cfw.guide

CFW Guide (cfw.guide) hosts separate step-by-step guides for seven platforms: PS Vita, Cemu, iOS, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Switch. Each guide takes a stock device or fresh install to a defined end state — Ensō on Vita, boot9strap on 3DS, Aroma on Wii U, Atmosphere on Switch, and so on. If your device is on that list, go straight to its guide; if it isn't, the site has nothing for you.

The guides at a glance

Console hacking vs. emulator vs. jailbreak

The seven entries aren't all the same kind of task, and it helps to know which category you're in before you start:

• Console custom firmware guides — Vita, DSi, 3DS, Wii U, and Switch. These modify the console itself, moving it from stock firmware to a custom firmware environment. Each has a named end state (Ensō, boot9strap, Aroma, Atmosphere), which is the milestone the guide is built around.
• Emulator guide — Cemu. This is a Wii U emulator for PC, not a console modification. The guide covers installing Cemu and tuning performance, so the "end state" is a working, optimized emulator rather than a hacked device.
• Jailbreak guide — iOS. Jailbreaking an iPhone or iPad is a different process from console CFW, even though the goal (running software Apple doesn't allow) is similar in spirit.

If you searched for "CFW" and landed on the iOS or Cemu guide, that's expected — the site groups all of these under one roof, but the steps and risks differ by platform.

How to pick your entry point

1. Identify your exact device. "Switch" means the Switch guide; "3DS" means the 3DS guide. Don't assume a guide for one model applies to a sibling model.
2. Match the target state to what you want. If you specifically want Atmosphere on Switch or Aroma on Wii U, that's the guide's stated endpoint — you're in the right place.
3. Check the category. Console CFW, emulator setup, and iOS jailbreak are three different jobs. Pick the one that matches your hardware.
4. Read the guide's own warnings before starting. The site states that while the guides should be safe, you alone are responsible for any damages to your console while following them.

What the site does not cover

Based on the guides listed, CFW Guide does not currently offer guides for other consoles or platforms beyond the seven above. If your device isn't a PS Vita, a Cemu install, an iOS device, a DSi, a 3DS, a Wii U, or a Switch, there's no matching entry here.

A note on donations

The site accepts donations if you find the guides useful. That's optional and separate from using the guides themselves.

CFW Guide is a collection of step-by-step hacking and homebrew guides for game consoles and iOS devices, hosted at cfw.guide. It is aimed at people who want to take a device from stock (unmodified) firmware to a custom firmware or jailbroken state, and it currently covers the PS Vita, Wii U, Switch, 3DS, DSi, Cemu (Wii U emulator), and iOS. Each guide is written to walk you through the whole process rather than assume prior experience, so it suits beginners who are willing to follow instructions carefully. The site notes that while the guides "should be safe," you alone are responsible for any damage to your console.

What platforms are covered

The site's navigation lists these guides:

Each entry is described as "a complete guide," meaning it starts from an unmodified device and ends at a defined custom firmware target (Ensō, boot9strap, Aroma, Atmosphere, etc.).

Who it's for

• First-time modders who want a single, linear path from stock to a working custom firmware, without piecing together forum posts.
• Returning users who need a refresher on a specific console and want the current recommended entry point (for example, boot9strap on 3DS or Aroma on Wii U).
• Emulator users who want Cemu set up and tuned on a PC.

It is less suited to people looking for advanced, device-specific troubleshooting, since the guides are structured as complete walkthroughs rather than reference documentation.

How to use it

1. Pick the guide matching your exact device and model.
2. Read the whole guide once before starting, so you know the required tools, files, and checkpoints.
3. Follow the steps in order; the guides are written as a sequence from stock to the final state.
4. Verify each stage as instructed before moving on, since later steps often depend on earlier ones succeeding.

