Handbook:Windows

This document is a guide for installing Cemu using a Windows 10 system. For alternative means of installation, see Category:Installation process.

Before installing, it would be advised to view the FAQ. For conventions used in this document, see Help:Reading.

For more detailed instructions, see the respective CemuWiki articles. For interactive help, the Discord server and the forums are also available.

Cemu should run on any x86_64-compatible machine with a minimum of 4 GB RAM, though more memory is recommended and instability is almost certain with less than 8 GB. NVIDIA GPUs work best but AMD GPUs will work fine but require more tinkering as the CPU will need to work more in comparison to NVIDIA GPUs. Cheaper computers, especially ones with Intel CPUs, may come with integrated GPUs. These are not officially supported by Cemu but users have had experience with them.

Pre-setup

Acquire the latest version

Visit the Download page and click the blue button at the bottom. Official releases will be released on Patreon one week before public release for $5 a month. These builds tend to be slightly more unstable than official releases.

Prepare Cemu

Note
It is highly recommended not to place Cemu in a folder that requires admin permissions, such as Program Files.

The latest version will be packaged in the .zip file format. Extract the file using 7-Zip or WinRAR. Cemu is a portable program meaning the folders can be easily spread from one computer to the next without any problems.

Before launching Cemu, it is recommended to change a few properties. Right click on Cemu.exe, then click Properties, and then Compatibility. Check the options to disable fullscreen optimizations and run the program as administrator, and then navigate to Change high DPI settings. Check the options to use this setting to fix scaling programs for this program instead of the one in Settings and to override high DPI scaling behavior with the scaling set by the application.

Set up Cemuhook

Cemuhook is a layer that adds in H.264 (green videos) support and allows for mods such as FPS++ and all widescreen patches. To download it, find the Cemuhook version that corresponds to the latest version of Cemu. Extract the .zip contents to the main Cemu directory with Cemu.exe.

Run Cemu

The first time Cemu starts, you will be greeted with a "Getting started" screen. There will be three options:

mlc01 path

mlc01 will contain your system files, apps and games you have set up in Cemu, and save data. By default this will be in the main Cemu directory but if you are running low on space this can be set to another storage device.

Game paths

It's generally a good idea to leave the game paths blank so that you can import RPX format titles just by going to File, and then Install game title, update or DLC, and your games will automatically appear in mlc01.

Graphic packs

Graphics packs allow for enhanced graphics, resolutions, and colors. These are usually recommended.

Controller setup

Cemu will work out of the box with a standard keyboard and mouse configuration. However, certain elements in games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild work better with motion controls.

Joy-Cons/DualShock 4/DualSense

Cemuhook is required for setup. Install DS4Windows even if using a Joy-Con or DualSense.

1. Download and extract DS4Windows to your computer. Make sure the file ends in _x64.zip
2. Connect your controller to Windows via USB or Bluetooth
3. Open DS4Windows
4. Ensure your controller is registered with DS4Windows
5. Navigate to Settings
6. Enable the UDP Server
7. Open Cemu
8. On the top bar, go to Options, then Input settings
9. Change the emulated controller to the Wii U Gamepad
10. Change the Controller API to XInput
11. Change the Controller to Controller X
12. Map all your controller button inputs
13. At the top, enter in a controller profile name
14. Click Save

Xbox controllers

Note
Xbox controllers do not have motion control support. It is advised to use CemuNoGyro with a phone or using your controller axis' in place of motion controls.

Xbox controllers will work out of the box.

1. Open Cemu
2. On the top bar, go to Options, then Input settings
3. Change the emulated controller to the Wii U Gamepad
4. Change the Controller API to XInput
5. Change the Controller to Controller X
6. Map all your controller button inputs
7. At the top, enter in a controller profile name
8. Click Save

Motion controls

To get motion controls working, follow these instructions:

1. On the top bar, go to Options, then Gamepad Motion Source
2. Select your controller from the list
3. Have it be by slot

Dumping games

This section is not necessary but helpful for Wii U owners with an existing library.

If your Wii U has not already been Homebrewed, download WiiUSetup and extract it to the root of an SD card formatted as FAT32 with 32KB allocation. FAT32 Format should be used for SD cards with more than 32 GB of space. Turn on your Wii U and update every game in your library. Once done, point the Internet Browser to wiiuexploit.xyz and run the Homebrew launcher. If your Wii U freezes for more than 10 seconds, reboot your Wii U and reset its browser's save data.

Once your Wii U has been Homebrewed, you can run Dumpling to either dump your game disc contents, your digital games or system apps by pressing START after selecting all of your games. Dumpling can take some time for an entire library, so if you have a faster spare USB drive you can use that instead. Make sure to format the USB drive the same way and to not allow the Wii U to format the drive for you.

Installing games

Note
Unless using dumpling or otherwise stated as decrypted, encrypted dumps will need to be managed through Cdecrypt

1. Open Cemu
2. On the top bar, go to File, then Install game title, update or DLC
3. If using Dumpling, navigate to the /dumpling folder on the root of your SD card, otherwise navigate to your dumping tool's directory for games
4. Open the relevant folder corresponding to what you want to install. This is either the Games, Updates or DLC folder for dumpling
5. Open the folder of what you’d like to install
6. Open the meta folder and select meta.xml

Saves can also be imported with Cemu.

1. Open Cemu
2. Right click on the game you’d like to transfer the save to and click on Save directory
3. If using Dumpling, navigate to the /dumpling/Saves/[game] folder on the root of your SD card, otherwise navigate to your dumping tool's directory for saves
4. Copy and paste the contents to the save directory you opened from Cemu

Playing online

Note
Cemu requires a physical Wii U console connected to an NNID. If your main console has been sold or reformatted, you will not be able to play online.

Cemu supports online play through official Nintendo servers. The connection will appear to come from a real Wii U which means Nintendo is unable to tell if someone is running Cemu. Using cheats, sharing your online files, or playing on both your console and Cemu can result in your console being banned and in turn Cemu's online play functionality.

First, follow the steps in the Dumping games section to Homebrew your Wii U. Once you've gotten into the Homebrew launcher, launch Dumpling and select the option to dump files to use Cemu online and allow applications to be included. Put your SD card back into your PC and copy the opt.bin and seeprom.bin from /dumpling/Online Files to your main Cemu directory. Then, copy sys and usr from /dumpling/Online Files/mlc01 to the mlc01 folder in your Cemu main directory. From here, follow the steps in the Installing games section but use the dumpling/System Applications/Friends List/meta instead. To use your NNID, first go to Options, then General Settings. In the Account tab, enable online play.