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wireless.md

Transferring files wirelessly between your 3DS and computer

This is especially useful if you do not have an SD card reader or if you do not want to open the New 3DS' pesky shell.

There are two options: the official MicroSD management (New 3DS only) (Requires Windows) or FTPD (must have CFW or homebrew installed).

FTPD is quicker and easier to use in the long run and can be used on all systems and computers (and phones!); however, MicroSD management is official and can be done with a stock system.

FTPD (recommended method)

Installation:

  1. Download the latest ftpd.cia (recommended) or ftpd.3dsx file from https://github.com/mtheall/ftpd/releases/latest
With homebrew:
  1. Put ftpd.3dsx into the /3ds/ folder on your sd card
With CFW:
  1. Put ftpd.cia into the /cias/ folder on your sd card
  2. Launch FBI on your 3DS
  3. Navigate to the /cias/ folder and press (A) on ftpd.cia
  4. Select "Install and delete cia"

Launching (3DS)

  1. Make sure you are connected to the same network on both your 3DS and PC
With homebrew
  1. Open the hombrew channel and tap on FTPD (you may need to scroll down)
  2. Take note of the IP address, which is in the form 192.168.XX.YY:5000
With CFW
  1. Open FTPD from the home menu
  2. Take note of the IP address, which is in the form 192.168.XX.YY:5000

Lauching (PC)

(You can use any FTP software you like on your computer [e.g. FileZilla]; however, this tutorial will use the basic file explorer on your system)

FTP file transfer also works with iOS and Android; however, you will need external FTP programs for them

On Linux and similar systems

(Note: this process may differ for different distributions)

  1. Open your file browser
  2. Click on "Connect to Server" in the sidebar on the left or in a submenu
  3. Into the "Server Address" bar, type ftp://192.168.XX.YY:5000, replacing XX and YY with the numbers in the IP address you noted earlier. You may need to put the port (5000) in a separate field, if applicable.
  4. Click "Connect"
  5. You should see the file system of your 3DS' SD card
On Windows
  1. Open the file explorer
  2. Click on the address bar at the top of the window
  3. Type ftp://192.168.XX.YY:5000, replacing XX and YY with the numbers in the IP address you noted earlier.
  4. Press ENTER
  5. You should see the file system of your 3DS' SD card

Quitting

  1. Close the file explorer you were using to access the SD card
  2. On Linux and similar systems, you need to unmount the FTP server from the sidebar on the left using the "eject" button
  3. Press (START) on your 3DS to exit
    • If it gets stuck at Waiting for socExit()..., make sure that you closed the file explorer properly and unmounted the 3DS, if applicable
    • If it is still stuck, wait for the connection to time out or force-shutdown your 3DS by holding (POWER)

MicroSD management

(Note that this method only works on New 3DS and requires a Windows 7+ PC)

  1. Open system settings
  2. Tap "Data Management"
  3. Choose "MicroSD management"
  4. Follow the official instructions for MicroSD management from Nintendo's website.
@OrangwUWU
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You said this works on iOS and Android whats a good app to use on iOS?

@PixelSergey
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You said this works on iOS and Android whats a good app to use on iOS?

I don't personally own an iOS device, but find the top-rated FTP app on the App Store

@blueingsh
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blueingsh commented Nov 27, 2020 •
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You said this works on iOS and Android whats a good app to use on iOS?

ftp rush, its the one that liteally doesn’t need you to pay for literally even putting files on your sd card
link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ftp-rush/id1462600368
also apparently its on andriod too (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wftpserver.ftprush&hl=en_US&gl=US)

@Jeptioak
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Is it at all possible to send files to a 3DS that isn't on your network?

@PixelSergey
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Is it at all possible to send files to a 3DS that isn't on your network?

I could not, unfortunately, get it to work. It seems that FTPD sets up a local FTP server, so both your device (PC/phone) and 3DS must be connected to the same network.

@Jeptioak
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Jeptioak commented Feb 1, 2021

Oh, okay. Thanks for trying!

@steve-spiteri
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Can you open more channels for transfer?
A 60mb folder with a ton of 1kb files takes forever to transfer because it is transferring one file at a time.

@PixelSergey
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Can you open more channels for transfer?
A 60mb folder with a ton of 1kb files takes forever to transfer because it is transferring one file at a time.

No. Unfortunately, FTP works in such a way that you can only access one port on a device to transfer files.
You will have to remove your SD card if you want to transfer large numbers of files efficiently.

@kurti256
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Is it at all possible to send files to a 3DS that isn't on your network?

yes you can virtaulize a lan and do it that way

@fonbella
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fonbella commented May 15, 2022 •
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This didn't seem to work for me, I got an error when typing the ftp number in the file explorer: https://gyazo.com/81405b6b1c47445cc77d5f45773a3fd9 What should I do?

