This thread is deprecated
For a faster, easier and more up-to-date way of getting keys use Lockpick_RCM by shchmue
If you still want to follow this tutorial and end up with less keys, continue reading the Thread.

WARNING

• DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY OF YOUR KEYS TO ANYONE! I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH!
• DO NOT SHARE YOUR KEYS BETWEEN MULTIPLE SWITCHES THAT YOU DO/DON'T OWN! SOME ARE CONSOLE-UNIQUE
• DO NOT ASK ME FOR KEYS

LEGEND

• SBK
  SecureBootKey
• TSEC
  Tegra Security Co-processor Key
• eMMC
  Embedded MultiMediaCard (Switch's Onboard Storage)

GOAL
End up with 83+ keys including SBK and TSEC keys. Get Master Key's 0-5. (Master Keys 6 onwards is not done in this tutorial)
Reminder, if you want more up-to-date and much more convenient way to get your Switch's Keys, use Lockpick by shchmue (available in nx-appstore/homebrew store)

Tutorial — (Outdated for Switch's on firmware 6.x or newer)

#1 - Dumping System Keys (Biskeydump)#2 - Dumping Required Files#3 - Hactool Preparation#4 - Dumping KeysFinal WordsTroubleshooting

1. 
   We need to get your Secure Boot Key (SBK) and Tegra Security Co-processor Key (TSEC) before we can get the main keys.
   These are 100% console unique.
   
   
   1. Download and extract biskeydump.bin from biskeydumpvx.zip
      - Follow this tutorial but instead of using CTCaer's Hekate Mod .bin file, use the biskeydump.bin file
      - If the QR Code is Blue, Scan the QR Code with your Phone, Laptop e.t.c
      - If you cant find a device you can scan with, type them out into your PC/Laptop (Its highly recommended to scan the QR Code, as a lot of characters can look like another, O0, Il, rn can look like m, e.t.c)
   2. Once you have the biskeydump of your System, store all the keys you received somewhere safe, I recommend a secure cloud storage aswell as a USB Stick, perhaps even print it.
      - Don't give this to ANYONE, Seriously.
   
   If you get any errors please go to the Troubleshooting Tab.
   
2. 
   
   1. Follow this tutorial AGAIN but this time use CTCaer's Hekate Mod.
      - "Tools" -> "Backup..." -> "Backup eMMC BOOT0/1"
      - "Tools" -> "Backup..." -> "Backup eMMC SYS"
      - Back all the way to the first menu, and choose "Power off"
   2. Take the microSD Card out of your Switch and into your PC.
   3. Copy both "BOOT0" and "BCPKG2-1-Normal-Main" from "sd:/backup/xxxxxx/" (xxxxxx is different for everyone) to "hactool" on your Desktop (create the "hactool" folder)
      - Rename them with .bin at the end, "BOOT0.bin", "BCPKG2-1-Normal-Main.bin"
3. 
   
   1. Download and install Python 2.7.x - NOT Python 3.x.x
      When installing, it will ask you what features you want installed, scroll to the bottom and make sure "Add Python to Path" has "Entire Feature Installed to HDD" option chose (No Red X Icon), otherwise the scripts wont find Python and WILL fail
   2. Download and extract hactool TO THE DESKTOP AND NAME THE FOLDER "hactool"
      On Linux/MacOS: clone and build hactool manually
   3. Right-click this (script originally by tesnos6921, patched by shadowninja108, jakibaki and shchmue)
      - Click "Save link as" / "save as"
      - Set "Save as type" to "All Files"
      - Name it "keys.py"
      And finally save it to the hactool folder you placed in the Desktop.
      NOTICE TO GBATEMP STAFF: The "keys" inside this file, are NOT keys, they are SHA digest hashes used to search through files to find text that matches, which would be the keys.
4. 
   
