Convert Switch Roms from .NSZ to .NSP and convert .XCZ to .XCI files (2024)

November 1, 2022
18 Comments

Your Nintendo Switch, Yuzu and/or Ryujinx can’t run compressed .NSZ and .XCZ files. You need to convert them to .NSP or .XCI files first. Luckily I discovered a must-have tool called Switch Army Knife (SAK) which can do just that, and so much more…

Decompress and convert NSZ Roms to NSP, and XCZ roms to XCI

The main feature I needed was to (de)compress .NSZ or .XCZ roms to save on space. This free tool can easily ‘unzip’ and convert .NSZ roms to .NSP files; And convert .XCZ files to .XCI. You can also use it to save storage by compressing your roms.

But Switch Army Knife (SAK) can do pretty much everything you’d want to do with .XCI, .NSP and .NSZ Roms

Convert Switch Roms from .NSZ to .NSP and convert .XCZ to .XCI files (1)

SAK can do a lot with .XCI files:

Extract firmware from .XCI files
Patch your .XCI to a lower firmware version or update it to a newer
Split or merge .XCI files
Convert XCI files to .NSP and/or .XCZ

The same goes for .NSP files… SAK can:

Patch your .NSP to a lower firmware version or update it to a newer
Split or merge .NSP files
Convert .NSP files to .NSZ and/or .XCI

Finally it can also extract your Save files from the the eMMC. The fun don’t stop!

How to download and install Switch Army Knife

Download the latest Swiss Army Knife version from Github (or my mirror of version 0.7.14)
Extract the downloaded .zip file anywhere you want and run SAK.exe

The software itself is extremely simple to use. You’ll be decompressing .NSZ and .XCZ files in no time. I hope this helped you out! Did you know you can also stream your Switch emulator to your smartphone and play on the go with Parsec? It’s awesome!

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18 thoughts on “Convert Switch Roms from .NSZ to .NSP and convert .XCZ to .XCI files”

Claudio Moura
July 28, 2022 at 10:41 pm
Só esqueceu de dizer que o programa precisa do Prod.keys para funcionar em alguams conversões.
translation: Just forgot to say that the program needs Prod.keys to work in some conversions.
Reply
1. PowrUsr
  July 29, 2022 at 8:00 am
  Thank you for sharing this info Claudio!
  Reply
2. carlos
  January 13, 2023 at 5:44 pm
  disculpa y donde se encuentran esas prod.keys , podrias dar esa informacion, la pagina o enlace donde encontrarlas
  Reply
  See Also
  4NXCI Open-Source *.XCI to *.NSP Converter Switch homebrew team 2168-0002 releases dedbae xci2nsp: A smarter, faster XCI to NSP converter
Mac
November 28, 2022 at 10:41 am
Mac OS Please
Reply
1. PowrUsr
  November 28, 2022 at 11:42 am
  Hi! I’m afraid -for now- it’s Windows-only. But perhaps another tool exists for this platform… You could indeed just use virtualization, like DD suggests.
  Reply
2. DD
  December 4, 2022 at 2:03 pm
  Just install virtual machine, come on
  Reply
eduardo
December 6, 2022 at 7:22 pm
Estou tendo problema em atualizar a rom do Pokemon Violet. Diz que falhou, e aparece como se nao fosse o arquivo do jogo e uptade. mas sao eu baixei do mesmo site, e a rom base esta funcionando no emulador.
Translation: I’m having trouble updating the Pokemon Violet rom. It says it failed, and it appears as if it wasn’t the game file and update. but i downloaded it from the same site, and the base rom is working on the emulator.
Reply
1. PowrUsr
  December 6, 2022 at 7:41 pm
  Hi Eduardo! Have you tried installing said update to the NAND memory of the emulator? I believe, in Yuzu, you should see the update in the ROM’s options after the installation. Good luck!
  Reply
  1. Eduardo
    December 7, 2022 at 2:28 pm
    Eu uso o EGG NS. E a rim precisa estar atualizada em um arquivo só. O programa que eu usava não funciona na ROM do Pokémon violet. Eu tenho a ROM base 1.0.0 e a atualização 1.1.0. As duas .NSP mas preciso unir as duas em um arquivo.
    Translation: I use the EGG NS. And the rom needs to be updated in a single file. The program I used doesn’t work on the Pokemon violet ROM. I have base rom 1.0.0 and update 1.1.0. The two .NSP but I need to unite the two in a file.
    Reply
eduardo
December 8, 2022 at 12:55 am
Thats the error…
Updating failed D:\Jogos\Emuladores\Roms\Switch\Pokémon Violet [01008F6008C5E800][v131072][US].nsp\Pokemon Violet [01008F6008C5E000][v0].nsp
Something failed!?
Is the selected NSP file a game and the NSP the update?
Needed time 6 seconds.
Reply
Capistro
June 10, 2023 at 5:34 pm
how to split NSZ files ?
Reply
1. PowrUsr
  June 10, 2023 at 7:40 pm
  Hi Capistro, as far as I know, there is no way to split .nsz files, since they are just compressed .nsp files; This means they will always need to be decompressed to run on the Switch. If it’s purely for external storage limitations, you could still use tools like 7zip or Winrar to split the file in multiple smaller archives. I hope that helps!
  Reply
Anonymous
September 16, 2023 at 5:21 am
It doesn’t work for me. I got a window that asked me: “Place keys.dat or prod.keys inside the bin folder”. How to solve it?
Reply
God
November 26, 2023 at 5:51 am
We need Android version
Reply
CARLOSARIELOPEZHECHAVARRIA
November 28, 2023 at 11:33 am
Friend, I have a problem, I already converted it from .XCI to .NSP but the yuzu emulator does not recognize it, what can I do, I have to patch it, I see where it says NSP split, what do I do?
Reply
1. PowrUsr
  November 28, 2023 at 10:43 pm
  Hey Carlos! Hmm, Yuzu should easily be able to run/install said .xci (and .nsp) file, so I’m not sure why or if you need to split or convert any files? Perhaps this can helpful: often, if Yuzu can’t detect a (newly released) game, it can help to install newer firmware in Yuzu, and/or find a newer prod.key file. Good luck though!
  Reply
nsz to nsp
March 1, 2024 at 6:54 pm
Dobrý den potrebuji prevest nsz na nsp a nevim kde sehnat prod.key nejake rady?
edit Translation: Hello, I need to convert nsz to nsp and I don’t know where to get prod.key, any advice?
Reply
1. PowrUsr
  March 1, 2024 at 9:55 pm
  Hi! Here’s a guide on how to legally obtain prod.keys from your Switch Console. Of course there are ‘easier’ ways and just look for them on Google, as plenty of sites offer these files. Good luck!
  Reply