If you'd prefer to avoid typing the -k flag for every command (which can be tedious), you can solve the problem at its root by placing your prod.keys file in the folder hactool expects it to be.
What are you typing into the terminal/command prompt?
This flag tells the tool, "I know you can't find the keys, and I don't care. Please stop telling me about it." It's a perfect solution for scripting or for experienced users who know their task doesn't require decryption. It doesn't fix the underlying search issue, but it stops the message from appearing, which is often the primary goal.
Here are the three main reasons this happens: hactool prodkeys does not exist top
When you run a command to dump or decrypt a game file, hactool immediately looks for a file named prod.keys (production keys) or keys.dat . If it cannot find this file in the expected directory, or if the file is improperly named, the program halts execution and throws an error stating that the keys do not exist.
Locate the dumped file on your SD card, usually found in the /switch/ folder. 2. Rename the File Correctly
You have not dumped your encryption keys from your console. If you'd prefer to avoid typing the -k
This ensures you have a complete, up-to-date set of keys that matches your console and its firmware version, resolving any missing key warnings.
mkdir ~/.switch cp /path/to/your/prod.keys ~/.switch/prod.keys
According to multiple reports from users and developers, this [WARN] is often a red herring. The keys you need may be present in the file, but hactool may not require them for the specific task you're performing. As one GBAtemp user succinctly put it, “It’s a harmless warning. Those keys exist in your prod.keys file but hactool has no use for them.” Another source confirms, “'prod.keys does not exist' warning indicates that the tool did not find the key file in the default path; it does not affect basic operations like NSO decompression.” Please stop telling me about it
This is where most users get stuck. Hactool is a command-line program. By default, it looks for the keys file in , not necessarily where the hactool executable is located.
C:\Users\YourUsername\.switch\
If your keys are valid, hactool will print a long list of keys (header_key, area_key, titlekek, etc.) to the terminal. If you see "Failed to locate key," your file is corrupt or from an old firmware.