FAQ and troubleshooting

GBA/DS games/DSiWare/Smash Bros/Monster Hunter 4 fail to start

You haven't configured Luma3DS to work with your boot manager, please refer to this for instructions.

Loading my payload results in a black screen

Your payload is out of date. You can get the latest version for Decrypt9/EmuNAND9/GodMode9 from their respective GitHub release pages and an updated CtrBootManager9 from here.

I get an "unsupported FIRM" error on boot with an Old 3DS which has been downgraded from the Gateway menu in the past

If your Old 3DS/Old 3DS XL has been downgraded to 4.5 from the Gateway menu in the past, your CTRNAND has leftovers from one or more previous FIRMs, and this causes issues with the CTRNAND code. This is not an issue with Luma itself, but rather with the GW downgrade process which doesn't do any cleanup and leaves CTRNAND in a messy state. Thankfully there's a method for cleaning your CTRNAND (at least the parts required by Luma3DS to operate normally):

1. Get the FIRM .bins package from here and the NAND FIRMs package from here
2. Copy the O3DS firmware.bin file from the FIRM .bins package to the luma folder
3. From the NAND FIRMs package, copy O3DS NATIVE.cia, O3DS AGB.cia and O3DS TWL.cia to the SD card
4. Boot the NAND you need to fix
5. Open your favorite cia installer (the guide has been tested successfully with FBI 2.1). If you don't have one it's outside the scope of this guide, check how to get your first cia installed on Plailect's guide
6. Install the .cia files you copied in step 3
7. If you have other NANDs to fix, repeat the process from step 4 to step 6
8. Luma3DS should now be functioning normally, you can remove the firmware.bin from the luma folder and delete the .cia files you used

I have issues with GBA/DS/DSiWare games and I have installed a patched AGB/TWL FIRM cia in the past

There have been some reports of pre-patched AGB/TWL FIRMs interfering with Luma3DS' built-in patching. Follow these steps to restore the unpatched Nintendo FIRMs:

1. Get the NAND FIRMs package from here
2. From the package, copy O3DS AGB.cia and O3DS TWL.cia (if you have an Old 3DS), or N3DS AGB.cia and N3DS TWL.cia (if you have a New 3DS) to the SD card
3. Open your favorite cia installer (the guide has been tested successfully with FBI 2.1). If you don't have one it's outside the scope of this guide, check how to get your first cia installed on Plailect's guide
4. Install the .cia files you copied in step 2
5. Luma3DS should now be functioning normally, you can delete the .cia files you used

I have a different issue

Make sure you've read this wiki and then report it in the GBATemp thread.