   1. Press WIN(Btn)+R to open "Run", type "cmd" and press Ctrl+Shift then Enter to open Command Prompt as an Administrator
   2. Type (in order) or Copy the following and paste into Command Prompt (Some Windows Versions use Right Click to Paste, some use CTRL+C)
      python -m pip install --upgrade pip
      pip install lz4
      cd Desktop/hactool
      python keys.py SBK_Here_From_Biskeydump TSEC_Here_From_Biskeydump
   3. It should say: "Now you can do hactool --keyset=keys.txt to use them!", if it does, and there's no warning messages, you're good to go!
   If you get any errors please go to the Troubleshooting Tab.
   
5. 
   You now have a keys.txt file with your console-specific keys inside.
   Rename as needed by any software that requires a different name or file extension, it doesn't matter.
   Though I highly recommend renaming it to prod.keys as this filename for Key file's is becoming a popular choice with other software
   There may be more keys, as the Switch's lifecycle goes on, more and more keys will be needed as the firmwares grow and grow.
   
   • The Hactool warning:

     [WARN] prod.keys does not exist.

     can be safely ignored.
     - if you want to place your "keys.txt" file their, put "keys.txt" on your Desktop and run the following with Administrator Command Prompt (Step #4.1 for instructions):
     

     mkdir -p %USERPROFILE%\.switch
     move "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\keys.txt" "%USERPROFILE%\.switch\prod.keys"

6. 
   #1 ISSUES:
   

   • Red QR Code Outline

     - The reasons this can occur is quite a rarity, all I can say is to keep rebooting and trying again.
     - If there's a new version of biskeydump out, try using the newer biskeydump.bin

   • QR Code not being scanned by your Reader

     - Align your QR Code Readers alignment overlay with the Blue Square's Corners/Edges, NOT the QR Code's Corners/Edges.
     - Clean your camera lens
     - Be in a bright room
   
   #4 ISSUES:
   

   • File "keys.py", line ...
     print message
     ^
     SyntaxError: Missing parentheses in call to 'print'. Did you mean print(message)?

     - You didn't place SBK and TSEC in the 4th line of the Command in Step #4.2
     - You installed Python 3.x.x when you must use 2.7.x, uninstall python, logout of windows (important it removes python from PATH) and follow Step #3.2 then move back to #4.1

   • import lz4.block
     File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\lz4\__init__.py", line 17, in <module>
     from ._version import ( # noqa: F401
     ImportError: DLL load failed: The specified module could not be found.

     - The 2nd line of the Command in Step #4.2 failed without you noticing. Try running the 1st line to upgrade pip and if that goes successfully run the 2nd line to install lz4 and see if it successfully installs.

 

[Phenj]

@ShinyMK Really awesome guide, however, what do you mean by "Type the following in Bold"? How do you type bold in a cmd

 

[PRAGMA]

@ShinyMK Really awesome guide, however, what do you mean by "Type the following in Bold"? How do you type bold in a cmd

It means, type what is bold and ignore whats not bold

 

[Phenj]

Now, dll load failed the specified module could not be found
what the hell?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

 

[Znuf]

Can work on linux ?

The script didn't load :-/

anyway, work well on VM

 

[Phenj]

Im not sure how else to install lz4? requirements say it is good for 2.7.

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "keys.py", line 25, in <module>
import lz4.block
File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\lz4\__init__.py", line 11, in <module>
from ._version import ( # noqa: F401
ImportError: DLL load failed: The specified module could not be found.

Same problem. Have you found any fix?

 

[Zeno12]

Im also having some issues with the keys.py file. When i run the command 'python keys.py' i get a syntaxError 'Missing parentheses in call to 'print'. Did you mean print (message)?'. The error seems to be in 'line 259 print message'. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Nitsuka]

@Zenol12 : You need to install python 2, not python 3.
So nobody have an advice for the error I have ? I'm not the only it seems :/

 

[PRAGMA]

Im also having some issues with the keys.py file. When i run the command 'python keys.py' i get a syntaxError 'Missing parentheses in call to 'print'. Did you mean print (message)?'. The error seems to be in 'line 259 print message'. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Follow instructions properly. You didnt put sbk and tsec

 

[Phenj]

anyone with the "ImportError" after doing "python keys.py"?

