Settings guide

What it is Puts every setting back to the value a fresh install has: graphics, system, controls and button mappings, audio, the on-screen controller layout and the app options. It is the red card at the bottom of the Settings screen.

If you change it Your games, saves, keys and firmware are not touched, and your game folders and storage locations are kept so the library doesn't empty. The confirmation has a box to also delete the custom settings of every game: each game goes back to the general settings, and loses its own controller layout and which of its updates, DLC and mods were switched off. It can't be undone.

Our advice Use it first when something that should work doesn't. Then change options one at a time.

What it is Does the same, but only for one game. You find it at the end of that game's settings.

If you change it The game's own settings are removed and it uses the general ones again. Other games are not touched. It can't be undone.

Our advice Good when only one game misbehaves.

What it is The nickname of your emulated console.

If you change it It is only a name. It does not change how any game runs.

Our advice Change it to whatever you like.

What it is Keeps the game from running faster than it should.

If you change it On: the game is held at the speed set below (100% is the original speed). Off: the game runs as fast as your device can, which on a powerful phone can make everything move too quickly.

Our advice Leave it on.

What it is The speed the game is allowed to run at, as a percentage of normal.

If you change it 100% is normal. 50% runs in slow motion, 200% runs twice as fast. It only has an effect while "Limit speed" is on.

Our advice Keep 100% to play normally. Raise it to fast-forward slow parts, lower it to practice something hard.

What it is The speed used when you switch on Turbo mode.

If you change it A higher number makes Turbo faster. It is not used in normal play.

Our advice Raise it if you want a stronger fast-forward.

What it is The speed used when you switch on Slow mode.

If you change it A lower number makes Slow mode slower. It is not used in normal play.

Our advice Lower it if you want a stronger slow motion.

What it is Chooses whether the emulated console behaves as if it were plugged into a TV (docked) or used as a handheld.

If you change it On (docked): the game draws at a higher resolution, so it looks sharper but is heavier for your device. Off (handheld): lower resolution, so it runs more easily.

Our advice If a game is slow, try handheld mode first. It can't be changed while the controller type is Handheld.

What it is The region of the emulated console (Europe, USA, Japan…).

If you change it Some games behave differently depending on the region, for example in their available languages, rating labels or content.

Our advice Pick the region your game was made for. If you are unsure, leave it as it is.

What it is The language the console tells the game to use.

If you change it If the game has that language, its texts and menus appear in it. If it doesn't, it falls back to another one.

Our advice This is the language of the games, not of the Lemon app. The app's language is set in the app settings.

What it is Lets you give the emulated console a date and time that is not the real one.

If you change it On: the console clock uses the date you set. Games that depend on the date, such as events or seasons, will behave as if it were that day.

Our advice Leave it off unless you want to see a date-based event on purpose.

What it is The date and time to use when "Custom RTC" is on.

If you change it It has no effect while "Custom RTC" is off.

Our advice Set it only if you need a specific date.

What it is Makes the game think the console's processor is faster than it is.

If you change it Options are Normal, Boost and Overclock. Higher values can remove frame-rate limits some games put on themselves, but on weaker devices they can lower performance, and some games may misbehave.

Our advice Leave it on Normal. Try Boost only if a game seems stuck at a low frame rate.

What it is Makes the game think the graphics chip finishes its work faster than it does.

If you change it Some games lower their resolution or draw distance when they believe the console is struggling. With this on, they stop doing that. The game may then ask more of your device.

Our advice Leave it on Normal. Try it if a game looks blurry or low in detail even though your device is coping.

What it is Keeps the speed of the emulated processor cores in step with the speed limit.

If you change it It aims to improve performance without changing how fast the game actually runs.

Our advice Leave it as it is, unless you are chasing a specific performance problem.

What it is How much memory the emulated console has: 4, 6 or 8 GB.

If you change it It is experimental. It does not make games faster. It only helps games that use mods needing more memory. It should not be used on phones with 8 GB of RAM or less.

Our advice Leave it at 4 GB.

What it is Lets you set by hand how many "ticks" the emulated processor counts.

If you change it Higher values can make a game faster, but can also make it freeze. A range of 77 to 21000 is suggested.

Our advice Advanced. Leave it off unless someone gives you a value for a specific game.

What it is The number of ticks to use when "Custom CPU Ticks" is on.

