To move Nintendo Switch progress, use Nintendo’s built-in Transfer Your User and Save Data tool when both consoles are available. If the game supports Nintendo Switch Online, Save Data Cloud can back up and restore its save instead. A Nintendo Account sign-in, a game card, or an ordinary microSD-card copy does not automatically bring saves to another console.
For an original Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade, use System Transfer. It can move saves from games that do not support Save Data Cloud, but some information is removed from the old console after the transfer. Check the destructive details before starting.
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Choose the transfer method that matches your situation
Nintendo provides three distinct ways to move or restore progress. They are not interchangeable: direct transfer moves a user and eligible local saves, cloud saving handles supported games one title at a time, and Switch-to-Switch 2 System Transfer is the upgrade workflow that can include unsupported cloud-save games.
| Method | When to use it | Both consoles needed at once? | Works with games that lack Save Data Cloud? | What happens to the source data? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer Your User and Save Data | Moving from one Nintendo Switch family console to another Switch when both systems are available | Usually yes | Yes, through the direct transfer | Treat it as a move. The transferred user and saves may be removed from the source, so verify the destination before disposing of the old console. |
| Nintendo Switch Online Save Data Cloud | Backing up or restoring an individual game that supports cloud saves | No, once a backup exists | No | The cloud backup can remain available under the service’s rules; the local save on the old console is not automatically copied to a new system merely by signing in. |
| Switch-to-Switch 2 System Transfer | Upgrading from an original Switch to Nintendo Switch 2 | Yes for the local route; Nintendo also documents a server-assisted route when the old console will not remain available | Yes | Some data is deleted from the source as part of the transfer. Read the on-screen warning before confirming. |
The safest rule is simple: if both consoles are in front of you, use the transfer workflow intended for that pair of systems. Use Save Data Cloud only for games listed as compatible, and never assume that logging into the same Nintendo Account synchronizes local saves.
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- GameChat** lets you voice chat, share your game screen, and connect via video chat as you play
Prepare both consoles before a direct Switch transfer
Nintendo’s standard workflow has requirements that are easy to overlook. Complete these checks before opening the transfer menu:
- Install current system software on both consoles.
- Connect both systems to the internet.
- Connect an AC adapter to each console for the duration of the transfer.
- Make sure the user being moved is linked to a Nintendo Account on the source console.
- Keep both consoles close together and powered on until the on-screen process reports completion.
- Check the destination for a user already linked to the same Nintendo Account. Conflicting users prevent the transfer; Nintendo does not merge separate users or combine their saves automatically.
Do not reset, sell, or give away the source console until you have opened the relevant games on the destination and confirmed that the expected progress is present. A completed transfer is not the same as creating a second independent backup.
Method 1: Transfer Your User and Save Data between Switch consoles
Open the transfer tool on both systems
- On each console, open System Settings.
- Choose Users.
- Choose Transfer Your User and Save Data.
- Follow the prompts to identify which console is the source and which is the destination.
Use the source console for the user and saves that should move, and the destination console for the system that should receive them. Read each confirmation screen: the labels identify which system is sending and which is receiving.
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Complete the user and save transfer
The eligible user profile and its associated save data are transferred together. Keep the consoles connected to power and do not close the settings screens while the systems communicate. If the process pauses, leave both systems on and follow the message shown rather than restarting them immediately.
The destination cannot contain a conflicting user linked to the same Nintendo Account. If it does, resolve that account arrangement first; the transfer process is not a save-merging tool. Saves belonging to different users remain separate, and a save from one user cannot be folded into another user simply because both accounts are present on the same console.
Verify the result before changing the old console
When the transfer finishes, sign in to the transferred user on the destination. Start the games that matter most and check their in-game progress, not just the icon on the HOME menu. Downloaded software and updates are not moved by this process, so reinstall the games before testing their saves if necessary.
Only after verification should you reset or hand over the old console. If the source still appears to contain some information, do not interpret that as proof that every save was duplicated; the transfer’s eligibility rules differ by data type.
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What cloud saving does
Save Data Cloud is a per-game backup and restore service for compatible titles. It is useful when the original console is unavailable, when you want a recoverable backup, or when you are moving only selected games rather than an entire user profile. A Nintendo Switch Online membership is required for this service.
Compatibility is decided by the game. Nintendo identifies titles that do not support cloud saving, including Splatoon 2 and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in its Switch 2 System Transfer documentation. Those games require a direct transfer or another method provided specifically for the title.
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- Nintendo Switch 2 plays compatible physical and digital Nintendo Switch games.***
Back up a supported game on the old console
- Open the console’s Save Data Cloud controls while signed in to the Nintendo Account that owns the Nintendo Switch Online membership.
- Select the user and the game you want to protect.
- Choose the option to back up or upload the save data, then wait for the upload to finish.
- Check the displayed backup status before turning off or disposing of the old console.
Cloud availability is tied to the Nintendo Account and the game’s support status. It is not a general copy of every save stored on the system.
Restore on the destination console
- Sign in to the same Nintendo Account on the destination console.
- Install the compatible game.
- Open the Save Data Cloud controls and select the game.
- Choose the restore or download option and confirm the replacement if the destination already has local progress.
Restoring can overwrite newer local progress on the destination. Decide which version is authoritative before confirming. Signing in alone does not perform this download.
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Use System Transfer for an upgrade
Nintendo’s System Transfer is the dedicated route from an original Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo describes it as a way to transfer save data and various settings, including saves from software that does not support Save Data Cloud.
When both consoles are available, use the local communication route and follow the System Transfer instructions shown on each system. Confirm which device is the source and which is the destination before accepting the final operation.
