You have just opened your brand new Nintendo Switch OLED and are ready to transfer your account. But wait a second – how do you do that, exactly? Here is our step-by-step guide to transferring your user and saving data to a new Nintendo Switch OLED.
1. First of all
So to get started, let’s answer some frequently asked questions.
If I transfer my account, will I lose my games? No. Games purchased digitally from the Nintendo e-Shop are linked to your account. Transferring your account to another console will take all your games with it.
What about all my backups? Don’t worry, your backups are also linked to your account. They will be transferred with your games. Once your account is on the new Switch hardware, all you need to do is reinstall your favorite games. You can pick them up where you left off.
2. Prepare your old Switch hardware for transfer
While you will need to have both the old and the new Switch console, the first thing you need to do is prepare your existing Switch hardware for the transfer. From the Home menu, go to Settings, then Users. Scroll down the page and select Transfer your user data.
You will then want to click Next and then click Next again. Since we are moving the data out of this switch and to a new one, we want to select the source console. The Switch will now tell you that your data will be transferred from this hardware, and can now be put aside for the time being.
3. Prepare your new OLED Switch for transfer
Repeat the same steps described above. Home> Settings> Users> Transfer your data. Tap Next, and then tap Next again. This time, because the OLED Switch will receive all your users and save the data, we will select the target console.
You will then need to sign in to your Nintendo Account using your Nintendo Account email address or Login ID. Once logged in, click Next. Place your new Nintendo Switch OLED near the old one.
4. Return to the old Switch
On your old Switch, wait for the target system to be found and identified. Once it does, your system will emit a small chime. Tap Transfer to begin the process. All you have to do is wait for it to finish. Once done, press Finish to finalize.
5. Here we go
Your Nintendo Account will now appear on your new Nintendo Switch OLED hardware. If yours was the only user account on the old Switch hardware, a temporary or dummy account will be created in its place. You can now reset the old Switch to factory settings or create a new account if you plan to keep it. If you intend to transfer a microSD card from the old system to the new one, your Nintendo Switch OLED will ask you to format it before you can use it. Say yes, and you are on your way.
And that’s all ! You can reinstall your games from the Nintendo e-Shop and all your saves will be downloaded automatically from the cloud. Good game.
