WiiLink Patcher 3 min read | Last updated on 01/24/2026

To install WiiLink, you will need to have a homebrewed console. If your console isn’t already homebrewed, follow the instructions here to homebrew your Wii.

Installation guide

If you have not done so already, visit the WiiLink Patcher releases page and download the correct patcher for your operating system.

Launching the patcher:

Windows:

Simply download the Windows release (onefile or zip) of your choosing, and open the exe!

macOS:

Download the macOS release for your Mac (x64 for Intel, arm64 for Apple Silicon), and extract it. Then, launch Terminal. Type in xattr -d com.apple.quarantine with a trailing space, drag the patcher app file into the terminal, and press enter. After this, you can just right click the app file and choose Open!

Linux:

Download the Linux release for your computer’s architecture and extract it. Then, open a terminal, and use cd to change to the directory you extracted the patcher to. Run chmod +x WiiLinkPatcherGUI to make the patcher executable, and ./WiiLinkPatcherGUI to run it.

On some Debian and Ubuntu based distros, the patcher may fail to launch with the following error:
qt.qpa.plugin: Could not load the Qt platform plugin "xcb" in "" even though it was found.
You can resolve this by running sudo apt install libxcb-cursor-dev.

Express Installation

• Choose Express Setup. Follow the steps below:
  1. Select your language for the channels.
  2. Select your region for the WiiConnect24 channels.
  3. Select the channels you’d like to install.
  4. Select the platform you’ll be installing WiiLink onto.

Custom Installation

• Choose Custom Setup. Follow the steps below:
  1. Select which channels you’d like to install.
  2. Select platform you’ll be installing WiiLink onto.
  3. Select the region of the console you will be installing the channels to.

Please wait a moment for the patcher to download and patch the files on your device. Once it’s done, you can choose to copy the files to your SD Card / USB Device automatically, which we recommend.

If you choose not to copy everything automatically, copy the WAD and apps folder from the WiiLink directory in your Downloads folder to the root of your SD Card or USB Device.

Congratulations! You’ve got the files you need to install WiiLink!

What’s next?
Continue to installing WADs.