If you change it No effect while "Custom CPU Ticks" is off.

Our advice Only change it with a reason.

What it is A code that identifies you when you create public multiplayer rooms.

If you change it It is a 48-character text with only lowercase letters. Without it you can't create public rooms.

Our advice Only needed for multiplayer. Don't share it.

What it is The name other players see in multiplayer rooms.

If you change it It must have 4 to 20 characters: letters, numbers, dashes, periods, underscores and spaces.

Our advice Choose any name you like.

What it is How sharp the picture is. It multiplies the game's own resolution, from 0.25x up to 4x.

If you change it Higher: a sharper picture, but your device works much harder, so it gets hotter and the game may slow down. Lower: a blurrier picture that runs faster. 1x is the resolution the console itself would use.

Our advice This is the setting that changes performance the most. If a game is slow, lower it first.

What it is How finished pictures are sent to the screen so they don't show horizontal tearing.

If you change it Immediate (Off): sends each picture as soon as it is ready. It reacts fastest but the picture can tear. FIFO (On): the classic VSync; no tearing, a little more delay, and the frame rate can't go above your screen's refresh rate. Mailbox: always shows the newest picture at each refresh. FIFO Relaxed: like FIFO, but if a picture arrives late it tears instead of waiting.

Our advice Leave the default. Try Immediate (Off) if the controls feel delayed and you don't mind some tearing.

What it is How the game's picture is stretched to fit your screen.

If you change it Nearest Neighbor keeps hard square pixels. Bilinear and most of the others (Bicubic, Gaussian, Lanczos, Area, B-Spline, Mitchell, Spline-1, Zero-Tangent) stretch it more or less smoothly, trading softness against sharpness. AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), Snapdragon GSR (SGSR), Snapdragon GSR EdgeDir, ScaleForce and MMPX are smarter upscalers that try to rebuild detail, which helps at low resolutions but costs more power.

Our advice Leave the default. If you play at a low resolution to save performance, try FSR or SGSR.

What it is How much extra sharpness FSR or SGSR add. It only appears when one of them is selected.

If you change it Higher: a crisper picture that can start to look harsh, with bright edges. Lower: a softer picture.

Our advice A medium value is usually fine.

What it is Smooths the jagged, staircase-looking edges of objects.

If you change it None: no smoothing, fastest. FXAA: quick smoothing that makes the picture slightly softer. SMAA: cleaner smoothing, but heavier.

Our advice FXAA is a good compromise. Use None if you need every bit of speed.

What it is How carefully the graphics chip of the console is imitated.

If you change it Fast is quicker, but in some games textures flicker or effects such as particles go missing. Accurate is a little slower and fixes those cases.

Our advice Accurate is the default since Lemon 1.0. Switch to Fast only if a game runs too slowly and still looks right.

What it is How carefully the game's copies of data between memory areas are carried out.

If you change it Default follows the GPU Mode: when GPU Mode is Accurate, the careful way is used. Safe always uses the careful way, which can fix problems in some games but may cost performance. Unsafe never does.

Our advice If you are unsure, leave it on Default.

What it is How strictly the emulator waits for the graphics chip to finish work before moving on.

If you change it Immediate is the fastest but can cause problems. Balanced is more compatible and can fix some games. Accurate and Strict are the most compatible and the slowest.

Our advice Leave the default. Move to Balanced or higher only to fix a specific game.

What it is Keeps textures sharp when you see them at a slant, like a road stretching away.

If you change it Higher (2x up to 16x): the ground and walls look clearer in the distance, but it costs some performance. Lower: blurrier in the distance, faster.

Our advice Auto or 4x is plenty for most people.

What it is How freely the emulator uses your device's graphics memory.

If you change it Conservative uses less and frees memory sooner, which is safer for devices with little memory. Aggressive uses more memory to avoid reloading things, which can help on devices with plenty of it.

Our advice Leave Conservative unless you have a lot of memory and see stutter.

What it is How the game's compressed textures (ASTC) are unpacked so they can be drawn.

If you change it CPU: slow but safe. GPU: fast, and the recommended choice. CPU Async: avoids stutter by doing the work in the background, but can cause problems.

Our advice Keep GPU. Try CPU if textures look wrong.

What it is How the videos inside games (cutscenes, intros) are decoded.

If you change it Options are None, CPU and GPU. Change to CPU if the game crashes during a cutscene. None can make videos not appear at all.

