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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Most failed Pokémon transfers have a route, compatibility, account, or save-data problem—not a damaged Pokémon. First identify whether the Pokémon is coming from a Nintendo 3DS title through Pokémon Bank or from a supported Nintendo Switch title through Pokémon HOME. Then check that specific Pokémon’s destination list before moving anything. Pokémon Bank transfers require a Pokémon HOME Premium Plan and are permanent; Switch transfers depend on an eligible species, the correct HOME user and save data, and (on Nintendo Switch 2) the game save being on the same console as HOME.
The procedures below follow Pokémon Support guidance displayed January 30, 2026. Keep the exact error message, source game, destination game, console, and HOME platform in front of you while troubleshooting.
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Identify the transfer route before changing anything
There is no universal “old game to new game” button. The source title determines the bridge, the account requirements, and whether you can reverse the move.
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- Write down the destination. Name the exact game you want to use, not just the console family.
- Record the device and HOME version. Note whether you are using the mobile app, the Nintendo Switch version of HOME, a Nintendo 3DS, or Nintendo Switch 2.
- Copy the error exactly. Small wording differences point to different fixes. Do not apply the remedy for one message to another.
This guide covers the two routes documented in detail by Pokémon Support: Nintendo 3DS games through Pokémon Bank, and supported Nintendo Switch games through Pokémon HOME. It does not imply that every Pokémon game can connect directly to every other game. The general connection overview is in Pokémon Support’s HOME connection guide.
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| Route | Source platform | Plan or account requirement | How you choose Pokémon | Can the move be reversed? | Where to check eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank to HOME | Nintendo 3DS Pokémon titles | Pokémon HOME Premium; a linked Nintendo Network ID and Nintendo Account | With a 3DS, select boxes in Pokémon Bank. Without a 3DS, the documented path moves every Pokémon in Bank at once. | No. Pokémon moved from Bank to HOME cannot return to Bank. | HOME’s game-compatibility information for the individual Pokémon |
| HOME to or from a supported Switch game | Nintendo Switch games supported by HOME | Correct HOME account, game user, and save data; Premium is not required merely for HOME functions | In the Switch HOME app, choose the connected game and user save data, then move eligible Pokémon between boxes. | It depends on the games. In particular, a Pokémon moved from HOME into Sword or Shield cannot then return to Let’s Go. | Mobile HOME: “Games it can travel to.” Switch HOME: “Connected Games.” |
Check the Pokémon’s destination before troubleshooting accounts
Compatibility is Pokémon-specific. A different Pokémon moving successfully does not prove that the one you are troubleshooting can enter the same game.
In the mobile HOME app
- Open the Pokémon’s details.
- Find “Games it can travel to.”
- Check the exact destination title you intend to use.
Use the current in-app list as the controlling check. A static list on a third-party page can become outdated when HOME or a game changes.
In HOME on Nintendo Switch
- Select the Pokémon in a HOME box.
- Open its summary.
- Press + to open “Connected Games.”
- Inspect the destination game image.
As Pokémon Support states, “If a game image is grayed out, that Pokémon cannot be used in that game.” Read the full procedure in the compatibility article. A gray image is a compatibility limit, not an account error, and reinstalling HOME will not change it.
Move a Nintendo 3DS Pokémon through Pokémon Bank
Nintendo 3DS titles use Pokémon Bank as the bridge to HOME. The Bank-to-HOME operation requires a paid Pokémon HOME Premium Plan. The route is different depending on whether you still have access to the 3DS running Bank.
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When the 3DS is available
- Confirm that the Pokémon you want to keep is in Pokémon Bank and that the destination is eligible in HOME.
- On the 3DS, open Pokémon Bank and choose the option to move Pokémon to Pokémon HOME.
- On the Nintendo Switch version of HOME, open the move function and generate a Moving Key.
- Enter that key in Pokémon Bank on the 3DS within three minutes. The key expires after that period.
- Continue the Bank prompts to select the boxes or Pokémon you intend to send.
- Wait for the move to finish before closing either application.
- Open HOME and verify the Pokémon in the HOME boxes before attempting another move.
Moving Keys do not contain the letters O, I, or Z, which helps distinguish similar-looking characters when entering one manually. If the key expires, generate a new key rather than trying to reuse the old one.
When the 3DS is not available
Pokémon Support documents a separate HOME path for players who no longer have a 3DS. The Nintendo Network ID used with Pokémon Bank must be linked to the Nintendo Account used with HOME. In this route, all Pokémon in Bank move together; you do not get the box-by-box selection available on a 3DS.
- Open HOME and begin the Bank transfer option.
- Follow the account-linking prompts and verify that the Nintendo Network ID associated with Bank is the one connected to the Nintendo Account you use for HOME.
- Review the notice that the entire Bank collection will be moved.
- Confirm only after you have checked the destination compatibility and the permanence of the operation.
If the IDs do not match, stop and correct the account relationship before confirming. Do not create a second HOME account as a guess; that can leave the Bank data associated with a different Nintendo Account than the one you intend to use.
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Understand the one-way Bank rule
Bank migration is not a reversible backup. Pokémon Support’s official wording is: “However, once a Pokémon from Pokémon Bank is moved into Pokémon HOME, it cannot be moved back to Pokémon Bank afterward.” Read the complete conditions in the Bank transfer article. If you might still need a Pokémon in its 3DS game, do not confirm the move until that decision is final.
