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For a full move, start System Transfer during your Switch 2’s initial setup. Use local communication if you still have the original Switch; choose a server transfer if you will give it up before the Switch 2 arrives. To move only selected saves, use Transfer Your Save Data between nearby consoles. Digital game access and save files are separate: signing in restores access to purchases, but saves need a transfer or an eligible cloud backup.
Choose the transfer method that fits
| Your situation | Use this method | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| You have both consoles and want to move your system to Switch 2 | Local System Transfer during Switch 2 initial setup | Keep both consoles nearby and connected to the internet. Some data is removed from the old console; check the consequences before starting. |
| You will sell, trade in, or give away the original Switch first | Server System Transfer | Uploading initializes the original console. Nintendo says the transfer is stored for up to one year; use the download deadline shown during setup or in Nintendo Account settings. |
| You want to move only one or several game saves | Transfer Your Save Data | Both consoles must be nearby and online, and the users must be linked to the same Nintendo Account. The sending console’s save is deleted after the move. Nintendo Switch Online is not required. |
| You no longer have the original console | Sign in and redownload digital purchases; restore eligible cloud saves separately | Cloud-save restoration requires an active Nintendo Switch Online membership and a game that supports the feature. |
System Transfer starts during Switch 2’s initial setup; the selected-save feature is a separate nearby-console process. Digital purchases, saved progress, and virtual game cards are related but distinct, so moving one does not automatically move the others.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Samsung microSD Express Card – 256GB for Nintendo Switch™ 2 | $59.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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SANDISK 512GB microSD Express Card | $129.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.83 | Buy on Amazon |
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Move everything with System Transfer
Nintendo offers local communication and server upload for moving data from an original Switch to Switch 2. The local option suits a migration when both consoles are available. The server option is intended for cases where the old console will be relinquished before the new one arrives. Internet access is needed, and the on-screen setup may ask Switch 2 to update.
Before you start
- Review every user on the original console, especially on a shared Switch, and confirm which users are linked to a Nintendo Account.
- Decide whether the old console will remain with you. A server upload resets it to factory settings; the local method also removes some source data.
- Plan for game downloads after setup. Transferring system data does not mean every game is already downloaded and ready to play.
- Set aside time to re-enter settings that do not transfer, including Bluetooth audio settings, custom controller button mappings, and time, time zone, region, and language.
Start the transfer during initial setup
- Turn on Switch 2 and begin its initial setup. When prompted to transfer data, choose the System Transfer option.
- Choose local communication if you have the original Switch, or the server-upload option if you will not have it when Switch 2 arrives.
- Follow the displayed prompts on both consoles. Keep the consoles connected to the internet and follow any request to update Switch 2.
- For a server transfer, retrieve the uploaded data on Switch 2 by the deadline displayed during setup or in Nintendo Account settings.
- After setup, download any software that is not yet installed and check that the expected users and saves are present before disposing of the old console.
What moves can include digital software, users and account associations, eligible saves, system-memory screenshots and videos, and various settings. The exact data that remains on the old console depends on the route and save type. Nintendo says local transfer deletes save data from the source after completion; saves supported by Save Data Cloud Backup for users linked to a Nintendo Account remain on the old Switch and are copied, while saves for users without linked accounts and saves from games unsupported by cloud backup are deleted from the original. A server upload initializes the old Switch, resetting it to factory settings. Nintendo’s System Transfer from Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch 2 guide details the procedure and data handling.
#1 Best Overall
- Nintendo Switch 2 uses a new standard of expandable memory card called microSD Express (sold separately). This kind of memory card is needed for faster access speeds and to ensure games will run smoothly.
- Please note: Nintendo Switch 2 is only compatible with microSD Express cards. If the microSD cards you have used for Nintendo Switch do not support microSD Express standards, you cannot use them with Nintendo Switch 2.
Move selected save files without moving the whole console
Use Transfer Your Save Data when you want to move compatible game saves between a Nintendo Switch family console—including Lite and OLED models—and Switch 2. Both consoles must be nearby and connected to the internet. The sending and receiving users must be linked to the same Nintendo Account.
- On the sending console, open System Settings → Data Management → Transfer Your Save Data → Send Save Data to Another Console.
- Choose the user and game save to send.
- Follow the prompts on the receiving console to complete the transfer.
This feature moves the save rather than copying it, so the sending console’s save is deleted when the transfer finishes. Nintendo states that “A Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required to use this feature.” See Nintendo’s nearby-console save transfer instructions for current prompts.
Understand digital games, virtual game cards, and saves
A digital purchase is associated with a Nintendo Account; a save file is the game’s progress. Signing in to the same account on Switch 2 lets you access and redownload digital purchases, but that alone does not guarantee the save is present. Likewise, transferring a save does not transfer the game license.
Rank #2
- NEXT GEN GAMING: Works with Nintendo Switch 2.
- READY FOR TOMORROW. Ready for future products with a PCIe-NVMe interface; performs at UHS-I speeds with microSD UHS-I and UHS-II devices.
- EXPONENTIALLY FASTER PERFORMANCE. Up to 4.4 times faster transfer speeds than our fastest microSD UHS-I cards [9]. Transfer a 2-hour HD movie in less than 3.5 seconds [1]; save up to 2.8 minutes transferring 60 minutes of 4K UHD video [4] shot at 30 fps when paired with the SanDisk PRO-READER SD Express Dual Card (sold separately) [9]
- DURABILITY YOU CAN COUNT ON: Cards are waterproof, temperature-proof, humidity-proof, drop-proof, shock-proof, magnetic-proof, x-ray proof, and wear-out proof [5].
- HEAT MANAGEMENT REIMAGINED. SanDisk ThermAdapt helps keep devices from overheating with a specially designed enclosure and controller that uses dynamic adaptive thermal management.
Nintendo’s Virtual Game Card system lets you load or eject digital games and DLC between linked systems. A Nintendo Account can load virtual game cards on up to two Switch or Switch 2 consoles. A loaded card can be played offline, and other users on that console can play the loaded game too. Virtual game cards manage game access, not save synchronization. Nintendo explains the distinction in its Virtual Game Card guide.
- To access a digital game on a new console, sign in to the purchasing Nintendo Account and redownload it, or use the virtual game card system as appropriate.
- To move a save once, transfer it between consoles; the source copy is removed.
- To restore a cloud-backed save, an active Nintendo Switch Online membership and support for cloud saves in that particular game are required.
Nintendo says the vast majority of Switch and Switch 2 games support Save Data Cloud Backup, but not all do. Check the current compatibility information for the specific game rather than assuming its save can be restored from the cloud.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check these exceptions and storage limits
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has shared island save data and needs its own transfer procedure. Nintendo says the island save cannot be transferred using the ordinary Switch-to-Switch 2 System Transfer method. Follow the current game-specific instructions linked from Nintendo’s Switch 2 games and save data support page.
Rank #3
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
microSD cards
An original Switch microSD card is not compatible with Switch 2 for game data. Switch 2 uses microSD Express cards for optional added game storage. You do not need to buy extra storage to transfer purchases or saves.
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Transfers do not work backward across console generations
The full System Transfer described here is for moving from the original Switch to Switch 2, not from Switch 2 back to the original console. Nintendo’s general content-transfer guidance says transfers do not move backward across console generations.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
