How to jailbreak a TI-84 Plus CE, on every OS from 5.5 to 5.8.5

Which jailbreak fits your OS?

Press 2ND then + to open the MEMORY menu, then 1 for About. The OS version is the number just under the calculator’s name, something like 5.8.4. Press CLEAR to leave.

These are the same steps as the CiNotes setup guide. We sell a notes program written in C, so every customer on 5.5 or newer goes through this, and we keep the steps current.

What “jailbreak” means on a TI-84 Plus CE

Starting with OS 5.5 in 2020, TI blocked most games and programs. They just show ERR:INVALID. TI also blocks going back to an older OS once you’ve updated.

The community answer is arTIfiCE, by YvanTT. It unlocks the calculator once and installs AsmHook2, a small app by RoccoLox Programs (built on jacobly0’s original ASMHOOK). Once AsmHook2 is on, games and programs open straight from PRGM like any other program.

It’s called a jailbreak, but it doesn’t replace or modify TI’s OS. You undo it by deleting the AsmHook2 app.

TI has patched it twice. OS 5.8.3 (2025) blocked the original arTIfiCE, and arTIfiCE v2 came out that August. OS 5.8.5 (April 2026) blocked v2, and arTIfiCE v3 followed on September 21, 2026. That’s why the right version depends on your OS.

OS 5.5 up to 5.8.4: arTIfiCE v2.1 and AsmHook2

This takes about three minutes and doesn’t erase anything. It’s the same as Step 2A of our setup guide, which we checked in an emulator on OS 5.5.5, 5.6.0, 5.7.0 and 5.8.0 to 5.8.4.

1. On your computer, download two files. From yvantt.github.io/arTIfiCE, get version 2.1: arTIfiCE_v2.1.8xp. (Version 3 on the same page is only for OS 5.8.5.) From github.com/RoccoLoxPrograms/AsmHook2, get AsmHook2.8xp.
2. Plug the calculator into your computer with its USB cable and open TI Connect CE.
3. Drag both files into the Calculator Explorer window to send them. On a Chromebook, if AsmHook2.8xp won’t send, use AsmHook2_unprot.8xp from the same page instead.
4. On the calculator, press PRGM. If it asks, choose TI-Basic. Pick the first program in the list, named A, and press ENTER. That puts prgmA on the home screen. Press ENTER again to run it.
5. arTIfiCE opens a small program list. Highlight ASMHOOK2 and press ENTER. The screen says AsmHook2 app installed. Press ENTER. When it asks Delete AsmHook2 installer?, press CLEAR to keep it, then MODE to leave arTIfiCE.
6. Press APPS, open AsmHook2, and wait for Installation successful!. Press CLEAR to get back to the home screen.

That’s it. From now on, games and programs open from PRGM.

Only ran prgmA before? arTIfiCE’s own page stops at running prgmA, which works but means going through its list every time. To skip that, send just AsmHook2.8xp, then do steps 4 to 6.

On 5.8.5? This version of arTIfiCE doesn’t work there. Running prgmA just shows ERR:INVALID. Use arTIfiCE v3 instead.

OS 5.8.5: arTIfiCE v3

OS 5.8.5 blocks arTIfiCE 2.1. Version 3 works on it by using TI’s free Inequality Graphing app (Inequalz) to install the same AsmHook2 app. It takes about five minutes. These steps match Step 2B of our setup guide.

This setup resets the calculator’s RAM. Anything that’s only in RAM gets erased: unarchived programs, lists, matrices, and saved settings. Files in Archive memory are safe. If you have programs you want to keep, archive them first (2ND +, then 5 for Archive) or back them up with TI Connect CE.

1. Press APPS and look for Inequalz. Most calculators already have it. If yours doesn’t, download the free Inequality Graphing app from TI and send it with TI Connect CE.
2. On your computer, open yvantt.github.io/arTIfiCE, download version 3 (arTIfiCE_v3_CE.zip), and unzip it. Inside are two files: arTIfiCE.8xp and INEQUVAR.8xv. If an old INEQUVAR is already on the calculator, delete it first.
3. Reset the RAM: press 2ND +, then 7 (Reset), 1 (All RAM), 2 (Reset). The screen says RAM Cleared. Don’t skip this. The setup only works on freshly cleared RAM.
4. Open TI Connect CE and send only arTIfiCE.8xp. Leave INEQUVAR.8xv for later. (No TI Connect CE, like on a Chromebook? The arTIfiCE page also lists WebTILP, which runs in Chrome. See Chromebook transfers.)
5. On the calculator, press APPS, open Inequalz, and press any key to get past its title screen. Stay on the Y= screen it shows.
6. Now send INEQUVAR.8xv. The calculator installs AsmHook2 and restarts by itself. If the screen stays dark, press ON.
7. Press APPS, open AsmHook2, and wait for Installation successful!. Press CLEAR to get back to the home screen.

