The Miyoo Mini is a popular retro gaming handheld that can emulate a ton of older consoles. Those consoles include the NES, GameBoy, SNES, PlayStation, Sega Genesis, and so much more. However, while the software out of the box is excellent and can play quite a few games, there's a way to get even more out of your Miyoo Mini with OnionOS.

OnionOS is another operating system for the Miyoo Mini and it's one of the first things you should setup if you pick up one of these. It's super easy to install too, and will take only a few minutes to install once you grab it. It adds support for a ton of apps, more emulators (including a Nintendo DS emulator), and more features like Game Switcher, which lets you switch between games in seconds.

We recently picked up a Miyoo Mini+, and we had OnionOS installed in less than 10 minutes. This is how you install it!

Requirements to install OnionOS on the Miyoo Mini

Check your firmware, first

To install OnionOS on the Miyoo Mini, you'll need to make sure that you have the appropriate firmware version first. You can check this by going to Settings and scrolling down to About device.

• If you have the Miyoo Mini, make sure you're on at least firmware version 20220419****.
• If you have the Miyoo Mini+, make sure you're on at least firmware version 20230505****.

If you don't have the latest firmware on your Miyoo Mini device, then check here for the latest version.

How to install OnionOS on the Miyoo Mini+

Step 1: Download OnionOS

The first step is to download OnionOS from the team's website. You'll need to download the right version depending on if you have the regular Miyoo Mini or the Miyoo Mini+. We have the Plus, and you can download OnionOS from the box below.

Step 2: Back up your SD card and format it to FAT32

If you already use an SD card with the Miyoo Mini, we recommend backing it up just in case and then removing all of the older files. You may need to reformat the SD card if it's not already in FAT32 format, and you can use a program like Onion Desktop Tools to configure it if you need. Onion Desktop Tools can also download the files for you too, though we'll be showing you how to set everything up manually.

Formatting to FAT32 will mean that files will no longer be able to be stored over a 4GB limit. That should be fine for all of the games that the Miyoo Mini supports. It will not work if your SD card is in another format.

Step 3: Copy your files

Once your files are downloaded, you can extract the ZIP file and copy the contents over to your SD card. The folder should look exactly like the above (except for the Spotlight folder), and if you're on Mac or Linux, make sure that you also copied the .tmp_update folder. This is a folder that's hidden by default on Mac and Linux and you may not see it otherwise. This folder is incredibly important as well, as without it, OnionOS won't install.

Once copied, you can now put the micro SD card in the Miyoo Mini.

Step 4: Boot up your Miyoo Mini

At this stage, you can turn on your Miyoo Mini. If everything worked, it will start immediately installing OnionOS, which should only take a minute or two. Once finished, the device will reboot and ask you what applications to install. This includes emulators and other programs, and you can take a look at some of the emulators that OnionOS provides.

One of the best parts of OnionOS is that it comes with a Drastic emulator port. Drastic is a Nintendo DS emulator that was popularized on Android smartphones, but the Miyoo Mini also has an Arm SoC. Because of that, Drastic runs well here, too.

The Miyoo Mini with OnionOS is a significantly better product

While I've been loving using the Miyoo Mini, OnionOS makes it a significantly better product. With more programs, more emulators, and extra features, it lifts the Miyoo Mini from a great device to a fantastic one, and I highly recommend you install it when you get it. The default operating system is fine, but what OnionOS gets out of the Miyoo Mini is phenomenal.