To move your users, settings, and eligible saves from a Nintendo Switch to a Switch 2, start System Transfer during the Switch 2’s initial setup. Choose local communication if both consoles are available. If you upload from the old Switch to Nintendo’s server instead, the old console is initialized after upload, so do not choose that route unless you are ready for it to be erased. If Switch 2 is already set up, you can move individual saves nearby or restore supported saves from cloud backup.
Choose the transfer route that fits your situation
| Route | Best for | Key limits |
|---|---|---|
| Local System Transfer | Both consoles are available while setting up Switch 2. | Requires internet access. What happens to each save on the source depends on the user and game’s cloud-save eligibility. |
| Server System Transfer | You need to hand off the old Switch before the new console is ready. | Uploading initializes the old Switch. Retrieve the transfer by the deadline shown during setup and in Nintendo Account settings; Nintendo says the maximum retention is one year. |
| Nearby save transfer | Switch 2 is already set up, or you only want to move selected saves. | Both consoles must be nearby and online, with the same Nintendo Account linked to users on both. The save moves off the source. Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required. |
| Save Data Cloud | You need to back up or restore a supported save across consoles. | Requires Nintendo Switch Online membership and support for that game. |
Nintendo recommends local communication when both consoles are available. See Nintendo’s System Transfer instructions for the full process and region-specific guidance.
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Move users and data during Switch 2 setup
System Transfer is started during the Switch 2’s initial setup. Nintendo says local transfer can move users and settings, linked Nintendo Accounts, friends, activity data, digital software information, screenshots and videos stored in system memory, registered network devices, parental controls, Mii data, and other settings. Digital software downloads to Switch 2 after setup, so an internet connection is needed.
- Keep both consoles available and connect them to the internet.
- Start setting up Switch 2 and choose the System Transfer option when prompted.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to connect to the old Switch and select local communication.
- Review the transfer prompts, especially any warnings about saves that will be removed from the old console.
- After setup, allow digital software to download. Check that your users, content, and important game progress are present before parting with the old Switch.
What happens to saves on the old Switch
Save handling is not identical for every user or title. Nintendo says saves supported by Save Data Cloud Backup for users linked to a Nintendo Account are copied to Switch 2 during local transfer. Saves for unlinked users and saves for games that do not support cloud backup are deleted from the original Switch. Check the prompts and the individual game’s instructions before transferring if a save is valuable.
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- The next evolution of Nintendo Switch
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- GameChat** lets you voice chat, share your game screen, and connect via video chat as you play
Important exception: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has one save file shared between users, and Nintendo says it cannot be transferred through System Transfer. Nintendo’s instructions do not establish a complete list of every game-specific exception, so check a title’s support guidance before resetting, trading in, or giving away the old console.
Use server transfer only if you can accept erasing the old Switch
Server System Transfer is meant for cases where the old console will be sold, traded in, or given away before Switch 2 is available. The old Switch is initialized after it uploads the transfer, which erases its contents and returns it to factory settings. Nintendo says the uploaded transfer is held for up to one year, but the actual download deadline is shown during Switch 2 setup and in Nintendo Account settings. Record that displayed deadline and complete the download before it expires.
If you still have both consoles, local transfer avoids this early handoff problem and is Nintendo’s recommended option. Follow the choices shown in Nintendo’s System Transfer guide; the source-console consequences differ by route.
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- The next evolution of the Nintendo Switch system
- One system, three play modes: TV, Tabletop, and Handheld
- Larger, vivid, 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR and up to 120 fps
- Supports up to 4K resolution** when using a compatible game and TV connected via the included Nintendo Switch 2 dock
- Nintendo Switch 2 plays compatible physical and digital Nintendo Switch games.***
Transfer selected saves after Switch 2 is set up
For a nearby-console save transfer, both consoles need internet access and must be close to each other. The same Nintendo Account must be linked to a user on each console. A Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required for this feature.
- On both consoles, confirm that the same Nintendo Account is linked to the relevant user.
- Keep both consoles nearby and connected to the internet.
- On the console menus, open System Settings > Data Management > Transfer Your Save Data, then follow the prompts to send or receive the selected save.
- Check the game on Switch 2 after the transfer completes.
This operation moves the selected save; it is not a two-console sync. The save is removed from the source. See Nintendo’s nearby-console save transfer instructions for the exact prompts.
Restore a cloud save when the game supports it
Nintendo says the vast majority of Switch and Switch 2 games support Save Data Cloud Backup for Nintendo Switch Online members, but support is title-specific. Check the game’s listing or Nintendo’s instructions rather than assuming a particular save is backed up. Cloud backup is a separate route from nearby save transfer: it requires both an eligible game and an active Nintendo Switch Online membership.
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For a supported title, use the same Nintendo Account on Switch 2 and the console’s save-data cloud options to download the backup. Nintendo’s Switch 2 Data Management FAQ also notes that saves remain in system memory; deleting downloaded software does not delete its save.
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Your old Switch microSD card does not transfer games or saves
Switch 2 uses microSD Express for expanded storage. Ordinary microSD cards used with the original Switch cannot save or load Switch 2 digital games or save data. An old Switch card can be used to import screenshots and videos, according to Nintendo’s microSD Express Card FAQ. Buying a microSD Express card is optional storage expansion, not a requirement for transferring consoles or saves; Nintendo says cards up to 2 TB are supported.
Moving storage on a Switch 2 is a separate task
If you already have Switch 2 and want to move installed content between its system memory and a microSD Express card, Nintendo supports moving downloadable software, add-on content, and update data. Saves and some update data cannot be migrated this way. This manages storage on one console; it does not transfer your profile or saves from the original Switch. See Nintendo’s software-data movement instructions.
Digital games on two consoles: understand virtual game cards
Virtual game cards control loading and ejecting digital software between consoles; they are not a way to duplicate a save. To use the same progress on two consoles, Nintendo points users to save transfer or Save Data Cloud Backup. Save transfer removes the save from its source, while cloud backup requires Nintendo Switch Online and game support. Read Nintendo’s Virtual Game Card guide before deciding how to access a digital title across devices.
Quick Recap
Before you reset or hand off the old Switch
- Confirm that every user and important game save is accounted for on Switch 2.
- Check each valuable game’s transfer and cloud-backup support, especially shared or unusual saves.
- If using server transfer, write down the download deadline shown for your account and retrieve the transfer in time.
- Do not rely on the old Switch microSD card for Switch 2 game data or saves.
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