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Change the theme on Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, or Switch OLED
- From the HOME Menu, open System Settings.
- Scroll down the left-hand menu and select Themes.
- Choose Basic White or Basic Black. The change takes effect immediately.
Nintendo lists these two options for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model. See Nintendo’s theme instructions for Switch.
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Change the theme on Nintendo Switch 2
- From the HOME Menu, open System Settings.
- Select Themes in the left-hand menu.
- Choose Basic Light Mode or Basic Dark Mode.
Those are the labels in Nintendo’s U.S. support instructions. Labels can differ by region; another regional page may call the choices Basic White and Basic Black. The settings path and the two basic background choices are the same. See Nintendo’s Switch 2 theme instructions.
Can you install custom themes or wallpaper?
Nintendo’s official support pages currently document only the basic light and dark theme choices for Switch and Switch 2. The supported settings do not offer a theme store, custom HOME Menu wallpaper, uploaded screenshots as backgrounds, game-themed packs, custom icon skins, animated backgrounds, custom menu music, or per-user wallpapers. This describes Nintendo’s documented options, not what a future system update might add.
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- The next evolution of Nintendo Switch
- 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
- Dock that supports 4K when connected to a compatible TV*
- GameChat** lets you voice chat, share your game screen, and connect via video chat as you play
This is different from the Nintendo 3DS theme experience. A 3DS theme, smartphone-app appearance, in-game menu skin, or fan-made image shown in a video does not change the retail Switch HOME Menu. Unofficial modifications are outside Nintendo’s supported settings and are not a routine theme-installation option.
Organize games with Groups
Groups make the software library easier to browse, but they do not replace or fully redesign the main HOME Menu row. On Nintendo Switch, All Software appears at the far right of the HOME Menu once the console has at least 13 software icons.
Rank #2
- 6.2” LCD screen
- Three play modes: TV, tabletop, and handheld
- Local co-op, online, and local wireless multiplayer
- Detachable Joy-Con controllers
- Nintendo Switch is the home of Mario & friends
- Open All Software.
- Select Groups, then Create New Group.
- Select the software to include and choose Next.
- Arrange the titles in the order you want, name the group, and confirm.
Nintendo’s Switch documentation allows up to 100 groups and up to 200 software titles in each group. A title can appear in more than one group, and titles can be arranged within a group. Groups arrived in Switch system software version 14.0.0, released March 22, 2022. See Nintendo’s Switch software guide and Nintendo’s system-update history.
Useful group ideas include Current, Backlog, Multiplayer, Local co-op, RPGs, First-party games, or Games for children. On Switch 2, Nintendo’s system-transfer documentation confirms that HOME Menu icon order and group settings can transfer during migration; consult the console’s own menus rather than assuming every Switch group instruction or limit is identical. See Nintendo’s Switch 2 transfer guide.
Rank #3
- This pre-owned product is not Apple certified, but has been professionally inspected, tested and cleaned by Amazon-qualified suppliers.
- 6.2” LCD screen.
- Three play modes: TV, tabletop, and handheld
- Local co-op, online, and local wireless multiplayer
- Detachable Joy-Con controllers
Sort the complete software library
Use All Software when you want to browse the full library rather than the main HOME Menu row. Its sorting options help scan titles in a chosen order. Nintendo added software sorting in Switch system software version 8.0.0, released April 16, 2019.
The main HOME Menu prioritizes recently played or added software; it is not a freely arranged desktop where every icon can be dragged into a permanent custom layout. Sorting All Software changes how that library view is organized, while Groups provide user-defined categories. Neither feature turns the main HOME Menu into a custom launcher.
Rank #4
- Compact, lightweight handheld system
- Available in a range of fun colors
- Online and local wireless multiplayer
- Nintendo Switch is the home of Mario & friends
Other ways to personalize the interface
Choose a user icon
To change a profile image, open System Settings → Users, choose the user, then open the profile-editing option and select an available icon. The catalog depends on the console and available profile-icon content; Nintendo has added icons through system updates, so the selection is not a fixed universal set. This changes the profile identity, not the HOME Menu background.
Use screen zoom
On Switch 2, enable System Settings → Accessibility → Screen Zoom, then press the HOME button twice quickly to activate zoom. Nintendo’s instructions describe using the sticks to move around the enlarged view and the X/Y buttons to adjust magnification. The original Switch also supports screen zoom; Nintendo added it in system software version 8.0.0. See Nintendo’s Switch 2 accessibility guide and its Switch update history.
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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.
Apply grayscale or inverted colors
Switch 2 accessibility settings include grayscale and inverted-color display options. The original Switch also has display-color options, including no filter, inverted colors, and grayscale. These are system-wide display filters: they can affect game screens as well as menus, so they are not theme replacements. Nintendo’s Switch documentation added the original Switch options in version 8.0.0. See Nintendo’s Switch 2 accessibility guide.
Remap controller buttons
Switch 2 supports button mapping for Joy-Con 2 and the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. This can make controls more comfortable or accessible, but it does not change HOME Menu icons or appearance. The GL/GR rear-button assignment is a separate option: Nintendo describes configuring it through Quick Settings after launching software. Saved settings have controller-number and user/software limitations; in the documented workflow, only controller number 1 settings are saved. See Nintendo’s Switch 2 button-mapping instructions.
If you cannot find Themes
- Make sure you opened System Settings, not Quick Settings. On Switch 2, holding HOME opens Quick Settings for controls such as brightness and volume; the theme setting is in System Settings.
- Scroll the full left-hand System Settings list to find Themes.
- Confirm that you are using a Switch-family console. Nintendo 3DS and Wii U have different menus; videos may also show an emulator or modified console rather than the standard retail interface.
- If the menu appears incomplete, restart the console and check for a system update. A factory reset is not a sensible first response to a missing Themes entry.
Nintendo documents the Switch 2 HOME Menu and Quick Settings behavior in its HOME Menu guide.
A practical setup for a more personal Switch
For a darker look, choose the dark theme; for a library that is easier to navigate, use All Software sorting and create groups for current games, genres, or multiplayer. Add a profile icon for identity. Use zoom, color filters, or controller remapping when they address a visibility or control need—not as substitutes for a custom visual theme.
Quick Recap
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