The most common cause of this error is that SAK cannot find the key files because they are in the wrong folder. SAK expects the keys.dat or prod.keys to be in a specific location within its own directory.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Always dump your own encryption keys from your own hardware.
Firmware updates introduce new master keys every version. If you have keys only for version 16 and you're trying to open a version 19 game, your keys are too old. The table below shows the mapping:
: One reported fix for "missing keys" errors in the 64-bit version is to find the updates64.txt file in the SAK ZIP, copy it to the bin folder, and rename it to prod.keys . sak are the keysdat prodkeys correct 2021
| Commercial Software | Free Alternative | |---------------------|------------------| | Vegas Pro | (free version supports 4K, pro audio) | | Adobe Premiere | Shotcut , Olive (open-source) | | Autodesk Maya | Blender (industry-grade 3D suite) | | Adobe Photoshop | GIMP , Photopea (browser-based) |
is a text file containing console-unique master keys (keys unique to a specific console). Without it, SAK can't understand the encrypted data in Switch files. If you look inside a prod.keys file, you'll see lines like: master_key_11 = 03d1xxx... master_key_12 = 32ECxxx...
What is your Switch currently running (or was it when you dumped the keys)? The most common cause of this error is
Key user story
Let’s decode it:
| Firmware Version | Latest Master Key Released | | :--- | :--- | | 1.0.0 - 3.0.2 | Master Key 0 | | 4.0.0 - 4.1.0 | Master Key 1 | | 5.0.0 - 5.1.0 | Master Key 2 | | 6.0.0 - 6.2.0 | Master Key 3 | | 7.0.0 - 8.1.0 | Master Key 4 | | 9.0.0 - 9.2.0 | Master Key 5 | | 10.0.0 - 10.2.0 | Master Key 6 | | 11.0.0 | Master Key 7 | | 12.0.0 | Master Key 8 | | 13.0.0 | Master Key 9 | | 14.0.0 - 14.1.2 | Master Key 10 | | 15.0.0 | Master Key 11 | | 16.0.0 - 16.0.3 | Master Key 12 | | 17.0.0 | Master Key 13 | | 18.0.0 | Master Key 14 | | 19.0.0 | Master Key 15 | | 19.0.1 | Master Key 15 (Some applications like Lockpick may have reported needing 11 & 12) | Always dump your own encryption keys from your own hardware
In 2021, the Nintendo Switch firmware went through significant updates. Notably, firmware , and later introduced new encryption methods.
: Ensure prod.keys and keys.dat are located in the bin subfolder of your SAK directory.
Let's break down exactly what this error means, what these key files are, and, most importantly, how to fix it.
Instead of searching for sak are the keysdat prodkeys correct 2021 , invest your time in learning (for video editing) or Blender (for 3D). Both are free, powerful, and will never ask you for a .keysdat file.