How to Reset Your Nintendo Switch Before Selling It
The Switch 2 is finally out this week, if you were lucky enough to pre-order one . If you’re upgrading, you might want to sell your old Switch, if only to offset the higher price this time around (not to mention the impact of tariffs ). Before you put your trusty console up for sale on eBay, you’ll want to make sure you’ve given it a good cleaning.
Factory resetting any device you’re selling is a good practice, as it ensures that the buyer doesn’t have access to your accounts, payment information, or other personal information that you don’t want a stranger to have. However, there’s a bit more to a device like the Switch. If you have any saved game data, screenshots, or video clips that you want to keep, you’ll need to take care to save them.
Use the System Migration Tool for easy updates
If you’re upgrading from a Switch to a Switch 2, the System Transfer tool will walk you through the process of transferring all of your games, save files, screenshots, and clips from your old console to your new one. This is the easiest process for moving to a new console, and it’s the path that’s likely to work for most people.
There are a couple of caveats to this process, though. First, you need both consoles in hand to begin the process. If you’re planning on selling your Switch to help pay for your Switch 2, you may want to try the methods below to back up your data before you get your new console.
Secondly, the transfer tool is designed to work with a single Nintendo Account on a personal console. If you share your Switch with family or friends – and especially if they’re not part of a Switch Online Family Plan – then you may need to download or transfer some of their data manually using the processes below.
Regardless of which data transfer method you use, you will still need to reset your device to factory settings before selling it. More on that below.
Back up (or transfer) your saved game data.
Most of your data is stored locally on the Switch, which is handy for a handheld console that may not always have internet access. It’s also a bit of a pain to back up before resetting the device. To make things even more annoying, Nintendo only supports backing up your save data to the cloud if you have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription (thankfully, there are ways to get a free trial ).
If you’re already a Switch Online subscriber, you’re (mostly) good to go. Cloud saves are automatically enabled for all games that support them. You can double-check whether a particular game supports cloud saves and data backup by highlighting the game on the main screen, pressing the + button, and selecting Save Data to Cloud. Select the user whose data you want to save, and you’ll see when it was last backed up.
But what about those who don’t have a Switch Online membership? Well, you still have the option, it’s just not cloud-related. Go to System Preferences from the home screen and scroll down to Data Management. Here, you can select Transfer Saved Data.
This option will only work if your old and new consoles are in the same place, so if you’re upgrading, you’re better off just using the System Transfer tool mentioned above. However, for profiles other than the primary account owner, this can be a useful tool to make sure no one loses their saves.
Share or store your screenshots and clips
If you want to save the copious amounts of screenshots and 30-second video clips you’ve accumulated on Switch over the years, you have a few options. The System Transfer tool will transfer them to your new console, but you can also manually decide where and how to back them up.
Head to System Preferences and scroll down to Data Management. Here, select Screenshot and Video Management and you’ll find a few useful options. The first is changing where screenshots and videos are saved – if you have a microSD card, I recommend changing it to the default save location. The Switch 2 has 256GB of internal storage, while the original Switch only had a meager 32GB (or 64GB for the OLED model). Save that space for your games and put extra media on the card.
If you’ve done this before, your job here may already be done. You can choose to transfer screenshots and videos from system memory to the microSD card from this menu, either all at once or by selecting just the ones you want.
Finally, you can connect your Switch to your computer and transfer data via USB. This is a convenient way to offload media if you don’t have a microSD card. Once you’ve moved your media somewhere other than the Switch’s internal storage, you’re finally ready to reset.
Reset Switch to Factory Defaults
Once you’ve verified that all of your data is backed up and safely stored outside of the console, you can reset your console to factory settings. Note: If you haven’t used the System Transfer tool, you’ll need to ensure that all of your data is safely backed up. Thoroughness is a virtue here.
When you’re ready, go to System Preferences and scroll all the way down to find System. Then scroll all the way down to Formatting Options. Then, you guessed it, scroll all the way down to Initialize Console. Nintendo really doesn’t want you to press this button by accident, and even after you hide it, you’ll see a little icon with an exclamation point inside a diamond, so you know it’s important.
If you select this option, you will have to go through a few more warnings asking if you are sure you are ready to erase everything in the system memory. Double check that you have everything you need, and plug the system into a power outlet while you do this and confirm that you are ready to go. The process will take a few minutes, and when it is finished, it should restart as if it were brand new.
Don’t forget to bring cartridges and microSD cards!
After all that work backing up your data, it would be a shame to sell your console with a game cartridge or microSD card still holding all your data. Luckily, now that you’ve read this, you won’t forget. Right? Good, good.
If you have a cartridge in the slot, make sure the game is closed and you’ve returned to the home screen before removing it. Nintendo recommends doing this to ensure you don’t accidentally corrupt any saved data or cause other problems.
The microSD card is easier to miss because it’s hidden under the kickstand on most Switch models. Lift the kickstand, gently press the card, and it should pop out. Double-check that nothing is using the card when you do this. This could include any games that were installed on the card, or if you’re viewing any clips saved on it. If you’re unsure, the safest option is to turn off the console completely.
Once you’ve completed all of these steps, you’re ready to give away or sell your old console. If you backed up your data before getting a new console, be sure to keep your microSD card in a safe place and keep your Switch Online subscription handy when you upgrade.