Our advice Leave the default, and use CPU only if a cutscene crashes.

What it is Makes sure two kinds of work on the graphics chip don't step on each other's data.

If you change it On: it can fix problems in some games, especially many made with Unreal Engine 4, but it can reduce performance.

Our advice Leave it off unless a game has glitches that nothing else fixes.

What it is Remembers the effects the game has already prepared, so it doesn't have to prepare them again.

If you change it On: fewer stutters the next times you play. Off: the stutter returns every session.

Our advice Leave it on.

What it is Asks the graphics chip to run at its highest speed all the time (Adreno only).

If you change it On: steadier performance, but the device uses more battery and gets warmer. The phone's own heat protection still applies.

Our advice Try it if a game is uneven. Turn it off if the device gets too hot.

What it is Updates certain graphics data more carefully when the game asks for it.

If you change it On: improves the picture in some games, at the cost of performance.

Our advice Leave it off unless a game has graphical glitches.

What it is Keeps previous versions of some graphics data available.

If you change it On: it can improve the picture and make the frame rate steadier in some games.

Our advice Leave it as it is, unless a game needs it.

What it is Brings back to the processor some data that the graphics chip has changed, before it is overwritten.

If you change it Some games need it to draw certain effects properly. If your hardware can't handle the extra work, it can cause problems.

Our advice Turn it on only for a game that shows a missing effect.

What it is A faster way of handing the shapes of objects to the graphics chip.

If you change it It needs recent Adreno drivers (Mesa 26 or newer Turnip, or Qualcomm's). On older Turnip drivers (25.3 and below) it makes the game crash.

Our advice Only turn it on if you use a recent driver.

What it is Skips some of the processor's housekeeping when memory is updated.

If you change it On: lowers processor use and can improve speed, but it can cause glitches or crashes in some games.

Our advice Leave it off unless you are experimenting.

What it is Adjusts the glow effect (bloom) that makes bright areas shine.

If you change it On: it reduces the blur of that glow in some games and removes it in Burnout. It may cause visual artifacts in other games.

Our advice Turn it on only if a game's glow looks wrong.

What it is Handles a particular colour format that some games use.

If you change it On: fixes inverted colours, strange artifacts or odd shadows in the games that need it.

Our advice Turn it on if a game shows wrong colours.

What it is Prepares the game's effects in the background instead of stopping the game to do it.

If you change it On: fewer stutters, but an effect can show up late or look wrong for a moment.

Our advice Try it if you see a lot of stutter. Leave it off if you prefer a clean picture.

What it is How many processor cores are used to prepare the game's graphics (2 to 8).

If you change it Higher: the preparation finishes sooner, but the device gets warmer. Lower: cooler, slower to prepare.

Our advice Leave the default. Raise it if you see long stutters when entering new areas.

What it is Runs the graphics emulation on its own, separate from the rest.

If you change it On: can increase performance, but it can cause graphical glitches and more crashes in games sensitive to timing.

Our advice A risky "hack". Leave it off unless you know why you need it.

What it is Sends the finished pictures to the screen from a separate processor thread.

If you change it On: can increase performance, at the cost of some graphical issues.

Our advice Another "hack". Leave it off unless you are testing.

What it is How many modern shortcuts of your graphics driver are used to save work (Extended Dynamic State, from 1 to 3, or off).

If you change it Higher values let the driver reuse more of its work, which can reduce stutter, as long as the driver supports them well. If a game glitches, lowering it or turning it off can fix it.

Our advice Leave the default. If a game shows glitches, try a lower level.

What it is A more flexible way for the graphics driver to handle the shapes of objects.

If you change it On: it can shorten the time spent preparing graphics, if the driver supports it well.

Our advice Leave the default.

What it is Makes smoothing work on the inside of surfaces too, not just on their edges.

If you change it Higher: better picture quality, but a noticeable cost in performance.

Our advice Leave it at zero unless you have power to spare.

What it is How the screen is oriented: Auto, Landscape or Portrait, with reverse and sensor versions of each.

If you change it It decides whether the game picture appears wide or tall. "Sensor" options follow how you hold the device.

Our advice Auto works for most. Pick landscape if the screen flips when you don't want it to.

What it is The shape of the game picture on your screen.

If you change it 16:9 keeps the shape the game was made with. 4:3, 21:9 and 16:10 change it to those shapes, and Stretch to window fills the whole screen even if the picture gets distorted.

