The Recovery Mode (also known as Maintenance Mode in firmware version 1.0.0) can be accessed when turning on the Nintendo Switch while performing a button combo.
Description
After package1ldr decrypts and validates package1, execution carries over into the NX bootloader.
Among various tasks, this bootloader checks for a button combination to determine if the system should enter Recovery Mode. If the combination is performed, the bootloader reads the SafeMode Firmware BCT from the eMMC, swaps the normal BCT with it and performs a Watchdog reset after writing panic code 0x20 to PMC_SCRATCH200.
Button combination
In order to enter Recovery Mode, the following combination must be performed:
[1.0.0-3.0.2]
- With the system powered off, press and hold Volume Down + Volume Up;
- Press the Power button while still holding Volume Down + Volume Up;
- Let go of the Power button and keep holding Volume Down + Volume Up until the maintenance applet shows up.
This results in the system booting into a menu that allows to update your Nintendo Switch through the internet and format/initialize the console with or without keeping user info, screenshots and saves. It is possible to use this menu to delete the nagging update message if your console downloaded an update.
The [1.0.0] variant (known as Maintenance Mode) does not have the system update option. However, downloaded update data is still deleted when this menu is accessed.
[4.0.0+]
- With the system powered off, press and hold Volume Down;
- Press the Power button while still holding Volume Down;
- Keep pressing the Power button, but let go of Volume Down and press and hold Volume Up;
- Let go of the Power button and keep holding Volume Up until the safemode system module starts.
This results in the system booting into safemode and automatically finding and installing new updates from the internet.