 

[Dvdxploitr]

I can get to the part where it says "you can now use hactool --keyset=keys.txt" but when I type that in, it just gives an error saying "unable to open: Invalid Argument"

 

[mcmrc1]

I had also the issue with the BOOT0.bin problem. I had Python 3.x installed instead 2.7. So i deinstalled the 3.x and installed the 2.7 and checked the add to path option.
After a restart i opened cmd as admin again and typed - > pip install lz4 -> Got error because of missing visual c++ 9.0 -> Get it here -> h t t p://aka.ms/vcpython27 < installed it and
run the -> pip install lz4 - command again but succesfully.

Last but not least -> python keys.py <YOUR SBKSecureBootKey here> <YOUR TSEC key here> BUT without the <> !!!
example -> python keys.bin 0000000000000000 111111111111111111

Now it worked fine

 

[Phenj]

I had also the issue with the BOOT0.bin problem. I had Python 3.x installed instead 2.7. So i deinstalled the 3.x and installed the 2.7 and checked the add to path option.
After a restart i opened cmd as admin again and typed - > pip install lz4 -> Got error because of missing visual c++ 9.0 -> Get it here -> h t t p://aka.ms/vcpython27 < installed it and
run the -> pip install lz4 - command again but succesfully.

Last but not least -> python keys.py <YOUR SBKSecureBootKey here> <YOUR TSEC key here> BUT without the <> !!!
example -> python keys.bin 0000000000000000 00000000000000000000

Now it worked fine

I'm getting the error from the "python keys.bin" command, not from "pip install lz4". Have you got any idea why?

 

[mcmrc1]

I'm getting the error from the "python keys.bin" command, not from "pip install lz4". Have you got any idea why?

python keys.py not python keys.bin

What exactly says the error ? It is something like print argument fail ?

 

[Zeno12]

@Zenol12 : You need to install python 2, not python 3.
So nobody have an advice for the error I have ? I'm not the only it seems :/

Thanks man that seems to be it!

 

[Phenj]

python keys.py not python keys.bin

What exactly says the error ? It is something like print argument fail ?

that was a typo, i meant keys.py ofc xD
wait

 

[DJT1M/T1MLPD3]

Okay, i've also successfully dumped the keys, the python script was successful, but when i want to run hactool i get this

 

[mcmrc1]

that was a typo, i meant keys.py ofc xD
wait

Its a different error... I would deinstall python completely and install python 2.7 again. DONT forget the checkbox for using the path @ installation !
After a restart test the command again -> Dont forget to start cmd with admin rights ! -> pip install lz4 <- this must be installed without a error ->
"You are using pip version 7.0.1, however version 10.0.1 is available." <- I didnt update the pip... Just test now again if -> python keys.py is working now.
If not you can test to update the pip -> pip install --upgrade pip

 

[DJT1M/T1MLPD3]

that was a typo, i meant keys.py ofc xD
wait

what python version do you use?

 

[Phenj]

Its a different error... I would deinstall python completely and install python 2.7 again. DONT forget the checkbox for using the path @ installation !
After a restart test the command again -> Dont forget to start cmd with admin rights ! -> pip install lz4 <- this must be installed without a error ->
"You are using pip version 7.0.1, however version 10.0.1 is available." <- I didnt update the pip... Just test now again if -> python keys.py is working now.
If not you can test to update the pip -> pip install --upgrade pip

Sadly, i've already tried everything you said...


pip install lz4 results in this:
C:\Users\fakeusername\Desktop\hactool>pip install lz4
Requirement already satisfied: lz4 in c:\python27\lib\site-packages (2.0.0)
Requirement already satisfied: future in c:\python27\lib\site-packages (from lz4) (0.16.0)

 

[Nitsuka]

Same here, using Python 2 and putting the correct SBK and TSECKey but still got the same error with boot0.bin and key not matched :/