Our advice Leave 16:9 for the correct look.

What it is Where the picture sits on the screen when it doesn't fill it: top, center or bottom.

If you change it It only matters when there is empty space above or below the picture.

Our advice Center is the usual choice.

What it is Shrinks the game into a small floating window when you leave the app.

If you change it On: the game keeps showing in a little window while you use something else. Off: it just stays in the background.

Our advice Turn it on if you like to multitask.

What it is Inserts extra, computer-made pictures between the real ones, to make motion look smoother.

If you change it On: motion looks smoother, but it costs graphics power and can add a little delay to the controls. While it is on, the screen sync is set to FIFO.

Our advice Try it on a game that runs at a steady frame rate but looks choppy.

What it is The frame rate you want to see: Use a fixed multiplier, 60, 90 or 120 FPS.

If you change it With a target (60, 90 or 120), the multiplier rises or falls on its own to reach it, and goes back a step if it makes the game itself run slower. With "Use a fixed multiplier" the multiplier below is used as it is.

Our advice Pick what your screen can really show, usually its refresh rate.

What it is How many pictures are shown for each real picture (2x, 3x or 4x).

If you change it Higher costs proportionally more graphics power. Asking for more than your screen can show will slow the emulation down.

Our advice 2x is a safe start.

What it is How many finished pictures may wait in line before the screen shows them.

If you change it A longer queue absorbs sudden slowdowns, but adds delay between your button press and what you see.

Our advice Use the smallest value that looks smooth.

What it is Measures movement at the game's real resolution instead of the enlarged one.

If you change it On: it saves work and loses no accuracy, because enlarging a picture doesn't add movement detail.

Our advice Leave it on.

What it is How detailed the movement measurement is, as a percentage of the output (25% to 100%).

If you change it Lower: cheaper to compute, so you get performance back, with slightly less precise motion. Higher: more precise, heavier.

Our advice Lowering it is the cheapest way to recover performance when frame generation is on.

What it is The same settings as the general ones, but only for this game.

If you change it Each one can follow the general value or have its own, so you can run one demanding game at a lower resolution without touching the rest.

Our advice The right place to fix one problem game.

What it is Saves this game's settings to a file, loads them from a file, or sends them to someone.

If you change it A friend with the same game can import your file to get your settings.

Our advice Handy to share settings that make a game work well.

What it is Turn on or off the mods, updates and DLC this game has.

If you change it A switch for each item. Turning an update off makes the game behave as its older version.

Our advice If a game shows the wrong version or lacks DLC, check here.

What it is Install or choose a different graphics driver for this game.

If you change it Drivers are the program between Lemon and your graphics chip. Another driver can fix a graphical problem or run faster. A bundled driver, Lemon-Ade, is used automatically on the Adreno 830 and Lemon falls back to the system driver if a game won't start with it.

Our advice Try a different driver when one game has graphical problems.

What it is Frame generation settings for this game only.

If you change it See the Frame generation section.

Our advice Turn it on only for the games where you like it.

What it is Visual effects (filters) applied on top of the picture of this game.

If you change it Effects come as .fx files that you put in the folder the screen shows. You can load several, adjust each one's sliders, and save the combination as a preset to reuse. If the list is empty, the screen tells you which folder to put the files in.

Our advice Effects cost performance. Try one at a time.

What it is Technical settings of the graphics driver, for this game.

If you change it For advanced users who know what a driver setting does.

Our advice Leave it unless someone gives you a value.

What it is Manage this game's saved games: export a copy, import one, or delete them.

If you change it Import replaces what you have with the file. Delete removes the saves for good, with no way back.

Our advice Export a copy before deleting, importing or uninstalling the app.

What it is Deletes the visual effects Lemon has prepared and remembered for this game.

If you change it Right after that you'll see more stutter while they are prepared again. It can also fix a game that shows a corrupted picture.

Our advice Use it if a game started to look wrong after an update.

What it is Edit or reset the time you've played this game.

If you change it It only changes the number shown in your library and statistics.

Our advice Purely cosmetic.

What it is Which kind of Switch controller this player is: Pro Controller, Joy-Cons, handheld and others.

If you change it Games draw their on-screen button hints from this and some only accept certain types. Handheld also locks the Docked Mode switch.

Our advice Pro Controller works for most games.

