
Some patched switches can be unpatched with a physical mod. Mariko and Switch Lite units are patched. Later units are more likely to be patched, as they began shipping patched consoles in July 2018. The earlier Switch models are typically unpatched and should be hackable. You can install files that allow you to play your games without their physical cartridge, manage and back up save files, use emulators of older game consoles, change your theme or avatar and more. People mod their Switch for different reasons. What can you do with a hacked/modded Switch?

However, in order not to be too vague, I will mention some of the current options available, but I’ll note that these are simply options as of this writing in 2021. I will try to be general in my explanations, so that this information stays relevant, even if such-and-such specific file or url is discontinued in the future. This is not a step by step guide itself, but a broad overview and a reference to solve common questions and misunderstandings. Step by step guides already exist on all of these topics and are will be updated more often than this. I’m not going to link to everything I mention. It would be a good idea to use this in conjunction with a guide this FAQ will hopefully answer some of the questions you may have. These answers are not definitive, but meant to give a rough understanding to the reader.

All of these topics can be used as a starting point and researched more by the reader. There are often multiple answers to these questions, so I am just giving the simplest, easiest and most common answers for beginners.
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I wanted to provide basic answers to common questions, in plain English, so that anyone interested could quickly get caught up on the basics. These are questions I had myself when learning about this community, and questions I often see asked by others. This is not a recommendation or endorsement of any activity, but a clarification of common confusions and questions people have on the subject. This is a starting point for beginners and people that are curious about the subject of Switch modding/hacking.
