On the original Nintendo Switch edition of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, start the game with a different Switch user profile to begin a separate playthrough. Save data is generally stored separately for each user, so your main profile’s progress stays separate. On the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Nintendo documents a second manual-save file for starting another adventure under the same user.
Choose the right method for your edition
| Your situation | What to do | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Original Switch edition; another playthrough on the same console | Launch the game with a different Switch user profile. | Do not launch it as your main user if you need to keep that profile’s progress untouched. |
| Switch 2 Edition; another playthrough under the same user | Use the second manual-save file described for that edition. | Nintendo says this second Switch 2 Edition save cannot be transferred to the original Switch edition. |
| Move progress to another console | Use Nintendo’s save-data transfer or Save Data Cloud as appropriate. | Transfer moves a save; cloud download replaces the console’s save. Neither is a second independent local slot. |
Start a separate save on the original Switch edition
- Return to the HOME Menu. Check which edition of the game you have; the documented second manual-save-file feature applies to the Switch 2 Edition, not the original Switch edition.
- Select a different user profile. If you do not have one, create an additional user in the console’s system settings. The exact profile-creation labels may vary slightly by system software version and region.
- Launch Tears of the Kingdom as that user. Check the user icon on the game’s launch screen before continuing. Switch save data is associated with the console user, not the game card.
- Begin the new adventure. Keep using the new profile for this playthrough; launching as your main user would use that user’s save.
Nintendo’s support guidance describes save data as stored separately for each user, with exceptions for some software. Its retrieved exceptions do not name Tears of the Kingdom. See Nintendo’s save-data guidance.
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Use the second manual-save file on Switch 2 Edition
Nintendo’s Switch 2 Edition feature page describes two save files, allowing a player to begin a new adventure or continue the previous one with existing save data. Its wording is in Spanish: “Con dos archivos de guardado, podrás comenzar una nueva aventura o continuar la anterior con tus datos de guardado existentes.” The English rendering is: “With two save files, you can start a new adventure or continue the previous one with your existing save data.” This option is specific to the Switch 2 Edition; do not assume it is available in the original Switch edition. Nintendo also says the second Switch 2 Edition save cannot be transferred to the original Switch edition.
Why cloud saves and transfers are not extra save slots
Save Data Cloud
Nintendo Switch Online is required to use Save Data Cloud. Downloading a cloud backup replaces the existing save data on the console for that game, and Nintendo warns that overwritten data cannot be recovered. Nintendo says each game has one cloud backup file, so cloud storage is not a safe way to create a second save slot. Follow Nintendo’s cloud-download instructions carefully before selecting a save.
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Transfer between consoles
Nintendo supports nearby save-data transfer without Nintendo Switch Online, but it moves the save from the source console to the target rather than making a local duplicate. Nintendo’s guidance also says save data cannot be stored or moved using a microSD card, and cannot be copied on the same console. See Nintendo’s transfer instructions and Nintendo’s data-management guidance.
If you play on more than one console, check the cloud state before switching systems. Nintendo warns that playing on a second console before downloading the latest cloud backup can leave divergent saves. Choosing which version to overwrite can permanently discard the other progress.
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