Congratulations on your prospective purchase of your Nintendo Switch 2 ! As fun as it is to play single-player games, many of the console’s best experiences can be had with friends. But to do that, you’ll need to hook up more controllers. But in this age of wireless technology, adding a controller isn’t as easy as it seems.
Never fear, socialite! Whether it’s connecting a new Pro Controller or syncing your friend’s Joycon when they come over, we’ll cover every way to sync your controller to your console and play games without a hitch. We’ll even provide a few backup methods in case the usual method doesn’t work for some reason.
Standard connection process
Generally speaking, all controllers have the same rules when syncing with the console:
- From the console’s main menu, select the “Controllers” option (the small gray Joycon icon on the bottom row)
- Select Change Capture/Order option
- You might think that selecting the “Search for controllers” or “How to connect controllers” options would help, but they don’t. The first option helps you find controllers that are already connected, while the second is just an information screen.
- While on the Change Capture/Order screen, press the L and R buttons on your controller.
- Wait for the controller to appear on the screen, then press L and R again to confirm the connection.
- Complete the connection process by pressing A
If you are playing in multiplayer mode, do not press the A button to confirm until all controllers have completed connecting . Otherwise, it may interrupt the connection process for some controllers.
Once synced, they usually connect by simply pressing any button while the console is on and waiting. However, there are a few alternative connection options you can do if this process doesn’t work for you.
Alternative to the sync button
If the L and R method doesn’t work as expected, you can also use the small round sync button located on the top of each controller . On the Change Grip/Order screen, press and hold the button until the green light flashes back and forth across the four squares of the sync lights.
After a while they should sync with the Switch 2 console and can be connected using the L+R method .
Another way to sync single and paired joycons
If neither the L+R method nor the sync button helps, there is a third method that is almost foolproof.
Physically connect the Joy-Cons to the Switch 2 console by placing them in the magnetic holders on the side of the device. After a while, the Joy-Cons will sync and can be removed (you will hear a sound or ringing sound).
After deleting, you can try to connect using the normal L+R method as described above.
Another way to sync Switch 2 Pro controllers
The Switch 2 Pro controller can’t physically connect to the sides of the console like the Joy-Cons, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be connected directly.
Instead, use the USB cable that came with the Pro Controller to connect it to the Switch 2 TV base . As long as the Switch 2 is in the base and turned on, it will sync the controller. After that, you can connect it in the usual way.
This will require a USB-to-USB-C cable . We highly recommend using the one that came with your controller (because not all USB cables are created equal), but any will do in a pinch.
Alternatively, you can use a USB-C to USB-C cable to connect the Pro Controller directly to the top or bottom of the Switch 2 , eliminating the need for a TV base.
