How to Setup Citra 3DS Emulator After the Shutdown (Legally)

In this little tutorial I'm going to show you how to setup Citra Emulator on your 3DS in a way that won't get the Nintendo Ninjas to knock on your door. (Disclaimer: This is not legal advice, follow at your own risk.)
If you want the quickest download, use my reuploaded links. If you don't trust me, use the Archive.org links. If you want a more experimental version, use the Canary Archive.org links.
Reuploaded Link
github.com/TheAndrewW/ctr/rel...
Archive.org Links (from the internet archive)
Emulator Download: web.archive.org/web/202403041...
Emulator Source Code (DumpKeys.gm9 is in the /dist/dumpkeys folder): web.archive.org/web/202403041...
Canary Archive.org Links (less stable, from the internet archive)
Canary Emulator Download: web.archive.org/web/202403041...
Canary Emulator Source Code (DumpKeys.gm9 is in the /dist/dumpkeys folder): web.archive.org/web/202403041...
Please feel free to find these files your own way if you do not trust the links above.

[@xxxent]

if buying isn't owning piracy isn't stealing

[@Cre4tor.]

Exactly

[@NoahM21]

Can I make a T-shirt with this phrase?❤😂

[@aaronwise1089]

Go ahead oh yeah and if you do I would happily buy a ("if buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing") shirt from you

[@mimicchest866]

lol you are going to get a virus and go to jail. I would only download if the emulator comes from a different country.

[@Obbviously]

@@mimicchest866No, ur not going to jail i dont think they would care that much 😭

[@Rob_Boss99]

Daily reminder that piracy is, in fact, a victimless "crime"

[@wiggletonthewise2141]

Arrrrr matey!

[@armandomasoudi5041]

Isn't the company the victim?

[@Rob_Boss99]

@@armandomasoudi5041 yes. Poor poor Nintendo (richest company in japan) not making money on a game they don't sell anymore. They are such a victim. 😭

[@armandomasoudi5041]

@@Rob_Boss99 That's if you are pirating a Nintendo game

[@timewashexed]

@@armandomasoudi5041 which you are because this is a 3ds emulator 😭

[@NervesiT]

i will totally dump the bios files from my original and VERY REAL 3ds, i will totally not download the files from the web, nah, i would never do that to nintendo

[@lmcgregoruk]

Yes, I too only dump BIOS files, from the original and VERY REAL hardware I own, I would never download the files from the web, especially if I never owned that system physically.

[@yetibeenz]

I will always buy the game released ten years ago, don't worry nintendo

[@kannan07]

Same,am excited to use my definitely real 3ds that I definitely own to emulate the totally legal emulator that definitely wasn't banned

[@NOTSOFUNNYGURU446]

I too will totally dump the bios from a system i own and dump my games that i have bought full price to play on my pc on a legal emulator the way nintendo intended

[@Pgpxd]

Same fr

[@yetibeenz]

Thank you so much, you really put the W in Andrew W.

[@gunerboss1425]

After an hour of watching a bunch of videos, this was the one that helped me actually complete the emulation process. Thanks for the video!

[@Cycompstar]

I love this. You've helped me so much. Liked and subscribed. Thought I'd go crazy, thank you so much

[@Clearical_]

could you help me it worked yestoday now it wont at all only thing that is differnt is it doesnt say about windows protecting my pc and it doesnt even open just loades

[@Cycompstar]

@Clearical_ Well, if ya go to the link in his description it ought to give ya the dl links. I just downloaded it and clicked on the right application

[@Clearical_]

im dumb what?@@Cycompstar

[@Clearical_]

IBVE GOT IT QWOKING I JUST HAD TO LET IT UNBLOCK SOMETHING CAUSE TS FROM ANOTHER COMPUTER@@Cycompstar

[@thecodeisveroncia]

@@Clearical_ yeah, you are dumb

[@el_Joray]

It doesn’t work for me, when u try to open the Citra-qt it says “the code execution cannot proceed because MSVCP140_ATOMIC_WAIT.dlll was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix this problem” I have reinstalled multiple times but it hasn’t worked

[@kannan07]

Imma go find some ways to download yt videos and save this just in case the nin ninjas trying attacking you Your tutorials are pretty good,good luck with more

[@AndrewW-Channel]

This is my only one? Also any ideas for future ones?

[@rc4780]

Truly done the Lord's work.

[@CrazyPug-iw8sl]

My DumpKeys and GM9Megascript are Notepad NANDManager for some reason, is there a way to fix it or will putting games in the emulator still work?

