How to backup your Switch NAND with Hekate payload

[oscarstoja]

How to backup your Switch NAND
with Hekate payload
​

With this guide you will be able to dump of the eMMC (NAND) of your console and thus have a copy in case one day you have any problem you will be able to restore it.

Minimum requirements

• Nintendo Switch
• microSD card with at least 64 GB with exFAT
• Enter to RCM recovery

Step 1 - Download tools

• Hekate - CTCaer mod: Payload that we will send to the Switch

Step 2 - Enter the Switch to te RCM recovery

See the guide how to turn on the Switch in RCM mode

Step 3 - Send the payload to the console

With any of the two tools (TegraRcmSmash or TegraRcmGUI) send the payload that we downloaded in step 1.

For example, we drag the hekate_ctcaer_5.0.0.bin file to the TegraRcmSmash.exe executable and it will automatically execute the payload.

NOTE: You need to copy the "bootloader" folder to the root of the microSD.

Step 4 - Backup of the eMMC (NAND) of the console

When we execute the payload we will see something like this:

The interface is tactile, so we can select any option directly from the screen.

1) Touch on the "Tools" option on the top (

).

2) On the next screen touch on the button "Backup eMMC":

3) To make the full backup first we need to make a backup of BOOT0 and BOOT1 (1) and then we need to backup the eMMC RAW GPP (2).

4) When the backup has started we will see a screen like this:

5) Now it's time to wait. The eMMC RAW GPP backup can take more than 30 minutes, be patient!

Why do you have to make two different backups?

- The first backup is for the two boot partitions (BOOT0 / BOOT1)
- The second backup is to make a backup of the entire eMMC (but that does not include the BOOT0 / BOOT1 partitions)

ATTENTION: Do not continue if you do not have a microSD with 32 GB free and that is in exFAT! If you do not have enough space or the file system is FAT32 the backup will fail.

It is necessary that the file system be in exFAT because a file of more than 4 GB is created (which is the limit of the FAT32 files system, which is how most memory cards are usually formatted).

The 32GB microSD cards are also useless, since after formatting their actual capacity is less than 32 GB, around 29 GB.

Once you have the backups done you should move the backups in a well-kept place (if you have an external HDD, or if you have a NAS, etc ...)

If you have any problem or query, post a message and we will try to help you.

Date of last guide update: 08/08/2019.