Things to keep in mind

• The site explicitly states that you are responsible for any damage to your console, even though the guides are intended to be safe.
• The guides are community-maintained (credited to authors such as Plailect, emiyl, Team, and Nintendo Homebrew), so details can change as new firmware and exploits are released.
• The site accepts donations but does not present the guides as a paid product.

If you have a supported console or iOS device and want a structured, start-to-finish path to custom firmware or homebrew, CFW Guide is a reasonable first stop. Check that your specific model and firmware version are covered by the relevant guide before you begin.

CFW Guide (cfw.guide) does not charge for its guides. All of the guides listed on the site are presented as complete, freely accessible walkthroughs, and the page shows no pricing, subscription, or paywall signals. The only money-related item on the page is a line stating that the site accepts donations.

What the site actually says about money

The homepage contains a single relevant sentence:

"If you appreciate this guide, we accept Donations."

That is the full extent of the financial information available. There is no price list, no membership tier, no payment platform named, and no indication that any guide is locked behind a payment.

What this means in practice

The donation line is framed as optional appreciation, not as a condition of access. Nothing on the page suggests that donating unlocks extra guides, earlier access, or support priority.

The guides covered

The site organizes its content by platform, and each entry is described as a complete guide:

• Vita Guide — PS Vita hacking, from stock to Ensō
• Cemu Guide — installing Cemu and optimizing performance
• iOS Guide — iOS jailbreaking, from stock to jailbroken
• DSi Guide — Nintendo DSi homebrew
• 3DS Guide — 3DS custom firmware, from stock to boot9strap
• Wii U Guide — Wii U CFW, from stock to Aroma
• Switch Guide — Switch custom firmware, from stock to Atmosphere

Each is attributed to authors or teams such as Plailect, emiyl, Team, Nintendo Homebrew, and DS(i) Mode Hacking. The descriptions emphasize completeness ("from stock to..."), which is consistent with free, full-length documentation rather than a teaser for paid content.

A caution worth reading before you start

The page includes this disclaimer:

"While these guides should be safe, you and you alone are responsible for any damages to your console while following these guides."

This is a liability statement, not a cost statement. It does not imply a fee, warranty, or paid support option — it simply places risk on the person following the guide.

Bottom line

If you are deciding whether to use CFW Guide, cost is not a barrier based on the available information: the guides are presented as free to follow, and donations are optional. If you want to support the project, the page confirms donations are accepted, but it does not say how to send them or whether any thank-you benefit exists.

CFW Guide (cfw.guide) is a collection of step-by-step console hacking and homebrew guides that walk you from a stock, unmodified device to a custom firmware (CFW) or jailbroken state. Before you start, know three things: each guide is written for one specific platform, every guide assumes you begin from an unmodified console, and while the site states the guides should be safe, it also states that you alone are responsible for any damage to your console. If you are comfortable following detailed technical steps and accept that risk, the guides are structured to take you through the whole process.

What the site actually covers

The site hosts separate guides, each targeting a different platform. Based on the site's own listing:

Two things stand out from this list. First, coverage is not limited to one console family — it spans Sony (Vita), Nintendo (DSi, 3DS, Wii U, Switch), and Apple (iOS), plus a desktop emulator guide for Cemu. Second, the guides are maintained by different authors and teams, so the writing style, structure, and level of detail can differ between platforms. Don't assume that because one guide was easy to follow, another will read the same way.

The starting point is always stock

Every guide is described as going "from stock" to a modified state — for example, "from stock to Ensō" (Vita), "from stock to boot9strap" (3DS), "from stock to Aroma" (Wii U), and "from stock to Atmosphere" (Switch). This matters for two reasons:

• If your console is already modified, the guide's early steps may not apply, and following them blindly could cause problems. You generally want to know your current firmware/modification state before starting.
• If your console is stock, the guide is designed for exactly your situation, and the sequence of steps is meant to be followed in order.

The iOS guide follows the same logic — "from stock to jailbroken" — so the same assumption applies.

