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You generally cannot transfer an ordinary game save from one user profile to another on the same Nintendo Switch. Nintendo associates save data with the user profile that created it and does not provide a supported profile-to-profile reassignment or save-merging feature. Nintendo’s Transfer Your Save Data option is for moving data between two consoles.
What happens when you use another Switch profile?
When you launch a game with a different local user, the game normally loads that user’s own save. If no save exists, it may create a new one. The original progress remains attached to the original profile rather than becoming available to the second user.
Nintendo also states that save data cannot be merged with other users. This means you cannot combine two players’ progress or turn Profile A’s save into Profile B’s save through the Switch’s standard settings.
What you can do instead
- Keep using the original profile: This is the only straightforward way to preserve and continue the existing progress on the same console.
- Start a new save: The second user can begin separately if the game supports individual saves.
- Move the original user to another Switch: Use Nintendo’s console-to-console transfer process if the real goal is changing hardware.
- Use the game’s own transfer system: Some games have special rules or publisher-provided tools.
How Nintendo’s save transfer actually works
Nintendo’s standard transfer moves selected save data from one Switch-family console to another. It does not move data between two profiles on a single console, copy a save while keeping the original, or merge users.
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- Have both consoles available and connected to the internet.
- Update both consoles to the latest system version.
- On each console, open System Settings → Data Management → Transfer Your Save Data.
- Follow the prompts to identify the source and target consoles.
- Select the relevant game and save data when prompted.
The corresponding user must be linked to the same Nintendo Account on both consoles. Nintendo’s documented process moves the save and deletes it from the source console; it is not a backup or duplication method. The referenced regional instructions also describe transferring one save-data item at a time. Nintendo’s Americas documentation lists system menu version 4.0.0 as a historical minimum for the user-transfer process, but current instructions emphasize updating both systems.
See Nintendo’s official transfer instructions before starting, particularly if the target console already has a user linked to the relevant Nintendo Account.
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Does Nintendo Switch Online transfer saves between profiles?
No. Save Data Cloud is tied to a user and Nintendo Account. It can help the same user back up or access supported saves on another console, but it cannot convert Profile A’s backup into Profile B’s save, merge two users, or duplicate progress into independent profiles.
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For supported games, you can access the feature from the game icon by pressing + or −, selecting Save Data Cloud, choosing the user, and selecting Download Save Data. You can also use System Settings → Data Management → Save Data Cloud. Downloading a backup replaces the existing save for that user and game, and the overwritten data cannot be recovered through that operation. Nintendo Switch Online membership is required, and not every game supports cloud saves. See Nintendo’s Save Data Cloud instructions.
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Games with shared or unusual save systems
Not every game stores progress separately for each user. Nintendo identifies titles including 1-2-Switch and Animal Crossing: New Horizons as examples whose save data is not stored on a per-user basis.
A shared save is not the same as transferring one player’s save to another profile. The game may instead use a console-wide save, island representative, resident, or another controlling entity. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has dedicated island and resident transfer procedures, so do not use the ordinary user-save workflow for it. Check the game’s title-specific Nintendo support instructions first. The same caution applies to Pokémon, Zelda, Mario, and any other game with special account, server, or publisher-managed progression.
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- Three play modes: TV, tabletop, and handheld
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What not to do
- Do not delete the original user hoping the save will move automatically. Nintendo does not document deletion as a transfer method, and it can make progress inaccessible or cause data loss depending on the operation and game.
- Do not overwrite the only copy with a cloud download or a new save before confirming what will be replaced.
- Do not rely on a game card or microSD card. Save data is handled separately from screenshots and videos. A microSD card’s
Nintendo/Albumfolder can be used for screenshots and videos, not for supported profile-to-profile save transfers. - Do not treat unofficial save editors, homebrew utilities, or account manipulation as normal solutions. They are unsupported and may cause corruption, lost progress, online-service restrictions, terms-of-service issues, or update incompatibilities.
Important distinction: user, account, save, and purchases
A local Switch user profile is the identity selected when launching a game. A Nintendo Account may be linked to that profile. Save data belongs to the game’s user or, in some titles, to the console or a game-specific system. Digital purchases are associated with the purchasing Nintendo Account. Changing account associations or linking the old account to another local user is not documented by Nintendo as a way to reassign an existing save.
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- One player can use a Joy-Con in each hand
- Two players can each take one
- Multiple Joy-Con can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options (additional Joy-Con sold separately)
- Slip a set of Joy-Con into a Joy-Con grip accessory, mirroring a more traditional controller. Or, select an optional Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
Quick decision guide
| Your situation | Best-supported option |
|---|---|
| Two profiles on one Switch | Keep the save on its original profile or start a new save on the other profile. |
| The same user is moving to another Switch | Use Transfer Your Save Data between the consoles. |
| You want the same user’s progress protected or available elsewhere | Use Save Data Cloud where the game supports it, understanding its overwrite behavior. |
| The game uses an island or console-wide save | Follow that game’s dedicated transfer instructions. |
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