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Move Pokémon between HOME and supported Nintendo Switch games
For a supported Switch title, use the Nintendo Switch version of HOME. A Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required for HOME functions; do not confuse that online-service membership with the Premium Plan required for the Bank route.
- Install or open Pokémon HOME on the Switch and sign in to the Nintendo Account that owns the HOME account you intend to use.
- Choose Pokémon from the HOME main menu.
- Select the connected game and the user whose save data contains the Pokémon. Choosing the wrong Switch user can make a perfectly valid save appear to be missing.
- Open the game’s boxes and HOME’s boxes. HOME marks Pokémon that cannot be moved to the selected game.
- Move only Pokémon that the compatibility check identifies as eligible.
- Confirm the placement, then wait for HOME to complete its save operation before exiting.
- Launch the destination game and check the relevant boxes or party to confirm the result.
The exact set of supported games and the available direction of travel are maintained in Pokémon Support’s connection overview. If a title is not offered in HOME’s connected-game selector, do not treat a cable, cartridge swap, or Nintendo Switch Online subscription as a workaround; that title is not available through that HOME connection path.
Special restriction for Pokémon: Let’s Go
Let’s Go has an additional history check. A Pokémon can return from HOME to Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! only if it has not been moved from HOME into Pokémon Sword or Pokémon Shield.
Plan the order before moving a Let’s Go Pokémon into another Switch game. Once it has entered Sword or Shield, the earlier Let’s Go destination is no longer available for that Pokémon, even though the Pokémon remains in HOME or may be usable in other compatible games. The official limitation is described in Pokémon Support’s Let’s Go return FAQ.
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Fix account-linking problems
The exact “already been linked” message
For the specific message “This account has already been linked to a different Pokémon HOME”, Pokémon Support’s prescribed remedy is to remove and reinstall the mobile HOME app, complete first-time setup, and link the same Nintendo Account used by the Switch version.
- Confirm which Nintendo Account is signed in to the Switch HOME app.
- Delete the mobile HOME app.
- Reinstall it from the device’s official app store.
- Complete first-time setup and sign in with that same Nintendo Account.
- Retry the connection only after the mobile and Switch versions show the same account.
Do not apply this procedure automatically to a different error message. The support article warns that deleting and reinstalling the mobile app affects locally stored data and history, so identify the correct Nintendo Account first. When Premium has been purchased and/or the mobile and Switch versions have synchronized, the Nintendo Account linked to that HOME account cannot be changed. Moving to another Nintendo Account means creating a new HOME account on a new device. See the complete warning and steps in the official account-link error guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Fix missing saves after moving to Nintendo Switch 2
On Nintendo Switch 2, HOME looks for the linked game’s save data on the same console where HOME is launched. If the game is installed or the cartridge is present but its save data remains on another console, HOME cannot link to that game correctly.
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- Check whether the relevant game save is stored on that same console.
- If the save is on another system, transfer the system data, including the save data, using the same Nintendo Account.
- Reopen HOME and select the game and user again.
- Only after the save appears should you attempt another Pokémon move.
Pokémon Support summarizes the requirement this way: “To link Pokémon HOME with games like Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, the game’s save data must be present on the same console where you launch Pokémon HOME.” The detailed Nintendo Switch 2 guidance is in the Switch 2 FAQ.
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Use this order when a transfer still fails
Work through the checks in this order so that an irreversible move is never used as a troubleshooting experiment.
- Compatibility: Open “Games it can travel to” on mobile or “Connected Games” on Switch. If the destination is gray or absent, stop; the Pokémon is not eligible there.
- Route: Confirm that a 3DS title is going through Bank and a supported Switch title is being opened through the Switch HOME app. A direct route that HOME does not list is not supported.
- Premium: If the source is Bank, verify that the HOME account has Premium. Premium is specifically required for Bank-to-HOME migration.
- Account: For Bank without a 3DS, verify the Nintendo Network ID used by Bank is linked to the Nintendo Account used by HOME. For Switch, verify the selected HOME user matches the game save owner.
- Save location: On Switch 2, make sure the game save is on the same console as HOME.
- History: Check whether the Pokémon has already passed through a game that blocks its intended return, especially Sword or Shield before a planned return to Let’s Go.
- Error-specific action: Only then follow a support article that matches the exact wording of the error. Reinstalling the mobile app is documented for the “already been linked” message, not as a universal fix.
What hardware and payment can—and cannot—fix
A compatible Nintendo Switch is necessary to use the Switch version of HOME and supported Switch games. A Nintendo 3DS is useful for selecting individual Bank boxes, but it is not required for the documented no-3DS Bank route. Pokémon HOME Premium is the meaningful paid requirement for moving from Bank; Nintendo Switch Online is not required for HOME functions.
Neither a new console nor a subscription can override a species restriction, an unsupported game connection, a mismatched Nintendo Account, or a one-way migration rule. Buy or transfer hardware only to solve a missing platform or save-data location problem, not as a remedy for a gray destination icon.
Quick Recap
Prevent the next failed or unwanted move
- Before opening HOME, write the source game, destination game, Nintendo Account, console, and exact Pokémon name in a note.
- Check the individual Pokémon’s destination list immediately before every major migration.
- For Bank, decide whether you need box-level selection or whether moving the entire Bank collection is acceptable.
- For Let’s Go Pokémon, decide all intended destinations before sending one into Sword or Shield.
- Keep the correct Nintendo Account credentials available before reinstalling the mobile app.
- After a successful move, verify the Pokémon in the destination boxes before starting another transfer.
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