As soon as you got your hands on your new Nintendo Switch , your first concern was to learn how to use it and, above all, to start playing and become familiar with the controls and functions of the games in your possession. Before now, therefore, you had not really asked yourself the problem of how to carry out other slightly more technical operations related to the use and maintenance of the console, but you have decided to fix it.
The fact is that, following small problems you are experiencing on the console, you would like to reset the console but you are not sure how to proceed. That’s the way it is, right? Then let me tell you how to reset Nintendo Switch . I assure you that this is not anything particularly complex.
It’s true: unlike the consoles of a few years ago, on the Switch it is not enough to press the Power button to reset the system (with that you only get a suspension of the screen) and the options to restore the console to the factory state are a bit hidden, but fear not: both rebooting and completely resetting the device are two very simple operations. Read on to learn more.
Index
- How to reset a Nintendo Switch
- How to reset Nintendo Switch
- How to reset Nintendo Switch controllers
How to reset a Nintendo Switch
Let’s start with the simplest thing, the Switch reset intended as a simple restart of the console . I start immediately with a reassurance: Switch and Switch Lite have the same procedures. The two consoles, in fact, have the same system software and, therefore, the steps that I will describe below are fine even if you want to know how to reset Nintendo Switch Lite .
Just like shutting down , the Nintendo Switch’s reboot function takes place via the POWER menu , which you can access by simply holding down the Power button for three seconds . This button is located on the top of the console.
By doing so, a menu is shown on the Nintendo Switch screen where you must select the Shutdown Options item and then the Restart option , placed in the first place.
Remember not to be alarmed if after a few seconds, 10 to be exact, in the POWER menu you see the console switch off. This is normal behavior due to the Nintendo Switch automatically entering sleep mode. To turn the screen back on, just press the Power button again. Otherwise, to exit the shutdown and restart menu, you can press the physical button B or the HOME button .
In the event of a reboot, after a short wait for the power off and on times you can go back to using the Nintendo Switch. Restarting any game or menu left open in the backgroud is closed, so always remember to save your progress or finish what you were doing.
How to reset Nintendo Switch
Have you finally figured out how to restart your Nintendo Switch, but what you would also like to understand is how to reset the Nintendo Switch , that is, how to bring the console to the initial configuration by deleting any data or changes made? No problem, I’ll explain how to do it (even in this case, the instructions apply to both Switch and Switch Lite )
I tell you right away that this type of operation is recommended only in certain circumstances, first of all the one in which there are problems with the system software or with the general use of the console . Another case in which the reset can be useful is when you have to give the console to other people (for example when you sell it), so you prefer to delete all traces of your use, including accounts and login and payment data.
Having ascertained therefore that restoring Nintendo Switch means deleting everything (or almost) stored in the system, I would like to specify that Nintendo also allows you to restore everything while maintaining the game saves .
In this guide I will explain the different ways to restore Nintendo Switch, even keeping the saves, so as not to be penalized if you have not subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online subscription. In fact, I remind you that by subscribing to the service in question you can not only play Nintendo Switch online , but you also have a space on the Nintendo cloud to make a backup of your saves.
When you reset your console without deleting save data, your personal information, videos and images, including those saved on the microSD card , are also not removed . Therefore, only the software installed and downloaded will be removed.
To be precise, in the case of restoration while keeping or not saving the data, the data such as images and videos saved on the microSD are not deleted. In addition, if you have linked a Nintendo Account and do not de-register as the primary console before continuing with the reset, the console will remain linked with your account, which will not be usable on other Nintendo Switches.
If you want to remove the pairing as your primary Nintendo Switch, go to the Home screen and follow this path: Nintendo eShop> [Nintendo account name to be removed]> [user icon above]> Unregister> Unregister . If you have set a password , enter it and confirm. Repeat this step for all linked Nintendo Accounts and that’s it.
The Nintendo Switch recovery procedure, keeping or not the saved data, can be started in two ways: the first by pressing the Power , [+] and [-] volume keys at the same time , the other via the Settings menu . There are no huge differences between the two methods, so I’ll immediately explain how to access the recovery menu with both, after which the procedure is practically the same.
To reset the Nintendo Switch by pressing the upper physical keys, you must first completely turn off the console from the POWER menu (as in the case of the restart that I have already explained to you ), but choosing the Shut down option from the menu.
With the Nintendo Switch completely turned off, press the Power + [+] [-] key combination and hold it down until the console turns on again showing the Recovery Mode menu .
The other way to access the factory data reset (or factory reset) mode is to access the Settings menu by tapping on its icon with the gear located in the HOME menu, then scroll through the list of options on the left all the way down, until you select the System item , then go to the end of the right menu and select the Format options option . In this menu, the option to choose is again the last one.
Following either method you now have the choice between the options Restore factory settings while retaining the save data or Restore factory settings . To continue with the restore while keeping the saves, tap on the Next button and then on the red one Restore the initial settings while keeping the save data , then wait for the procedure to finish.
For the total reset, continue by tapping the Continue button three times in a row and make a last tap on the red button Restore the initial settings , and then wait for the reset to finish.
I must point out that if you set a parental control , you will be prompted to enter the PIN to proceed.
You have thus successfully reset your Nintendo Switch. At the end of the procedure, all you have to do is reconfigure the console with the initial settings, exactly as when you started it for the first time, including the procedure of creating a new account (or configuring one created previously).
How to reset Nintendo Switch controllers
In case of problems with the Joy-Con of your Nintendo Switch it may be useful to know how to reset Nintendo Switch controllers . This procedure is suitable for solving, for example, charging or synchronization problems.
If the Joy-Cons do not turn on, their charge indicator is not displayed correctly, or their battery does not last long even after charging for at least three and a half hours, you can try to reset them by following the directions below.
Disconnect the controllers from the console and reset them by pressing the SYNC button located on the interlocking side in the center. In the meantime, completely unplug the Switch’s power supply from the power outlet and the console, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. Now connect the Joy-Con to your Nintendo Switch and attach the charging cable as well. Let the console charge for at least 15 to 30 minutes before pressing the Power button to turn it back on.
With the console back on, check that the Joy-Con are correctly recognized and are charging. You can do this by tapping on their icon from the HOME menu. If you have any doubts about the correct procedure to follow to recharge the Nintendo Switch controllers, try to take a look at my advice on this so as to be sure to follow the correct procedure.
If, on the other hand, you need to synchronize the Joy-Con , for example in the case of purchasing new controllers or to use them to play with another Nintendo Switch (the Joy-Con can also be synchronized to a Nintendo Switch Lite), the procedure of synchronization reset is as follows.
Starting from the Nintendo Switch HOME menu , tap the Settings button and, in the new menu opened, press the Controller and Sensors item . Here, tap on the Disconnect controller item , then press the X button on the right Joy-Con and tap the OK button in the center.
Then proceed by physically disconnecting the controllers from the Nintendo Switch, then hold down the Power button on the console and, from the Shutdown menu, choose the Shut Down option . Now you just have to reconnect the Joy-Con and press the power button to turn your Nintendo Switch back on.
If the procedure is successful, the console will detect the connected Joy-Con. As a confirmation it may be useful to reconnect and connect them again while Nintendo Switch is on. If you hear the “clack” from the speakers and see the animations on the sides of the Joy-Con, they should be connected.
And if you are having difficulty synchronizing the Joy-Con to play Nintendo Switch for two, I invite you to follow my guide with step-by-step explanations on how to play Nintendo Switch for two .
