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To switch profiles on a Nintendo Switch, select the game from the HOME Menu and choose the user you want to play as. If a game is already open, save first, press the HOME Button, press Y, choose Close, then reopen the game and select the other user.
Switch profiles before opening a game
- From the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu, highlight the game you want to play.
- Select the game.
- When the user-selection screen appears, choose the profile you want to use.
- Check that the expected save data or in-game progress appears before continuing.
Nintendo calls console profiles users. Selecting the correct user normally loads that user’s save data when the game supports separate saves, helping prevent one family member from opening or overwriting another person’s progress. Nintendo’s user-selection guidance documents this process.
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Switch profiles while a game is running
The HOME Button does not change the active user by itself. On the standard Switch workflow, you must close the current software before choosing another user:
- Save your progress in the game.
- Press the HOME Button.
- From the HOME Menu, press the Y Button.
- Select Close to shut down the game.
- Start the game again.
- Select the other user when prompted.
Closing the software can discard unsaved progress. Nintendo specifically warns Switch 2 owners to save before using this procedure, and the same practical caution applies to the original Switch. An in-game player selector, if a particular title provides one, is a game feature—not a change to the console’s active user.
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Why does the user-selection screen not appear?
Several normal situations can make the selection screen disappear:
- Only one user is registered. There is no other profile to choose.
- User selection is set to be skipped. On the original Switch, check System Settings → Users → Skip Selection Screen. Nintendo says this option is available when only one user is registered.
- The game uses shared save data. Some software has one save-data set for all console users and therefore does not use separate launch-time progress.
- The game was resumed rather than freshly launched. Close the software completely, then start it again.
- The digital game is restricted to a particular purchasing user. On newer Nintendo systems, access can depend on the purchasing user and whether the relevant virtual game card is available on the console. This is a game-access issue, not a normal profile-switching function.
How to add another profile
If the person you want to play as is not listed, create or transfer a user:
HOME Menu → System Settings → Users → Add User
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- 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
Follow the prompts to create a new user or transfer one from another Nintendo Switch. Both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 support up to eight users on one console. A replacement user with the same nickname is not the same user and will not automatically contain the original user’s save data.
Do Nintendo Switch profiles have separate save data?
Generally, yes. Most games store save data separately for each console user, so selecting a different user loads that user’s progress. Nintendo says save data is normally stored in the console’s system memory—not on the physical game card or microSD card.
However, separate users do not guarantee separate saves in every game. Some titles use one save file shared by all users, while others have special, console-wide save systems. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, for example, requires special handling and should not be treated like an ordinary per-user save. Check the game’s own support information before assuming that a second user creates independent progress.
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- The battery life will depend on the games you play. For instance, the battery will last approximately 5.5 hours for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (games sold separately)
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Profile, user, and Nintendo Account: what is the difference?
A user is the local profile created on the console. It can have its own nickname, icon, save data, friends, and play activity.
A Nintendo Account is an online account that can be linked to a console user for services such as Nintendo Switch Online, online play, the eShop, friends, news, and screenshot or video uploads. Nintendo states that one user can be linked to only one Nintendo Account, and that the linked account cannot simply be replaced with another account on that same user. See Nintendo’s Nintendo Account linking guidance.
To use another person’s Nintendo Account, select or create a separate console user for that person. Do not delete a user merely to change the linked account: deleting the user removes that user’s locally stored save data. It does not delete the Nintendo Account itself, but it can disrupt access to data and purchases associated with that user.
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- 6.2” LCD screen.
- Three play modes: TV, tabletop, and handheld
- Local co-op, online, and local wireless multiplayer
- Detachable Joy-Con controllers
What to do if the wrong save appears
- Stop before creating a new save or overwriting anything.
- Close the game.
- Reopen it from the HOME Menu.
- Select the intended user.
- Confirm that the expected progress appears before playing.
If the save is still missing, check whether it belongs to another console user, whether the game uses shared or special save data, whether the user was deleted, or whether the save was transferred to another console. Choosing the wrong user commonly makes a game look empty without erasing the correct save.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What if the profile is missing?
Open System Settings → Users and check whether the user exists. If it does not, use Add User to create or transfer the correct user. Creating a new profile with the same name will not restore the old profile’s saves, because save data is associated with the original console user.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIf the user or save belongs on another console, use Nintendo’s Switch-to-Switch 2 transfer guidance. A full user transfer and a transfer of an individual save are different procedures.
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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.
Switching profiles on Nintendo Switch 2
The basic process is the same on Switch 2: select the game, choose a user, and start playing. To change users after launching, save, press HOME, press Y, select Close, reopen the game, and choose another user. Nintendo’s Switch 2 user guidance confirms this route and warns that unsaved data may be lost when software is closed.
Features involving virtual game cards, transfers, cloud saves, and special titles can differ by game and system. Nintendo Switch Online Save Data Cloud also does not support every title, so it should not be treated as a universal recovery method.
Moving a profile to another console
Switching users on the same console does not move data anywhere. When moving to a new Switch or Switch 2, use Nintendo’s official system-transfer instructions or the appropriate save-data transfer function. Some games—including console-wide-save titles—need separate transfer steps.
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