Switch CFW 23.0.0 Is Finally Here: How to Install Atmosphère 1.12 and Update Your Console

Atmosphère has finally been updated to support Switch firmware version 23.0.0, and there are three ways you can install it. Below I go through each option one by one, then show you how to actually bring your console up to 23.0.0, because installing the new Atmosphère does not update your system firmware by itself.

Option one: a clean install of Atmosphère and Hekate

The first option is to install Atmosphère and Hekate directly, and you need both of them. Download each one, and make sure you grab the zip file. Then connect your microSD card to your computer. I connected mine through Hekate, and once it is open you can see the existing Atmosphère and Hekate files sitting on the card.

Before you put the new files on, I highly suggest that every one of you deletes the atmosphere folder, because "the chances are very high that you will actually not be able to boot into atmosphere" otherwise. Deleting it first just makes everything very smooth. After that, copy and paste Hekate and Atmosphère onto your microSD card.

Option two: a pack is better, in my opinion

Option two is installing a pack, and in my opinion this is the better route, because "you will actually be able to get a lot of juicy files" that you don't get when you are only installing Atmosphère and Hekate. A pack comes with way more files than those two on their own.

The process is simple. Once you have the pack, you just copy and paste everything inside it onto your microSD card.

Option three: the optional mega package

The third option is a larger mega package. It is absolutely not needed and optional, but the upside is that a lot of files come already updated. You can go with option one or option two instead.

The mega package comes as four RAR files. Make sure you have WinRAR installed, select all four together, right click them, and extract them to the folder named for the 23.0.0 version one package, which gives you a single folder. Once it is ready, take everything except the PC stuff and drag and drop it onto your microSD card. If it asks to replace files, click replace.

Delete these files that can stop Atmosphère from booting

While the files are copying, there are other files on your microSD card that could prevent you from booting into Atmosphère. One example is Salty SD, and I know that you can delete it. There is another file I know always causes problems as well. If you have it installed, it should be on the root of your microSD card or maybe inside your Switch folder, so search for it. If you don't have it, good. Otherwise, I would just delete it.

Once everything is done, right click your microSD card, eject it, and put it back into your Switch.

Always run Fix Archive Bit in Hekate first

The very first thing I always do is go to Tools in Hekate, then the archive bit menu, then Fix Archive bit. This verifies that every file was copied correctly to your microSD card. When it finishes, it will say done, and you can close it and head back home.

From there you can boot into your emuNAND or your system, whichever you want. I have an emuNAND installed, so I choose that, but both are okay. If your console is already on version 23.0.0, congratulations: you have just updated your custom firmware.

Updating your Switch to 23.0.0 with Daybreak

If your console isn't on 23.0.0 yet, here is how to update it. Atmosphère now supports up to 23.0.0, but that does not mean your console is automatically on that version. To update, search for Daybreak, an app that is already installed, and open it.

Click install, then go to OFW 23.0.0. You will get this from the pack if you downloaded one; otherwise you will find it online. Select it, continue, choose preserve settings, choose to install FAT32 plus exFAT, and continue again. Then wait until it is done and click reboot. Your console should reboot into Hekate, and you launch it again from there.

Once you are inside, check that everything is correct by going into System Settings and scrolling all the way down to System. On mine it shows 23.0.0 installed with Atmosphère 1.12, which is perfect. Games I had installed also start and work with the packs.

Some apps won't work on 23.0.0 yet

One thing to know is that the themes installer will not work at the moment. Maybe it will by the time you read this, but if you are reading right after release, you need to wait for some apps to update before they work.

If you download the mega package, for example, some apps are not installed because they simply don't work right now. So if you can't find an app you want to use, it is most likely because it just isn't supported at the moment, but I will update them as soon as possible.

Which apps are you still waiting on to support 23.0.0?