[@Awesome3619]

TYSM! just got roms from dad wanted to try them out

[@JakeMaag-zg9zk]

when I dropped the dump Keys in the scripts folder it was in there, but nothing showed up please help me

[@jackie2181]

the dumpkeys script isn't working for me. when I run the script it says it failed and I don't get a keys or bin file

[@MadrigalNeXus]

upon opening the citra qt file, for whatever reason, the emulator is in Japanese. Do you have any idea how i can change it to english?

[@MadrigalNeXus]

never mind, i figured it out. I had japanese set as a language for my computer. after removing it and reopening the application, it appeared in english

[@hexatubers7491]

Same

[@DDDevin]

What an Absolute CHAD thx my guy

[@wonky1428]

how do you manually update citra? im on the 2049 build still

[@zatu518]

it crashes directly after opening citra any tipps?

[@BrodyViele12]

Your a Legend Bro!

[@PoseidonReacts]

Is there a way to play multiplayer after the take down?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

I don't think so, but someone will likely make a fork and will setup new multiplayer servers.

[@Waffles_otter]

yes, direct connect still works, and if you have the server address, you can type that and boom. connected

[@drowz9825]

@@Waffles_otteryes but it keeps crashing trying to play multiplayer in donkey Kong country returns how do you fix that

[@Waffles_otter]

@@drowz9825 I haven't played that game but I do believe its compatibility issue Since citra is discontinued, I don't see it getting fixed anytime soon

[@lorenzoolivo4511]

fast forward citra button not found :(

[@Papi_Hose]

i dont have NANDManager in my scripts, do i need it?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

It shouldn't matter this time, but depending on how you setup your Homebrew it might be different.

[@markalvarado4450]

so do i need a 3ds for this to work on my pc? :(

[@dieg0__025]

it doesnt let me run it after clicking run anyway

[@FlintG]

What do I do if the citra emulator keeps on closing after I open it?

[@Clearical_]

ALso Another way right click citra-qt go to change version or something go to first tab andf click at the botttom unblock

[@Clearical_]

it worked yestoday now it wont open at all

[@sugabbbs]

can you still access citra in steamdeck using emudeck?

[@Turtle2.02]

I don't think so...

[@Davidsixx]

When i try and go to the game cart (C:) part nothing comes up for me to select on title id .trim or anything 3:48 does anyone know what may be going on?

[@Davidsixx]

i was able to dump my own keys the step before went as showed in the video

[@raphaelpiacentino4313]

Freeze when i open Citra-Qt, and nobody has a solution online

[@alfredobayron9812]

I am confused on the dump keys were do get the folder to copy on gm9 folder

[@AndrewW-Channel]

Just realized that downloading DumpKeys.gm9 was a bit... difficult. I added them to a release on github, so check the description again. Please ask me if you need more help.

[@alfredobayron9812]

@@AndrewW-Channel okay

[@alfredobayron9812]

okay so i put in the folders gm9 but when i am in dumping the kyes in the 3ds it don't let it says it has failed

[@alfredobayron9812]

and in the 3ds says line 179 mount fail imgmount $[KEY_DB]

[@alfredobayron9812]

okay i did it a different way cuz it gives me that error but when i go to citra the save says it corrupted idk what to do

[@beholdthecoagula]

every time i download Citra it opens in chinese.. how do I fix that?

[@rolanxae]

uhhhh it might be set as a language for your computer or something idk

[@beholdthecoagula]

@@rolanxae nah, it wasnt cs of that. i just got used to it

[@gejtihrhhii10]

u r a hero

[@kornelkardos8254]

can i still get a token somehow?

[@Blackimse]

citra freezed immediatly opens both versions.... not working

[@drakezerofire9761]

It says on my computer d3d12.dll is missing what is that And i try it on an old pc with windows 8.1

[@DHMISCHANNEL768]

could be not be compatible on ur pc

[@WispYY64]

I just wanna use an emulator to collect footage for a project, modding a 3ds for video capture is way too expensive and I want quality for the footage. I hate Nintendo's company policies

[@AndrewW-Channel]

a 3DS capture card is one of my dreams, but yeah they are just too expensive and too difficult. maybe my soldering skills will get good...one day?

[@WispYY64]

@@AndrewW-Channel hopefully

[@AaronsLittleMind]

Is there a reason cheats dont work on pokemon x ?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

you should be able to add custom cheats, but since citra got shut down, the servers that hold all of the cheats are gone so you need to find them somewhere else

[@TheOncil13]

I have Windows 10 and i dont know if its fault of windows 10 or something but it doesnt even open just crashes immidetly the Citra-qt

[@BneiZlutejTrouba]

Try check antivirus, and ofc restart your pc and reinstall and let me knew if worked

[@hjs_gaming1832]

No luck

[@brickhyena926]

This man just made EVERYONE here have a good day, you truly deserve money for this. I would seriously pay you dude, thank you for your awesome service, I hope no nintendo will attack you for this, have a good one,

[@solareclipse3144]

do i need a 3ds or is there any way to get the files online?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

For this method you'll need a 3ds. Don't pirate.