Safety and responsibility

The site makes a direct statement on this: while the guides "should be safe," you "and you alone are responsible for any damages to your console while following these guides." That is the key caveat to internalize before you begin. It is not a guarantee, and it is not a warranty. Treat it as a signal to:

• Read the entire guide for your platform before executing any step.
• Make sure you have the correct console model and firmware version the guide expects.
• Understand that a mistake can leave a device in a non-working state, and recovery may not be covered.

Who these guides are for

The guides suit readers who want to do the work themselves, following instructions step by step rather than relying on a one-click tool. The presence of multiple maintainers (Plailect, emiyl, Team, Nintendo Homebrew) suggests community-maintained documentation rather than a single vendor product. If you prefer a guided, hands-on process and are willing to read carefully, this format fits. If you want zero risk or a fully automated solution, these guides are not that.

Practical checklist before you start

1. Identify your exact platform and model — pick the matching guide (Vita, Cemu, iOS, DSi, 3DS, Wii U, or Switch).
2. Confirm your device is stock — the guides assume an unmodified starting point.
3. Read the full guide first — understand the end state (Ensō, boot9strap, Aroma, Atmosphere, jailbroken, etc.) before touching anything.
4. Accept the risk — the site explicitly places responsibility for damage on you.
5. Note the maintainer — different teams wrote different guides, so expect variation in style and detail.

The site also notes it accepts donations if you find the guides useful, but that is optional and unrelated to whether you can follow them.

CFW Guide (cfw.guide) hosts console-modding tutorials written by named authors and community teams rather than by a single anonymous staff. The Vita guide is credited to Plailect and emiyl, the Cemu and iOS guides to emiyl (the iOS guide with "Team"), and the DSi, 3DS, Wii U, and Switch guides to Nintendo Homebrew. The site describes the guides as ones that "should be safe," but states that you alone are responsible for any damage to your console while following them. Reliability therefore depends on matching the right guide to your exact device and firmware, not on the site as a whole.

Who is credited for each guide

The site's own headings and bylines map authors to platforms:

Two names carry most of the weight here. Plailect is a long-standing figure in the Vita and 3DS hacking scenes, and Nintendo Homebrew is the community group behind the widely used 3DS and Switch custom firmware guides. That lineage is the main reason these pages are treated as reference material rather than random blog posts.

What each guide claims to cover

The site frames every guide as a complete path from an unmodified console to a hacked one:

• Vita Guide — "from stock to Ensō"
• Cemu Guide — installing CEMU and optimizing performance
• iOS Guide — "from stock to jailbroken"
• DSi Guide — a Nintendo DSi homebrew guide
• 3DS Guide — "from stock to boot9strap"
• Wii U Guide — "from stock to Aroma"
• Switch Guide — "from stock to Atmosphere"

The named endpoints (Ensō, boot9strap, Aroma, Atmosphere) are specific custom firmware or exploit stages, which tells you the guides target particular firmware versions and methods rather than offering generic advice.

How reliable are they, and what are the limits

The guides are written by people with recognized standing in their scenes, and the site presents them as safe to follow. That said, the site's own disclaimer is explicit: "While these guides should be safe, you and you alone are responsible for any damages to your console while following these guides." Reliability is not a blanket guarantee — it is conditional on:

• Your exact model. A guide for one hardware revision may not apply to another.
• Your current firmware version. Exploit steps are version-specific; a guide written for one firmware may fail or brick on another.
• Following the steps as written. Deviating, skipping, or mixing guides is where most damage happens.

What to check before you start

1. Confirm the guide covers your specific console model and region.
2. Confirm it matches your current system firmware version.
3. Read the whole guide once before touching the device, so you know the endpoint and any prerequisites.
4. Treat the disclaimer as real: back up what you can, and accept that the risk is yours.

If your model or firmware does not match what a guide targets, that guide is not reliable for you — find the version that is, or wait.