customName.txt — Set a custom in-game name on Switch

2 min read · Optional feature · 30-second setup

By default, the secretchat.tel Switch loader uses your Nintendo account display name in-game. If you want to override that with something different (hide your main, use a cooler tag, etc), drop a customName.txt on your SD card.

How to use it (3 steps)

Create a new file called customName.txt at the root of your SD card
Open it in a text editor and type your desired name on a single line
Re-insert SD into Switch, launch the loader — you'll appear under that name

Example

SD card /
├── hbmenu.nro
├── License.txt          ← your purchased key
└── customName.txt       ← display name (e.g. "Sh4d0w")

Name constraints

Field	Spec
Max length	10 characters (matches Apex display name limit)
Character set	Alphanumeric + (-_.) — avoid emoji / CJK (poor compatibility)
Encoding	UTF-8 (no BOM) — be careful with Windows Notepad defaults
Line endings	None or one (LF / CRLF both OK)
Whitespace	Leading/trailing trimmed; middle spaces ignored by some game versions

Common issues

"Name doesn't apply"

Confirm customName.txt is at the SD root, not inside a folder
Filename spelling matches exactly (Switch is case-insensitive but be precise)
No extra blank lines or trailing whitespace at the end
Saved as UTF-8 (no BOM) — Windows Notepad defaults to UTF-16 in some versions which breaks compatibility

"Emoji shows as ??"

The in-game font doesn't include emoji glyphs. Stick to ASCII alphanumerics + (- _ .).

"CJK characters render as boxes"

Same — game font lacks those glyphs. Katakana sometimes renders, but YMMV.

Ban risk note
Changing your display name itself doesn't trigger a ban — Nintendo's telemetry doesn't monitor every name change. BUT names that obviously hint at cheating (e.g. ApexHack, Aimbot) increase the chance of being player-reported, which can lead to investigation. Pick something innocuous.

Removing it

Delete customName.txt from the SD card and the next launch reverts to your Nintendo account display name.