What it is Tries to set up all the buttons for you, for a controller you connected.

If you change it You choose the device and Lemon guesses the mapping. If one button is wrong you can still change it by hand.

Our advice The fastest way to configure a new controller.

What it is Limits which device is listened to when you press a button to assign it.

If you change it Useful when several controllers are connected, so a press on the wrong one is ignored.

Our advice Choose the controller you are configuring.

What it is Puts the controller mapping back to how it was at the start.

If you change it All your custom buttons for that player are lost.

Our advice Use it when a mapping has become a mess.

What it is The A, B, X, Y, Plus, Minus, Home and Capture buttons.

If you change it Tap one and then press the button or key you want for it. The Switch layout is not the same as an Xbox controller: A and B (and X and Y) are swapped.

Our advice If the confirm and back buttons feel swapped in a game, check this.

What it is The four direction buttons of the D-pad.

If you change it Assign Up, Down, Left and Right to the buttons or keys you prefer.

Our advice Needed for menus in many games.

What it is The left analog stick, and the button you get by pressing it down.

If you change it It moves the character in most games. You can map its four directions to a physical stick or to buttons.

Our advice If it drifts when you are not touching it, raise its Deadzone.

What it is The right analog stick, and the button you get by pressing it down.

If you change it It usually moves the camera.

Our advice Same advice as the left one: raise the Deadzone if it drifts.

What it is The shoulder buttons: L, R, ZL and ZR.

If you change it Assign each one to the button you prefer. Joy-Con layouts also have the SL and SR buttons.

Our advice Check them if a trigger does nothing in a game.

What it is The small area around the middle of a stick where movement is ignored.

If you change it Higher: the stick must move further before anything happens, which stops drifting but makes tiny movements impossible. Lower: very sensitive.

Our advice Raise it a little if the character moves on its own.

What it is How far the stick has to move to count as fully pushed.

If you change it Lower: the stick reaches maximum speed earlier. Higher: you need to push further.

Our advice Change it only if your stick never seems to reach full speed.

What it is A button that makes a stick move more gently while you hold it.

If you change it While held, the stick is limited to the "Modifier range", which is handy for slow, careful movement when the stick is mapped to buttons.

Our advice Useful when using buttons instead of a real stick.

What it is Whether the controller rumbles when the game asks for it, and how strongly.

If you change it You can use your device's own vibration motor, and set the strength. Off or low saves battery.

Our advice Turn it down if the rumble is too much or drains the battery.

What it is Makes a game use the same controller mapping as every other game.

If you change it On: changes you make apply everywhere. Off: this game keeps its own mapping.

Our advice Turn it off only for a game that needs a different layout.

What it is Shows or hides the touch controls drawn over the game.

If you change it Off: no on-screen buttons, which is what you want when you play with a physical controller.

Our advice Turn it off if you only use a controller.

What it is While you move on-screen buttons, makes them click into place on an invisible grid.

If you change it On: tidy, aligned layouts that are easy to repeat. Off: you can place a button anywhere.

Our advice Leave it on for neat layouts.

What it is How big the squares of that grid are, in pixels (16 to 128).

If you change it A small grid gives fine control. A large grid gives bigger, coarser steps.

Our advice The default is fine for most people.

What it is Hides the touch controls by themselves when you are not touching them.

If you change it On: after the time set below without touching the screen, the buttons fade away and the picture is clean. They come back when you touch.

Our advice Nice for watching cutscenes without buttons in the way.

What it is How many seconds without touching before the controls hide.

If you change it It only works if "Enable Overlay Auto Hide" is on.

Our advice A few seconds is usually comfortable.

What it is Hides the touch controls when you use a physical controller.

If you change it On: as soon as you press a button on the controller, the on-screen buttons disappear. They return if the controller is disconnected.

Our advice Turn it on if you switch between touch and controller.

What it is Shows a small panel with live numbers about how the game is running.

If you change it On: the panel appears on top of the game while you play; you choose which numbers below. Off: no panel.

Our advice Useful to see if a change you made helped. Turn it off for a clean picture.

What it is Puts a dark background behind the panel's text.

If you change it On: easier to read over bright scenes. Off: only the text is drawn.

Our advice Leave it on if the numbers are hard to read.

What it is Where on the screen the panel is placed.

If you change it You can choose any corner, or the middle of the top or the bottom edge.

