# Getting started

Welcome to CanoFlash. This guide covers device setup and ROM loading. To build an online game, start with the [SDK guide](/en/docs/sdk/getting-started).

## Quick Start

1. Sign up on the web with Google.
2. Link your dongle's serial number from the **Dongles** tab.
3. Create a repository in the **Vault** tab and add some ROMs.
4. **Power up the dongle** by pressing its button.
5. **Put the GBA into Multiboot mode** (read the section below — it's critical).
6. Leave the dongle in **Multiboot**: it detects the GBA and sends the menu automatically. Each short press advances through **Multiboot → GBA → Online → Multiboot**.
7. Game on!

## 1. Web login

Open **My panel** and click **Sign in with Google**. We only need your name, email and profile picture to identify you.

## 2. Linking the dongle

In the **Dongles** tab of the dashboard enter:

- The device **serial number**, in the format `CFX-XXXXXX`
- A friendly name to recognize it
- An optional note (color, owner, etc.)

To connect to online services, configure a **2.4 GHz** Wi-Fi network from the [GBA menu](doc:gba-menu).

## 3. Creating a repository

A *repository* is your ROM library. You can:

- **Create one from scratch** and add ROMs by URL
- **Import a Google Drive folder** that already has your games
- **Subscribe to a shared repository** using a 12-character token

## 4. Powering up the dongle

> Before powering up, read the [**Battery**](doc:battery) section to make sure you have the correct format (16340 or 18350).

The dongle **has no power switch**: it powers up by **pressing its button once**. The OLED screen lights up and it enters **Multiboot mode**, with Wi-Fi on. We explain how to turn it off further down.

Also plug the dongle's Link cable into the GBA Link port.

![Technical blueprint of the CanoFlash dongle with the power button and Link cable connector labeled](/docs/img/dongle-overview.webp?v=b9e7b268d710)

## 5. ⚠️ How to enter the GBA's Multiboot mode

> This is **the most important step**. Read it once carefully and you'll see it's actually very simple.

For the GBA to receive the CanoFlash menu, it has to boot into its **official Nintendo Multiboot mode**. The procedure is just two steps:

1. **Power on the GBA** with the dongle's Link cable already connected.
2. **Hold Select + Start** until the **Game Boy logo stays fixed** on screen — not moving, not fading. Once it's steady, you can release them.

From that moment the GBA is waiting for someone to send something through the Link cable. With the dongle in **Multiboot**, detection and menu transfer are automatic. If it displays another mode, press its button until **CanoFlash Multiboot** appears.

![GBA connected to the CanoFlash dongle showing the steady Game Boy logo, ready to receive the Multiboot transfer](/docs/img/gba-multiboot-ready.webp)

> If you release Select + Start too soon, the GBA will boot whatever cartridge is inserted (or the "Game Pak Error" screen if there's none). If that happens, just power off the GBA and try again.

This works because Multiboot mode is built into the console's BIOS. CanoFlash uses that official mechanism to load its menu into the GBA's 256 KB of RAM without needing a dedicated cartridge.

## The three dongle modes

Each **short press** advances through **Multiboot → GBA → Online → Multiboot**.
Wi-Fi stays on in all three modes. Changing mode does not disconnect the network.

### 1. Multiboot

This is the initial mode after startup. It waits for a GBA ready to receive the
menu and sends it automatically, then switches to GBA. A short press while
waiting also switches directly to GBA. If it detects an SDK game already
running, it switches directly to Online, including during Multiboot retries.

### 2. GBA

Handles menu commands. When a cartridge starts, the Link is released until the
game requests an SDK connection. Detecting that greeting or opening a session
automatically switches to Online. You can also switch to Online with the button.

### 3. Online

Waits for an SDK game to connect or handles its session. You can select it with
the button before choosing Connect in the game. The screen shows **CanoFlash
Online** while waiting and **Online game** once the session opens.

Closing a session from the game leaves the dongle in Online, ready to connect
again. Pressing the button in Online closes the session and returns to Multiboot.

## How to turn off the dongle

The dongle **has no power switch**. There are three ways to turn it off:

- **Long button press** for 3 seconds or more.
- **Automatic shutdown**: after 30 seconds without GBA or button activity, the dongle enters *deep sleep*. An SDK session with an active link prevents this shutdown. If the link disappears for 60 seconds, the session closes and a new 30-second idle window begins.
- **From the GBA main menu**: the **Power Off** option in the CanoFlash main menu asks for confirmation before sending the command to the dongle.

Shutdown also turns off the Wi-Fi radio. Press the button to wake the device. The technical recovery mode, accessed by holding the button during startup, retains its isolated operation without Wi-Fi.