Use the server-assisted route when the old Switch will not stay with you
Nintendo also documents a server-assisted option for people who will no longer keep the old Switch on hand. The old console uploads the transfer package, and the Switch 2 later receives it. The uploaded data is temporary; it must be received within the storage period stated by Nintendo’s current instructions. Do not sell, reset, or permanently disconnect the old console until the upload has completed and you have recorded any instructions needed to retrieve the package.
Understand the destructive parts first
System Transfer is not a harmless duplicate operation. Nintendo warns that some data is deleted from the source after transfer. The exact items depend on the transfer route and Nintendo’s current software instructions, so read every warning on both consoles before confirming.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons needs particular care. Nintendo says the island can transfer to Switch 2, but the island data is deleted from the source console afterward. The first launch on the destination may also require reconnecting resident data to the appropriate users. If several people share an island, agree on the destination accounts before starting; do not assume a second independent island copy will remain on the old system.
What does not move with a normal user transfer
Downloaded games and software updates
The direct transfer moves eligible user and save data, not the installed game itself or its update data. Redownload purchased software on the destination console and install the current updates before launching it. A game card can provide the base software, but it still does not carry the save stored on the old console.
Screenshots and videos
Screenshots and gameplay videos are handled separately from saves. Nintendo’s documented storage workflow uses the album media on the microSD card, including the Nintendo/Album folder, rather than the save-transfer tool. Copy or export those files using Nintendo’s supported process before formatting the old card or console.
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Switch 2 uses microSD Express cards for supported media storage. That storage requirement concerns screenshots and videos; it does not turn a microSD Express card into a save-transfer device.
Shared or non-user-specific saves
Some games use one save shared across users instead of maintaining an independent save for each profile. Nintendo says these shared saves may not be transferable through the standard user-transfer flow. Check the game’s own support instructions before deleting the source profile or console.
Virtual game-card lending
Lending software to another family member through virtual game cards changes who can access the software; it does not transfer the original console’s save data. Use Transfer Your User and Save Data or Save Data Cloud instead.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the game card and microSD card cannot copy your progress
Nintendo states that save data is stored in the system memory. A physical game card contains the game software, not the local save belonging to a user on another console. Insert the same card into a second Switch and you will still need to transfer or restore the save.
Ordinary file copying from a microSD card has the same limitation. The card can hold downloaded software data and album media, but dragging folders to a computer or another card is not Nintendo’s standard save-migration method. Treat any microSD-card operation as a media or software-storage task unless Nintendo’s instructions explicitly say otherwise.
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The same account does not synchronize saves
You can use one Nintendo Account on multiple consoles, but local save data is not automatically shared between them. A new console may show your account, purchases, and game icons while still having no current save. Choose direct transfer or a compatible cloud restore for each game.
Conflicting users cannot be merged
If the destination already has a user linked to the same Nintendo Account, the standard transfer cannot simply combine the two profiles. Decide which profile is authoritative and follow Nintendo’s account-management instructions before attempting the transfer. Do not delete a profile until you have confirmed that its saves are not the ones you need.
Moving only one user
The direct tool is organized around a user and that user’s eligible saves. It is therefore suitable when a family is splitting profiles between consoles, but shared, non-user-specific saves can fall outside the process. Make a list of games with shared islands, campaigns, or communal worlds and check each title separately.
Troubleshooting a failed or incomplete transfer
The transfer option is missing
- Install current system software on both consoles.
- Confirm that you are in System Settings > Users, not only in the game or Nintendo Switch Online application.
- Check that the source user is linked to a Nintendo Account.
- For a Switch 2 upgrade, use the separate System Transfer workflow rather than the ordinary Switch-to-Switch user tool.
The consoles cannot communicate
- Connect both systems to AC adapters and keep them powered on.
- Confirm internet access on both consoles.
- Move the systems closer together and remove anything that could interrupt local wireless communication.
- Read the exact error message, then restart only as instructed by Nintendo’s support guidance.
The game opens without the expected progress
- Verify that you launched the game under the transferred user.
- Redownload the game and install its update data.
- If you used cloud saving, confirm that the backup completed on the old console and restore it on the same Nintendo Account.
- Check whether the title is excluded from Save Data Cloud or uses a shared save.
- For Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch 2, complete the resident-user reconnection prompts shown at first launch.
The destination already has newer progress
Stop before restoring a cloud backup or deleting a destination user. Compare dates and in-game progress first. A restore operation can replace the destination’s local save, while a direct transfer is intended to move the selected source user and eligible saves rather than merge two timelines.
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Recommended workflow before selling or replacing the old console
- Make a game-by-game inventory of important saves, including games known not to support Save Data Cloud.
- Choose direct transfer for a normal Switch-to-Switch move, or System Transfer for a Switch-to-Switch 2 upgrade.
- Use Save Data Cloud for compatible titles when an online backup is useful, but do not treat it as coverage for every game.
- Transfer screenshots and videos separately through the supported album-media process.
- Redownload software and updates on the destination.
- Launch priority games and inspect their actual progress under the correct user.
- Only after verification, remove accounts, format storage, reset, sell, or give away the old console.
Which method should you use?
| Your situation | Best route | Important warning |
|---|---|---|
| You have two regular Switch-family consoles and want to move a profile | Transfer Your User and Save Data | It is generally a move, and the source may lose the transferred user and saves. |
| You need to restore one supported game without the old console present | Nintendo Switch Online Save Data Cloud | The game must support cloud saves, and signing in alone does not restore the save. |
| You are upgrading from Switch to Switch 2 | System Transfer | It can include non-cloud saves, but some source data is deleted after transfer. |
| You mainly need screenshots or videos | Use Nintendo’s separate album and microSD workflow | Media storage does not migrate game saves. |
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