Our advice Pick a spot that doesn't cover anything important in your game.

What it is Shows the frames per second (FPS): how many pictures the game draws each second.

If you change it Games usually aim for 30 or 60. The higher and steadier, the smoother it feels.

Our advice If it is far below the game's target, try lowering the resolution.

What it is Shows how long each picture takes to draw, in milliseconds.

If you change it A low, steady number means smooth play. Sudden high numbers are the small hitches you notice as stutter.

Our advice Handy to tell "slow all the time" from "smooth with sudden stutters".

What it is Shows how much memory (RAM) the emulator itself is using.

If you change it If it grows until the device runs out, the game may close on its own.

Our advice Only for checking memory problems.

What it is Shows how much memory the whole device is using, not only Lemon.

If you change it It tells you whether other apps are eating memory you need.

Our advice Close other apps if it is close to full.

What it is Shows the temperature of the battery.

If you change it A hot device slows itself down to protect itself, so a high number explains why a game gets slower after a while.

Our advice If it gets very hot, lower the resolution or take a break.

What it is Whether the temperature is shown in Celsius or Fahrenheit.

If you change it It only changes how the number is written.

Our advice Choose the one you are used to.

What it is Shows how much power the device is drawing and how much battery is left.

If you change it It helps you see how hungry a game is for battery.

Our advice Only for curiosity or battery tests.

What it is Shows how many visual effects are being prepared right now.

If you change it While the number is above zero you may notice stutter. It drops as the game's effects get prepared.

Our advice Explains many of the stutters in a game's first minutes.

What it is Shows a panel with information about your device and Lemon.

If you change it On: the panel appears during play with the items you pick below.

Our advice Handy for screenshots and bug reports, because it shows the details we ask for.

What it is Puts a dark background behind the device panel's text.

If you change it On: easier to read. Off: only the text.

Our advice Leave it on if it is hard to read.

What it is Where on the screen the device panel is placed.

If you change it Any corner, or the middle of the top or the bottom edge.

Our advice Place it away from the performance panel.

What it is Shows which version of Lemon you are running.

If you change it It is the number to give us when you report a problem.

Our advice Turn it on before taking a screenshot for a bug report.

What it is Shows the version of the graphics driver in use.

If you change it Different drivers can make the same game look or run differently.

Our advice Include it in bug reports.

What it is Shows the model of your phone or handheld.

If you change it Only informative.

Our advice Useful in bug reports.

What it is Shows the model of your graphics chip, such as Adreno 830.

If you change it Only informative.

Our advice Useful in bug reports.

What it is Shows the model of the main chip (the SoC) of your device, such as a Snapdragon.

If you change it Only informative.

Our advice Useful in bug reports.

What it is Shows the version of the Switch firmware you installed.

If you change it Only informative.

Our advice Useful when a game needs a specific firmware.

What it is The program Lemon uses to send sound to your speakers or headphones.

If you change it Auto lets Lemon pick, which is the safe choice. SDL3 and cubeb are two alternative engines; if one gives crackling or no sound, the other may work. Null turns the sound off completely.

Our advice Leave Auto. If there is no sound, make sure it is not set to Null.

What it is The volume of the game's sound.

If you change it It is separate from your device's volume. The final loudness is both combined.

Our advice If the sound is too quiet, check this slider and your device's volume.

What it is Which keyboard the game uses when it asks you to type something.

If you change it Custom Frontend uses Lemon's own on-screen keyboard window, which works without extra files. Real Applet runs the console's own keyboard program, which needs the firmware installed.

Our advice Leave Custom Frontend unless a game fails to open the keyboard.

What it is Tells the emulated console it is in airplane mode.

If you change it On: games behave as if they had no network connection. That can stop a game that waits too long to connect.

Our advice Try it if a game hangs while trying to reach the internet.

What it is Turns on the console's own pop-up menu, the one you open by holding the Home button.

If you change it On: holding the Home button for one second shows it, as on a real Switch.

Our advice Leave it as it is unless you use that menu.

What it is The language of the Lemon app: menus and texts.

If you change it It does not change the language of the games, which is set in System → Emulated language.

Our advice System follows your phone's language.

What it is Looks for a new version of Lemon every time you open it.

If you change it On: if there is a newer version, Lemon offers to download and install it. Off: it never checks.

Our advice Leave it on to get fixes.

