You can start a fresh The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening adventure without losing an existing run: choose an empty file on the player-select screen, or use a separate Switch user profile. To move a save to another Nintendo Switch, use the consoles’ built-in save-data transfer. That process moves the file rather than copying it, removes it from the source console, and can overwrite a save on the destination.
Choose the operation that matches your goal
Link’s Awakening has two different levels of save management. The game’s own player-select screen controls individual adventure files, while Nintendo Switch System Settings controls all save data for the title associated with a user. Use the least destructive option that accomplishes what you want.
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| Goal | Where to do it | What happens to existing progress | Main requirement or risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Begin another adventure while keeping an old one | Link’s Awakening player-select screen | The old file stays in its slot; the new run uses an empty slot | An empty in-game slot is required |
| Keep an independent set of files for another person or playthrough | A separate Nintendo Switch user profile | The profile has its own user-associated save data | It requires setting up another user profile |
| Move progress to another Switch | System Settings > Data Management > Transfer Your Save Data | The sent file is removed from the source console | Both consoles must be nearby and connected to the internet |
| Remove every Link’s Awakening save for a user or for the software | System Settings > Data Management > Delete Save Data | The selected save data is deleted | Deleted data cannot be recovered |
Start a new game without deleting an old file
Use an empty file on the player-select screen
- Open Link’s Awakening and reach the player-select screen.
- Highlight an empty slot.
- Enter the character name when prompted.
- Confirm the name. The new adventure starts after confirmation.
Your existing adventure remains in its populated slot. This is the safest way to try a new run on the same Switch user because no existing file has to be changed.
Use another Switch user profile for a separate save set
A separate user profile is useful when two people need independent progress, or when you want a completely separate group of files rather than sharing the original user’s slots. Nintendo generally associates save data with the user account that created it, so selecting the second profile when launching the game gives that profile its own save-data context. Nintendo does not publish a Link’s Awakening-specific tutorial for creating or managing profiles; the important point is to choose the intended user before launching the game.
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Profile separation is different from adding an empty file under the same user. A new file under the original user shares that user’s in-game file list, while a second profile keeps its save data associated with a different user.
Delete one Link’s Awakening file when all slots are full
If the player-select screen has no empty slot, you must remove one existing in-game file before beginning another run under that user.
- On the player-select screen, select the file you want to remove.
- Choose Delete.
- Press and hold the buttons shown on screen for three seconds.
- Release only after the game confirms the deletion, then select the newly empty slot and enter a character name.
Deleting a populated file this way is irreversible. Check the file’s name and progress carefully before holding the confirmation buttons; the game does not provide a recovery step for a file removed from this screen.
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Prepare both consoles
- Have the source console, which currently holds the desired save, and the target console available at the same time.
- Keep the consoles nearby during the operation.
- Connect both consoles to the internet. Nintendo says a Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required for this nearby-console transfer.
- Decide what should happen if the target already contains Link’s Awakening save data. You can cancel the transfer to preserve the target file, or choose to overwrite it.
Because this is a move rather than a backup, do not begin until you are comfortable with the source file leaving the original console.
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Start the send operation on the source console
- From the source console’s HOME menu, open System Settings.
- Open Data Management.
- Choose Transfer Your Save Data.
- Select Send Save Data to Another Console.
- Follow the on-screen prompts to select the user and Link’s Awakening save you want to send.
Receive the file on the target console
- On the target console, open System Settings.
- Go to Data Management and then Transfer Your Save Data.
- Choose Receive Save Data.
- Follow the prompts to pair with the source console and accept the incoming Link’s Awakening save.
When the transfer completes, open the game on the target console and select the user that received the data. Confirm that the expected adventure file is present before making further changes.
Understand what the transfer changes
It does not create a duplicate
Nintendo’s support guidance states: “Important: This does not create a copy of your save data. Once sent, the save data file will be deleted from the source system.” In practical terms, the source console should no longer be treated as a second playable copy after a successful send. The transfer is intended to relocate the save to the other console.
A target save can be overwritten
If the target console already has save data for the same software, the transfer flow gives you a choice. Cancel if the target file must remain intact. Select the overwrite option only when you have confirmed that the incoming file is the one you want on the target. Nintendo warns that overwritten data cannot be recovered.
Nearby transfer is not a microSD backup
The transfer feature works between consoles through the System Settings process. It does not turn the save into a file that you can copy to removable storage or keep as an archive. Nintendo says Switch game save data is stored in the console’s internal memory and cannot be saved or moved to a microSD card.
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Delete all save data for the title
Use System Settings when you want to remove the complete Link’s Awakening save associated with a user, rather than deleting one file from the game’s own menu.
- From the HOME menu, open System Settings.
- Choose Data Management.
- Select Delete Save Data.
- Choose The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
- Select the specific user whose save should be removed, or choose Delete Save Data for this Software when that is the intended scope.
- Confirm the deletion shown on screen.
Nintendo’s warning is explicit: once deleted, save data cannot be recovered. This command affects save data, not merely the installed game program.
Deleting or archiving the game is separate from deleting saves
Removing downloaded software, archiving it, or otherwise freeing storage does not itself remove the Link’s Awakening save. The save remains in the Switch’s internal system memory until you delete it through the game’s file menu or through System Settings > Data Management > Delete Save Data.
That separation is useful when you need storage space: you can remove or archive the game software and later reinstall it without treating the software operation as a save-data deletion. It is also a warning against assuming that reinstalling the game will reset the adventure files.
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Which method should you use?
You want a fresh run but still need the old run
Choose an empty file at the player-select screen. If none is available, consider a separate Switch user profile instead of sacrificing a populated file.
You are changing consoles
Use the nearby save-data transfer. Start the send command on the old console and the receive command on the new one. Do not expect the source to retain a playable duplicate after sending.
You want to hand the console to someone else
Decide whether the other person needs an independent profile or whether all progress should be removed. A separate profile preserves the existing user’s data while giving the other user a separate save context. System Settings deletion removes the selected title data and cannot be undone.
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Use the game’s player-select screen, select the populated file, choose Delete, and hold the displayed buttons for three seconds. This leaves other in-game files under that user untouched.
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Troubleshooting and safety checks
The transfer option is not ready
- Confirm that both consoles are powered on and connected to the internet.
- Bring the consoles close together; Nintendo’s procedure is designed for a nearby-console transfer.
- Make sure you are in Data Management > Transfer Your Save Data, rather than the separate save-deletion menu.
- Begin with Send Save Data to Another Console on the source and Receive Save Data on the target.
You cannot find an empty in-game slot
Do not select a populated file casually. Either use a separate user profile or remove a specific file only after verifying that it is no longer needed. The three-second button hold is the confirmation step for the in-game deletion.
The target contains the wrong save
Cancel before accepting an overwrite if the target’s existing progress matters. Choosing overwrite replaces that target save, and Nintendo says overwritten data cannot be recovered.
You expected a microSD card to contain the save
It will not. Save data is kept in internal system memory, so moving the microSD card between consoles is not a save-transfer method.
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Final pre-confirmation checklist
- For a new run, verify that the selected player slot is empty.
- For an in-game deletion, verify the file name and progress before holding the displayed buttons.
- For a console transfer, label which console is the source and which is the target before opening the transfer menus.
- Keep both consoles nearby and online, and choose the receiving user carefully.
- If the target has a save, decide whether to cancel or overwrite before confirming.
- Do not rely on a microSD card as a backup; Switch save data is stored internally.
- After receiving a save, launch the game on the target and check the expected file before changing or deleting anything else.
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