In addition to your valuable game save data, the Nintendo Switch is crammed full of your favorite images and compelling gameplay clips. Even if you’re not planning on upgrading to the new Switch OLED, if you are, or if you’re simply switching consoles, you’ll need to move all of this info across. It can be done in a variety of ways.
To transfer screengrabs, you’ll need a second MicroSD card, which can be purchased from the store. If you pay for Nintendo Switch Online, things will be significantly different (in a positive manner). All the specifics are laid out here so you may follow the procedure that is most relevant to you. Switch data may be transferred using these instructions.
Data and User Profiles can be transferred via a variety of methods.
It’s imperative that you use the user profile you generated when setting up your Switch if you want to protect your most important data. Every time you start a game, you create a new profile with a name and an avatar. When you buy a new console, all of the data connected with the old one must be transferred over.
It is possible to achieve this in two ways, and one of them is expensive. As a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber, this process is far less cumbersome.
For those who already have a Nintendo Switch Online account, this method is for you.
As soon as you sign up for Nintendo Switch Online, your games will be configured to automatically back up data to the cloud. It’s possible to manually back up data by going to Settings > Data Management > Save Data Cloud.
Log in to your Nintendo account on your new Switch. Switch owners may either do this as part of the initial setup process or by selecting an existing profile and then selecting “Link Nintendo Account” upon logging in. Go to the aforementioned settings page and select the game you want to manually download save data for. If you want to redownload your games, go to the Nintendo eShop, touch on your profile image in the top right, and select Redownload.
If you intend to maintain both of your Switches, you can continue to play games on both of them. Ensure, however, that the Automatic Save-Data Download option is turned on under Settings > Data Management > Save Data Cloud > Settings. So, no matter which switches is being used, your save file will always have the most recent data, allowing you to continue playing where you left off on any of your consoles.
After transferring, you’ll need to deregister your previous console from your home Wi-Fi network if you wish to share a game you own on it with another family member. We’ll go into more detail on how to do this further down.
For Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it’s worth mentioning that moving your island from one Nintendo Switch to another requires a unique method. The instructions are available here. As a result, titles like Splatoon 2 and Pokémon Sword and Shield will not carry over if developers opt to disable cloud game save synchronization. With the instructions below, you can manually move them if necessary.
If You Don’t Have Online Access to Your Nintendo Switch, Use Method 2
Nintendo Switch Online isn’t required to transmit data, although the process is a little more cumbersome. You’ll need two Switches, an internet connection, and a Nintendo account to play. In order to transfer your data, you must have the desired profile logged in to your Nintendo Account on the Switch you plan to use as a data source.
Don’t log in to your Nintendo Account on the system you plan to transfer data to. It will not be possible to integrate your Nintendo account with a new Switch profile if you have already linked the two, so please wait until prompted to check-in.
As soon as you’ve completed the above procedures, you’re ready to begin transferring data between the source Switch and the destination Switch:
From the home screen, choose System Settings.
From the left-hand menu, choose Users.
Click “Save Data” and then “Transfer Your User.”
Select Next.
At this point, each console’s process will be different. Using the old Nintendo Switch, choose the Source console, and then press the Continue button. Select the Target console option on the new Switch. A Nintendo account linked to the desired profile will appear, and you may access it from there.
Click Continue on the source console once you’ve logged into the target console. Depending on the amount of data you need to transmit, the procedure will take anything from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Your data will no longer be accessible via the source console after this point, which is a bummer. Except for Nintendo Switch Online, you can only have data on one system at a time, so be sure you’re ready to move before making a purchase.
A Switch may have numerous accounts, and each profile does not have to be linked to a Nintendo account. It is, however, necessary to repeat this step for each Nintendo account if you plan on moving them to a new console.
The method also does not truly transfer your games, as it did previously. Redownloading each title will still need you to visit the eshop and click on your profile to access the Redownload option.
Set Your New Switch to be the Main Console.
When all of your games and save data have been transferred, you may opt to deregister your original Switch as the primary console for your account. There can only be one primary console per account, and that console has access to features that other consoles on the account do not. While offline, the primary console can play the games you’ve purchased, and other people’s profiles on that Switch can play the games you’ve purchased. As many accounts as you like can use the same Switch as their primary console, but each account can only have one primary.
You can play games you’ve purchased even if your Switch isn’t the primary console for your account if you keep an active internet connection when using a Switch that isn’t the primary console for your account. Unless the owner has acquired the games themselves, other Switch profiles can’t play them.
Follow these procedures to switch which Switch is your primary console:
Launch the eShop from the home screen of your Switch if you intend to deactivate your account there.
In the upper-right area of the screen, click on the profile symbol.
The Primary Console portion is located on the right side of the screen.
Select Deregister from the drop-down menu.
Your new primary console will be the next Switch you use to open the eShop. Only one console may be the main at a time, but you can switch between them as much as you choose.
How to Move Screenshots and Videos Between Devices
While the following methods move your data, they do not transfer any screenshots or recordings you’ve made. MicroSD cards are required if you wish to transfer these files to your new Nintendo Switch, but they aren’t essential. Since the original console only had 32 GB of storage, you may already have one on your Switch.
Take the following procedures after inserting a MicroSD card:
From the home screen, choose System Settings.
Data Management is the option.
Select Manage Saved Data/Screenshots and Videos from the drop-down menu.
Choose Manage Screenshots and Videos.
All of your screenshots and videos will be saved to your MicroSD card if you choose to do so from this page. The SD card may then be removed from the old Switch and inserted into the new one after the files have been transferred across. Take this moment to insert the card into a computer and save or move your files so that you may keep them for a long time without losing them.
Your previous console’s data should have been successfully migrated. If you’re thinking of parting with your old Switch, you might want to wipe it clean first before deciding whether or not to part with it.
