NKit documents recovery and preservation tools for Nintendo game images, with format and conversion information.
Switch Army Knife
Switch Army Knife handles Nintendo Switch XCI and NSP files, including conversion, splitting, merging, and game update or DLC operations.
About Switch Army Knife
Switch Army Knife manages Nintendo Switch XCI and NSP files on Windows. It converts between XCI and NSP, splits and merges files, applies game updates and DLCs, compresses XCI to XCZ and NSP to NSZ with decompression back, and patches files for lower firmware. It can also extract firmware from XCI, extract save copies from the user partition, create NRO forwarders as installable NSP files, and format SD cards in FAT32.
Use requires a Windows PC and dumped keys.dat/prod.keys placed in the bin folder. Only files 4GB or larger are accepted for splitting. The page notes the tool is no longer maintained; the listed version is 0.7.14 from 2022/04/05.
Key features
- Convert XCI to NSP and game NSP to XCI
- Split and merge XCI and NSP files
- Update XCI and NSP with updates and DLCs
- Compress XCI to XCZ and NSP to NSZ
- Decompress XCZ to XCI and NSZ to NSP
- Patch XCI and NSP for lower firmware
Best for: People using a Windows PC with dumped Switch keys who manage XCI and NSP files.
Good for
- Handles conversion, splitting, merging, and updating for XCI and NSP files
- Supports trimmed XCI splitting that removes empty space at the end
- Can split XCI and NSP files directly to SD card over USB card reader
Watch out for
- No longer maintained, with last listed update on 2022/04/05
- Requires Windows PC and dumped keys.dat/prod.keys from Switch console
- Only accepts XCI and NSP files 4GB or larger for splitting
Switch Army Knife at a glance
- Category
- Gaming › Game Utilities & Launchers
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web, Windows
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
Switch Army Knife alternatives
Tools and sites you could use instead, ranked by how closely they match.
Switch Hacks Guide provides instructions for installing custom firmware on Nintendo Switch systems.
Homebrew Guides links to Nintendo Switch setup guides and FAQs, including post-setup instructions.
Generate NRO-to-NSP forwarders for a modded Nintendo Switch using this browser tool.
Search an archive of PlayStation 5 game update patches with PROSPERO Patches.
Stream Nintendo Switch gameplay to a computer over USB or a network with SysDVR.
Open source
24 alternativesPopular in Game Utilities & Launchers
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Switch Army Knife FAQ
What do I need to run Switch Army Knife?
A Windows PC and dumped keys.dat/prod.keys from your Switch console, placed in the bin directory near 4nxci.exe.
Which files can be split?
Only XCI and NSP files 4GB or larger are accepted for splitting; splitting smaller files is not supported.
Is Switch Army Knife still maintained?
No. The page states it is no longer maintained, with version 0.7.14 listed as last updated 2022/04/05.
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