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How to Transfer Pokémon Legends: Z-A Save Data to Nintendo Switch 2

Use the original Switch’s nearby save-data transfer feature to move Pokémon Legends: Z-A progress to Nintendo Switch 2. Both consoles must be online and nearby, and the source save is deleted after transfer.

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To move your Pokémon Legends: Z-A save from the original Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch 2, use the original console’s System Settings > Data Management > Transfer Your Save Data > Send Save Data to Another Console option. Keep both consoles nearby and connected to the internet, and link the same Nintendo Account to a user on each. Nintendo says the save is deleted from the original console after transfer.

Transfer the save from the original Switch

  1. Place the original Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 near each other, and connect both consoles to the internet.
  2. On the original Switch, open System Settings from the HOME Menu.
  3. Select Data Management, then Transfer Your Save Data.
  4. Select Send Save Data to Another Console.
  5. Follow the on-screen prompts to choose the user and Pokémon Legends: Z-A save on the original console, then select the receiving console when prompted. Check that you have selected the intended user and save before confirming.
  6. When the transfer finishes, check the game on Nintendo Switch 2.

Nintendo’s nearby save-data transfer instructions require both consoles to be online and near one another, with the same Nintendo Account linked to a user on each. Nintendo also states that a Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required for this feature. The procedure moves the selected save; it is not performed in Pokémon HOME.

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What happens to the save on the old console?

Nintendo says save data is deleted from the original console after a nearby transfer. Treat this as a move, not a backup: the original console will not retain that transferred save under the documented process. Confirm the selected user, game save, and receiving console before approving the transfer.

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Why cloud restore is not an option

Pokémon Legends: Z-A does not support Save Data Cloud backup, so you cannot restore this game’s progress from a Nintendo Switch Online cloud save. Nintendo states this on its Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition product page.

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Choose the right kind of transfer

Route What it moves Relevant behavior for this game
Nearby Transfer Your Save Data A selected game save between consoles Requires internet access, nearby consoles, and the same Nintendo Account linked to a user on both. Nintendo says the source save is deleted after transfer. Nintendo Switch Online is not required. See Nintendo’s nearby transfer instructions.
System Transfer to Nintendo Switch 2 System data as part of a whole-console transfer Nintendo describes different outcomes depending on the method: a server transfer initializes the source console; with local system transfer, saves for games that do not support Save Data Cloud may be deleted from the source. Because this game lacks cloud-save support, read Nintendo’s System Transfer warnings carefully if moving the whole system. For a single game save, use the targeted nearby transfer above.
Pokémon HOME Individual Pokémon between compatible game saves It does not move the game’s progress save. Nintendo’s directions for moving Pokémon with Pokémon Legends: Z-A use the HOME console app, not the mobile app; Pokémon currently in the party cannot be moved through that stated flow. See Nintendo’s Pokémon transfer instructions and its comparison of HOME versions.

Nintendo says a paid Pokémon HOME Premium Plan is not required to transfer Pokémon on Switch 2 or Switch. Some Pokémon movements have compatibility restrictions, and a Pokémon brought into Pokémon Legends: Z-A from an earlier main-series title may not be movable back to that earlier title; see Nintendo’s Pokémon HOME FAQ. These Pokémon-transfer rules are separate from transferring the game save.

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Check compatibility and account details

  • Use the same Nintendo Account: It must be linked to a user on both consoles. Choose the correct user when the source prompts you.
  • Keep both systems online and nearby: Nintendo lists both as requirements for nearby save transfer.
  • Confirm the game and save: Nintendo’s transfer feature applies to compatible software, so compatibility is a condition rather than a guarantee for every title or situation.
  • Do not rely on cloud backup: This game does not support Save Data Cloud backup.

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