@WohaoGast2
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WohaoGast2 commented Aug 30, 2022 •
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This didn't seem to work for me, I got an error when typing the ftp number in the file explorer: https://gyazo.com/81405b6b1c47445cc77d5f45773a3fd9 What should I do?

I think you can't do anything

@AbnormalNormality
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Used to work fine but now whenever typing in file explorer it opens a blank tab in my web browser. Nothing has changed aside from that and I don't know what to do. If this is a common issue and I just haven't seen the explanation feel free to tell me.

@PixelSergey
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Used to work fine but now whenever typing in file explorer it opens a blank tab in my web browser. Nothing has changed aside from that and I don't know what to do. If this is a common issue and I just haven't seen the explanation feel free to tell me.

That's weird, it works on my machine. Try installing the FileZilla application: it has way more features and is specifically designed to do FTP file transfers as opposed to the file explorer.

@AbnormalNormality
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Thanks, works fine now, don't know why it stopped working on file explorer but at least filezilla works :)

@axel358
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axel358 commented Jan 18, 2023

Hi, i get No route to host on my pc filemanager (Nemo/Nautilus) when trying to connect to the server

@PixelSergey
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PixelSergey commented Jan 25, 2023 •
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@axel358 There have been problems with file managers recently. Try using FileZilla.
Additionally, the "no route" error suggests that your PC cannot find your 3ds. Make sure that you are on the same network/WiFi connection on both devices.

@DiabloStorm
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Does this work with the DS? (yes DS, not 3DS) I see you have .nds files. I'd like to have this to access DS flashcart files since the 3DS can't access the file system on a DS flashcart outside of DS mode

@PixelSergey
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Does this work with the DS? (yes DS, not 3DS) I see you have .nds files. I'd like to have this to access DS flashcart files since the 3DS can't access the file system on a DS flashcart outside of DS mode

Try it! I'm not sure. You could probably make it work by putting the ftpd.nds file on your flashcart and configuring your DS network settings.

@DiabloStorm
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DiabloStorm commented Mar 30, 2023 •
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Seems like it hangs on waiting on wifi even with no network security

Is there a way to configure DS mode network settings through the 3DS? Actually...I think I remember using a pokemon game to do just that...

Okay, seems to work, just use a ds rom with network capability to properly set up settings for a no-security wifi network

@Csani10
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Csani10 commented May 13, 2023

My android phone does not want to connect to my 3ds-es ftp server i did everything right and i used the app ftp rush.
And a question do i need to set the encryption to plain text and the login type to anonymous?

@Balentay
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Hey thanks for this guide! You really helped this homebrew newbie out a lot c:

@SwirlyStone5877
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My android phone does not want to connect to my 3ds-es ftp server i did everything right and i used the app ftp rush. And a question do i need to set the encryption to plain text and the login type to anonymous?

Hi, Csani10! Have you considered using a different app? I like to use "File Manager +" from the Google Play Store. (To use the FTP function, tap "Remote" on the home page, then tap "Add a remote location." From there, tap "FTP," and enter your IP and port. I prefer tapping "More" and entering a display name, so that I can see "3DS" instead of the IP.)

@fhuihnlsmnzdlkfsdjnlkfjsdn
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fhuihnlsmnzdlkfsdjnlkfjsdn commented Jun 2, 2023 •
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when i connect to the 3ds's file server i cant edit anything (move files, add files, delete files etc.) from windows 10 file explorer

@PixelSergey
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PixelSergey commented Jun 3, 2023 •
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when i connect to the 3ds's file server i cant edit anything (move files, add files, delete files etc.) from windows 10 file explorer

Make sure that the SD card which is in your 3DS is in the unlocked position (only big SD cards have this, MicroSD cards do not)
image

If the issues keep happening, try installing FileZilla and making sure that all the settings are correct (there is no read-only option selected anywhere)

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ghost commented Jun 5, 2023

This guide is nutty nice, thanks for creating it!

@GlowNShow
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Hello, need some help, copied an ISO 420mb and lost connection via my Phone and my n3dsxl. Was no file in The directory but 420mb was gone and would like to know how to get those 240mb back, is there any temporary file on the sdcard to delete or how can i fix this?

@cl33n
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cl33n commented Oct 19, 2024

Hey all - if you get the "This folder is read only" error when connecting from Windows file explorer, this is happening because Windows forces TLS as an encryption protocol for ftp connections. What you want is an anonymous and unencrypted connection. FileZilla lets you do this, there might be a way to do it on Windows, but they make it hard to keep you safe.

@bartendista
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I personally would not use FileZilla to transfer data, Windows Security and the University of Miami in Florida has flagged FileZilla as malware.

@cl33n
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cl33n commented Nov 11, 2024

Fair - I’ll try winscp next time!

@Fernando6909
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Hello, need some help, copied an ISO 420mb and lost connection via my Phone and my n3dsxl. Was no file in The directory but 420mb was gone and would like to know how to get those 240mb back, is there any temporary file on the sdcard to delete or how can i fix this?

Any solutions?

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