two options:
- SysMMC OFW when you want to play online, buy games, or update
- EmuMMC CFW for everything else
The other two options are situational – SysMMC Semi-Stock is for fuse issues, and SysMMC CFW is for specific tasks that need to touch your internal memory while running Atmosphère.
Related Guides
- Nintendo Switch Ban Prevention Guide
- How to Back Up and Restore Your EmuMMC
- What Can You Do With a Modded Switch?
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