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Version: 4.1

Installation

Onions5

Check your firmware​

  • INFO: A new firmware version was found on devices bought in late December (version 20221216**** and 20221224****)
    • A community firmware patch is available here, which fixes some issues present in 1216 and 1224 firmware.
  • IMPORTANT: The April 2022 firmware from Miyoo (version 202204****** - get it here) is the minimum requirement for Onion v3.10 and above.
  • You can check your current version in Settings › Device Info › Version.
    • Most devices produced after July 2022 will already have the latest firmware.

      *Info: The firmware is the backend part of the OS, which lives inside your device. Onion on the other hand is a frontend that will stay fresh on your SD card.*

We can't take responsibility if your device is bricked in the process of
upgrading the firmware. Take a look at the firmware upgrade guide - beware that the guide contains an outdated link to lemiyoo.cn, we provide an alternative download link above.

Download the installation files​

Installing (on an empty SD card)​

Step 1: Preparing the SD card (only necessary for first use)​

  • Stick to using SD cards from reputable brands (e.g. SanDisk or Samsung).

    The SD card included with the Miyoo Mini is known to be slow, and will likely ruin your experience and/or data.

  • Format your SD card as FAT32

    Note: This is not the same format as exFAT. FAT32 is known as MS-DOS (FAT) on Mac. If your SD card is larger than 32 GB, we recommended using a tool like rufus or guiformat.

Step 2: Copy the installation files and boot up your device to begin the installation​

  • Extract the contents of the Onion-v4.x.x.zip file and copy all 6 folders to the root of your SD card.

    The 6 folders are: .tmp_update, BIOS, miyoo, Media, RetroArch, and Themes.
    Make sure that you've enabled viewing hidden folders on your operating system to correctly copy all of the folders to your SD card (hit Command+Shift+. on Mac).

  • The installation will begin when you insert your SD card and boot up your Miyoo Mini.
  • When the installation is done, press the A button (or wait 10s) and the device will turn off.

Step 3: Copy over your bios and rom files​

  • Copy your bios files into the BIOS folder (from RetroArch/.retroarch/system on the Miyoo SD card).
  • Copy your roms into their respective folder in Roms (see the Emulators page for more information).
  • Do NOT delete the .tmp_update folder, despite its name this must stay on your SD card.
  • Insert your SD card, boot up your Mini and press SELECT from the Games tab in the main menu to refresh roms.
  • If you are a macOS user, run Apps > Tweaks > Tools > Remove OSX files, in Onion, to purge ._ index files from your SD card (and game lists).

Upgrading (from stock or Onion)​

When upgrading, your save states, in-game saves, roms, bios files, and
configs will carry over to the updated system.

For some systems, ex. gpSP, save states won't always work after upgrading,
please make sure to create in-game saves before upgrading, then you can
delete any non-working save states after upgrading.

Step 1: Copy the installation files​

  • Extract the contents of the Onion-v4.x.x.zip file and copy all 6 folders to the root of your SD card.

    The 6 folders are: .tmp_update, BIOS, miyoo, Media, RetroArch, and Themes.
    Make sure that you've enabled viewing hidden folders on your operating system to correctly copy all of the folders to your SD card (hit Command+Shift+. on Mac).

    • Click "Yes" when prompted to overwrite (or "Merge" if you're on Mac).
  • *Note: If you're upgrading from v3.9 or below, we recommend you delete the .tmp_update folder first.*

Step 2: Boot up your device to begin the installation​

  • The installation will begin when you boot up your Miyoo Mini.
  • If you've already got Onion installed, the installer will only update Onion, RetroArch, emulators, and apps - you keep all your settings.
  • When the installation is done, press the A button (or wait 10s) and the device will turn off.

Step 3: Check that your files are in the correct folders​

  • If they're not already in place, place your bios files in the BIOS folder and roms in their respective subfolder inside the Roms folder (see the Emulators page for more information, here you'll find the Rom Folders table).
  • Despite its name, the .tmp_update folder must stay on your SD card.
  • Insert your SD card, boot up your Mini and press SELECT from the Games tab in the main menu to refresh roms.
  • If you are a macOS user, run Apps > Tweaks > Tools > Remove OSX files, in Onion, to purge ._ index files from your SD card (and game lists).

If you experience any issues during the install, try copying over the installation
files again and use another upgrade option (you can skip copying the BIOS,
Icons, and Themes folders).

If you still have issues after trying the reinstall option, you may have to reformat
your SD card (remember to backup the Roms and Saves folders).