[@IAmC.J]

@@AndrewW-Channel yarghh⛵⛵⛵🏴‍☠🏴‍☠🏴‍☠🏴‍☠🦜🦜

[@yourmamafu]

Do you know if it’s still possible to play online either on Citra or Lime3ds? Or any other emulator present out there? I would like to play with a friend but I don’t know how to, great video btw

[@YaBoiKTP]

Thank You

[@whoskeepingscore9900]

when i'm in godmode 9 and hit scripts, there is no option to dump keys

[@insanecut7774]

same issue

[@Elephantfannumber1]

Same

[@AndrewW-Channel]

did you add the GM9 dumpkeys script to the folder?

[@Elephantfannumber1]

@@AndrewW-Channel lol i got it now . , thanks !

[@ThomasAFN316]

do you need a 3ds to play on the emulator?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

yes

[@kqtie6834]

when i dump the files i get the keys file but not the .bin file?

[@Davidsixx]

have you found a solution for this? same happened to me

[@lol-uc9rj]

thank you

[@raggsy-2919]

W my guy

[@theweirdkidfromthenextdoor]

Are you still able to play multiplayer on citra

[@AndrewW-Channel]

Not sure, but when a proper forks emerges it probably will. My advice is to wait until the scene settles down and everyone combines into one project, which still hasn't happened yet.

[@Turtle2.02]

THANK YOUUUU MANNN

[@Lightmagna]

Is says Not enough space available, should I just buy an upgraded sd card or just delete some stuff off the system?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

you can get a bigger card, and it's probably worth it in the long run saying that you can install cartridge games to the system (yet another video idea), and they're fairly cheap. you *can* delete some stuff, but it's not worth it in my opinion for just this

[@Diemofoxx]

I launch Citra qt.exe but it becomes unresponsive upon opening, forcing me to close it using task manager. Anyone know what's up?

[@BneiZlutejTrouba]

Try check antivirus, and ofc restart your pc and reinstall

[@BneiZlutejTrouba]

and let me knew if worked

[@Diemofoxx]

Already tried everything you mentioned, nothing. A friend of mine suggested updating drivers, didn’t work either, but citra works for him

[@BneiZlutejTrouba]

@@Diemofoxx Try launch it as administrator as well

[@mjmatiz4955]

Where exactly do i go to find citra qt? I downloaded canary if that helps.

[@AndrewW-Channel]

Did you download the source code or the binaries/releases for your platform? You need the binaries to run it without compiling.

[@mjmatiz4955]

@@AndrewW-Channel the canary zip file,I couldn't find the application. Should I have downloaded the installer or nightly?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

@@mjmatiz4955i added the archive.org links for canary windows if you want to try it out. if you downloaded the source code, then you'd have to compile it (which is a pain). if you got the binary/release for your platform, it should be as easy as running the citra-qt file. I'm confused as to what your issue is

[@mjmatiz4955]

@@AndrewW-Channel I did not download the source code just the zip file for canary,then I extracted it to my desktop and tried to find the qt file. There was a qt file but it wasn't the application it's all configs and other things that confuse me to some extent 😅

[@alfredobayron9812]

hey were do i get the dump keys its not letting me open the link @@AndrewW-Channel

[@josehurtado6387]

will this give me corn viruses?

[@Jostica]

my not open

[@austintaylor5683]

Easiest way instead is to just download the emulator then use the CIA decrypting tool and decrypt the games and drop them in a folder. You won't need the other key files at all. Already tested this.

[@AndrewW-Channel]

Oh yeah that works, just figured this covers all scenarios to avoid a "why no work" situation.

[@Pling_o]

Im going to Nintendo HQ and gonna emulat on my phone and gonna say "deal with it"

[@halo3rat]

is there any mac links?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

google and archive.org my friend, but i might add them later on (mac tutorial?!?!?!)

[@Pgpxd]

Do you put the dumped keys somewhere?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

If you're asking about putting my keys online, the answer is now. If you're asking about your keys, see the tutorial.

[@Pgpxd]

​​​​​​​@@AndrewW-Channel Also every single time I try to open Citra or one of its forks (Lime3DS, Lemonade) it crashes after the "send anonymous data" popup. Is there a fix? I don't think there is... I'm using Windows 10 btw.

[@TheGamingDandy]

It seems to only freeze upon opening it. Any suggestions?

[@BlackcatYT_Bruh]

Same

[@infornus335]

did you find any fix

[@infornus335]

@@BlackcatYT_Bruh did you find any fix

[@BlackcatYT_Bruh]

@@infornus335 ya

[@cookiez5902]

it doesnt run when i open citrus qt got any tips?