Didn’t work? Do the RAM reset again and repeat from step 4. The setup is picky about the order. If Inequalz ever says CONFLICTING APPS, choose option 2, then open AsmHook2 again.

Looking for artifice.8xv?

arTIfiCE.8xv is the original arTIfiCE, versions 1.0 to 1.2. It’s an AppVar you opened through the Cabri Jr. app, and lots of old tutorials and game collections still pass it around. OS 5.8.3 blocked it, and its author now points everyone to the newer versions:

• OS 5.8.4 or older: use arTIfiCE_v2.1.8xp, an ordinary program you run from PRGM. No Cabri Jr. needed. Steps above.
• OS 5.8.5: use arTIfiCE v3. Steps above.

What AsmHook2 does, and the one thing to remember

AsmHook2 is what lets games and programs open from the normal PRGM menu. The app itself stays installed through restarts and RAM resets. The hook it switches on doesn’t: it lasts until the next RAM clear.

After any RAM reset, press APPS and open AsmHook2 once more. Until you do, games and programs show ERR:INVALID. No computer is needed, and turning the calculator off and on doesn’t affect it. On 5.5 up to 5.8.4, running prgmA also still works.

A RAM reset also erases programs that sit in RAM. Keep the programs you care about in Archive memory, which a RAM clear doesn’t touch.

Still getting ERR:INVALID?

ERR:INVALID when you start a game or program usually means the calculator is blocking it. Nothing is wrong with the program itself.

• AsmHook2 is in APPS: the RAM was probably cleared. Open AsmHook2 once and try again.
• AsmHook2 isn’t in APPS: the setup isn’t done. Check your OS and follow v2.1 or v3.
• You get ERR:INVALID running prgmA itself: you’re on 5.8.5. Use arTIfiCE v3.
• “Need LibLoad” or “ERROR: Missing Library”: that’s a different problem. Most games and apps need the free CE libraries (clibs.8xg), and they’re missing or only partly sent. Get them from github.com/CE-Programming/libraries. On a Chromebook, use clibs_separately_in_zip.zip, since group files don’t always arrive whole there.

The CiNotes guide has a full troubleshooting list.

TI-84 Plus CE Python and CE-T Python Edition

arTIfiCE and AsmHook2 support the TI-84 Plus CE Python, the TI-84 Plus CE-T Python Edition, and the TI-83 Premium CE, as well as the plain TI-84 Plus CE. The steps are identical. The only difference is that PRGM first asks whether you want TI-Basic or Python. Choose TI-Basic.

Every TI-84 Plus CE Python and CE-T Python Edition shipped with OS 5.5 or newer, so they all need this. If you want notes on one, see notes on a TI-84 Plus CE Python.

OS 5.0 to 5.4: no jailbreak needed

On 5.3 or 5.4, games and programs run straight from PRGM. arTIfiCE isn’t needed.

On 5.0 to 5.2 (the earliest TI-84 Plus CEs, if they were never updated), programs run without any jailbreak, but only through the Asm( command and not from Archive. Unarchive the program once (2ND +, 6 for UnArchive). Then press 2ND 0 for the catalog, choose Asm(, press PRGM, pick the program, and press ENTER twice.

Don’t update just to get a newer OS. TI only offers 5.8.5 now, and you can’t go back to an older version afterwards.

Calculators no jailbreak covers

• TI-84 Evo (or an OS that starts with 7): it can’t run these programs, and there’s no workaround.
• Black-and-white TI-84 Plus, TI-84 Plus Silver Edition, and TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition: these aren’t CE models, so arTIfiCE and AsmHook2 don’t apply to them. CiNotes doesn’t run on them either.

Is it safe, and how do you undo it?

arTIfiCE doesn’t touch the OS. It runs one setup program, and the result is an app you can delete. arTIfiCE’s author says it “most probably” doesn’t void the warranty, but can’t promise it. If a program you run later crashes the calculator, a RAM reset usually brings it back.

To remove it, press 2ND +, choose Mem Management, then Apps, and delete AsmHook2. If the program A or the ASMHOOK2 installer program is still listed under programs, you can delete those too. Then reset the RAM.

What to put on it next

People jailbreak for games and for shells like Cesium. If you’re a student, the jailbreak is also what lets you keep real notes on the calculator.

CiNotes turns your PDFs, study guides, question banks, or typed notes into a searchable notes program for the TI-84 Plus CE and the CE Python Edition. Type one word and it searches every note at once. Figures and diagrams come through as pictures. Everything is stored in Archive memory, so a RAM clear doesn’t erase it.

• Typed notes up to 300 words: free.
• PDFs: $3 for up to 10 pages, then 10¢ a page up to page 50, then 5¢ a page. Full pricing.
• Delivery: one ZIP by email with everything the calculator needs, including the C libraries. On Chrome or Edge, a Send to calculator button (beta) can send it without TI Connect CE.

Common questions

Related: how to put notes on a TI-84 Plus CE, sending files from a Chromebook, and notes programs compared.