What it is Lets you open a quick settings menu while playing, by swiping or with the menu button.

If you change it Off: the quick menu can't be opened during play.

Our advice Leave it on; it is how you reach the in-game options.

What it is Swaps which controller button means "accept" and which means "go back" in Lemon's own menus.

If you change it On: the buttons follow the Nintendo and Xbox habit instead of Android's. It only affects the app's menus, not the games.

Our advice Turn it on if you keep pressing the wrong button to confirm.

What it is Shows or hides the button that adds game folders.

If you change it Off: the button disappears from the library. Games already added stay.

Our advice Hide it once your folders are set up if you want a cleaner screen.

What it is Shows or hides the button that opens QLaunch, the Switch's home menu.

If you change it It needs the firmware installed to work.

Our advice Only useful if you want the console's own menu.

What it is Which graphics system is used to draw: Vulkan, or Null.

If you change it Vulkan is the real one. Null draws nothing, which is only useful for testing.

Our advice Keep Vulkan.

What it is Puts the graphics system in a slow mode that checks for mistakes.

If you change it On: the game runs much slower. It is meant for people who fix the emulator.

Our advice Leave it off.

What it is Overrides how Lemon decides whether your Adreno GPU can handle a family of compressed textures (BCn).

If you change it Normally this is detected automatically (it is enabled on Android 9 and newer). Changing it can fix or break textures.

Our advice Leave it as it is unless you were told to change it.

What it is Turns off a reordering of memory uploads.

If you change it On: uploads are tied to specific drawings, which can help in some cases but may reduce performance.

Our advice Leave it off.

What it is How the console's processor is imitated: Dynarmic (JIT) or NCE.

If you change it Dynarmic translates instructions on the fly and works almost everywhere. NCE runs them directly and only makes sense on certain devices.

Our advice Leave the default.

What it is How strictly the processor's maths are imitated.

If you change it Auto lets Lemon choose. Stricter levels are more faithful but slower; Unsafe is faster but can break games.

Our advice Leave Auto.

What it is Fills in, automatically, parts of the console system that Lemon doesn't have.

If you change it On: it can help a game that would otherwise stop, but it can also cause crashes and instability.

Our advice Leave it off unless you are testing.

What it is A speed trick that lets the game read and write memory directly through your device's own memory system.

If you change it On: faster memory access, with some risk. It is an optimisation, not a fix.

Our advice Leave the default.

What it is Writes the log file line by line, as soon as each line is produced.

If you change it On: if the game crashes or freezes, the log is complete up to the last moment. It costs a little speed.

Our advice Turn it on when you are collecting a log for a bug report.

What it is Lets the log file grow bigger.

If you change it On: the limit goes from 100 MiB to 1 GiB, so long sessions aren't cut short. It uses more storage.

Our advice Only for long debugging sessions.

What it is A text that decides which kinds of messages are written to the log.

If you change it For example, "*:Info" records everything at the Info level. A wrong filter can leave the log empty.

Our advice Leave it unless a developer gives you a filter.

What it is Extra options passed to a homebrew program when it starts.

If you change it Only homebrew programs read them. Games ignore them.

Our advice Leave it empty.

What it is How much detail is recorded about what the graphics chip does.

If you change it From Off to All. More detail is more useful to developers, and slower.

Our advice Leave it at Standard or lower.

What it is Keeps a list of the most recent calls made to the graphics system.

If you change it It helps to find the cause of a graphics crash. It uses a bit of speed and memory.

Our advice Only for bug hunting.

What it is Saves the game's original effect programs (Maxwell shaders) to files.

If you change it For developers who study how a game draws. It fills storage quickly.

Our advice Leave it off.

What it is Saves the converted effect programs (SPIR-V) to files.

If you change it For developers. It fills storage quickly.

Our advice Leave it off.

What it is Saves the small programs the game sends to the graphics chip (Maxwell macros) to files.

If you change it For developers.

Our advice Leave it off.

What it is Keeps track of how graphics memory is reserved and released.

If you change it Helps to find memory problems. It uses some speed.

Our advice Only for bug hunting.

What it is Collects extra debugging information from the graphics driver itself.

If you change it For driver developers.

Our advice Leave it as it is.

What it is How many of the latest graphics calls are remembered (64 to 4096; the default is 512).

If you change it A bigger number remembers more history but uses more memory.

Our advice Leave the default.