[@Clearical_]

ALso Another way right click citra-qt go to change version or something go to first tab andf click at the botttom unblock

[@burgerdude7029]

When I launch it, its in chinese, how do I change the language?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

In the title bar, select the second option ("Emulation" in English), then select the second to last button ("Configuration" in English) then make sure you're in the first tab on the left ("General in English") and in the last tab ("UI" in English) and then select in the first category ("General", again, in English), and change the first option ("Interface language" in English) and change it to English. I've noticed certain builds seem to lack the English version for some reason, so possibly try another source.

[@burgerdude7029]

@@AndrewW-Channel It worked thanks, this helped a lot

[@hipstersephiroth3722]

Thank you being so kind all mighty love God help me and these people to better understand you amen

[@cobanermite4562]

None of the links in description are clickable

[@cobanermite4562]

I guess copy and paste the url?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

​@@cobanermite4562yeah, because youtube either wants to see my ID/personal info or build a channel history, i decided to just remove the part that makes them clickable. once the thing unlocks, ill add it

[@cobanermite4562]

@@AndrewW-Channel Oh ok that explains it. Thanks. So, I just need to add https:/

[@cobanermite4562]

How can I import my games saves into citra? Like from checkpoint application on 3DS.

[@AndrewW-Channel]

@@cobanermite4562 you want a tutorial on that? Sure I'll make one soon, probably tomorrow

[@NameIsWario]

Is there a wat to get the mobile version?

[@AndrewW-Channel]

probably, google is your friend

[@aj_the_gr8t]

YARGH WE SAILING THE HIGH SEAS AFTER WATCHING THIS (I sold my 3ds like a year ago and i'll be damned if im gonna buy one just to play tomodachi life on pc)

[@FantomMisfit]

Hypothetically of course... What is to stop me from taking this 7z Archive of Citra I downloaded before Nintendo's bs shut them down and seeding it all over the internet?

[@ahhhh2862]

my father beat me for eating my 3ds

[@lucyw5821]

Does this work for mobile?

[@Turtle2.02]

Yes, i don't know since i play with my pc

[@ahja_glaedr2755]

It is possible to get Citra files on the Internet archive too.

[@AndrewW-Channel]

Yeah I also got copies from there too

[@AndrewW-Channel]

Just added those links to the description for those who would rather do that.

[@frosttoros663]

who is here to just download emulator?

[@MattiJohnki]

i love u

[@TMxSHiVAM04]

Bro can you help me with citra account I can’t battle with it

[@TMxSHiVAM04]

Without it

[@TMxSHiVAM04]

Please comment

[@AndrewW-Channel]

...battle?

[@Obbviously]

i can sense the 💅

[@pumpkinplayz8086]

Are you sure this is legal

[@AndrewW-Channel]

I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice but dumping your own games/keys is usually allowed in the US and many other places. You could call the title slight clickbait, but it's not anything crazy.

[@Pgpxd]

The reply above says that it depends on where you live, but in the majority of places it is legal though, just not all of them.

[@chadstrats2431]

you are a citra QT

[@ryanenglish1460]

whats the point in an emulator if you need a 3ds just play it on the 3ds im looking all over cuz my 3ds broke and im not paying for a new one

[@Austinfdp]

its called emulating meaning that it can have better graphics / more fps looking better than the system. Even preserving games so u shouldn't have broke something that you u cant repair. its easier to do this than find files since its 100% safe

[@Mkgamer_2]

Wayback machine

[@demonicksgamer]

Alguno que hable español para traducirme que mierda dijo? Entiendo inglés pero no en largas formas como en videos de más de 3 minutos Someone who knows spanish can translate what the fuck did he Say? I understand english but not that fast and not in large-type videos that are more than at least 3-5 mins

[@hausofdelore9757]

bro what the heck why not just go through the whole thing, i dont even understand what im reading on 3ds.hacks. I just want a tutorial from start to finish... not everyone is computer savvy

[@AndrewW-Channel]

3ds homebrew guides are notoriously difficult to get right, as the process is somewhat complicated and changes all the time. honestly if you don't feel confident following the 3ds.hacks.guide website, i'm not sure what to tell you. if you do have any specific questions, i can try and answer them

[@Austinfdp]

u act like 3ds hacks guide is rocket science... just learn to read in school

[@hausofdelore9757]

@@Austinfdp and youre just a jerk for no reason when some people just need a little more help than others and thats okay. keep your negative comments to yourself!

[@Splozy]

@@hausofdelore9757 don't be rude and demanding 🤷🤔

[@Nik-hg4pm]

Andrew W