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What Happens If You Transfer a Shadow Pokémon to Pokémon HOME?

Shadow Pokémon are blocked from direct transfer from Pokémon GO to HOME. Purify one first to make it eligible, but it loses Purified status in HOME and cannot return to GO.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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You can’t send a Shadow Pokémon directly from Pokémon GO to Pokémon HOME. To make it eligible, you must purify it first; it arrives in HOME without its Purified status. Any Pokémon sent from GO to HOME also cannot be returned to GO, so decide whether to keep it in GO before confirming the transfer.

Can you transfer a Shadow Pokémon to Pokémon HOME?

No. Niantic lists Shadow Pokémon among the Pokémon that cannot be sent from Pokémon GO to HOME. It will not be converted automatically during transfer. Niantic’s transfer guidance says: “Such Pokémon include Spinda, favorited Pokémon, Buddy Pokémon, Pokémon defending Gyms, costumed Pokémon, Shadow Pokémon, and Mega-Evolved Pokémon.”

What changes if you purify it first?

A Purified Pokémon is eligible to be sent to HOME, but Niantic says it loses its Purified status after arrival. Purification happens in GO, before the transfer, and consumes Stardust and Candy. It also improves the Pokémon’s appraisal, reduces some future upgrade costs, and replaces Frustration with Return. See Niantic’s Purifying Shadow Pokémon guidance for the game’s current mechanics.

That makes the choice a trade-off: keep the Pokémon Shadow in GO, including its Shadow status and associated battle effects, or pay to purify it and make it eligible to leave. The right choice depends on whether you value keeping that particular Shadow Pokémon in GO more than having it in HOME.

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What happens after you send it from GO?

The transfer is one-way

Once sent, a Pokémon cannot be transferred back from HOME to Pokémon GO. Purifying it does not change that. Pokémon Support explains the restriction in its Pokémon GO and HOME transfer help.

You must accept the transfer in HOME

Sending from GO does not place the Pokémon in a HOME Box automatically. Open Pokémon HOME on a mobile device or Nintendo Switch and accept the incoming transfer. If Pokémon are waiting to be received, you must receive them before starting another GO transfer. Pokémon Support’s transfer instructions also state that a paid HOME Premium Plan is not required for transfers from GO.

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HOME storage does not guarantee access in every linked game

Getting a Pokémon into HOME and withdrawing it into a particular compatible game are separate steps. Some Pokémon caught in GO may need to be registered or obtained in the destination game before HOME will allow them to be withdrawn there. Check the relevant game’s compatibility guidance in Pokémon Support’s HOME transfer help before sending a Pokémon for a specific game.

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How to send a purified Pokémon to HOME

  1. Purify it in Pokémon GO. Do this only if you accept the Stardust and Candy cost and the resulting changes to its status, appraisal, upgrade costs, and move.

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  2. Link GO and HOME to the same Nintendo Account. In GO, open Settings and use the Pokémon HOME connection option to link the account.

  3. Use the GO Transporter. Transporter Energy is spent according to the Pokémon being sent and recharges over time; PokéCoins can be used to recharge it immediately. Review the selected Pokémon and energy cost in GO.

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  4. Confirm only if you are ready to give it up in GO. The transfer cannot be reversed.

  5. Open Pokémon HOME and accept the incoming Pokémon. It will be available in your Boxes after you receive it.

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For current account-linking and receipt instructions, consult Pokémon Support’s Pokémon GO–HOME guide and Niantic’s sending Pokémon to HOME instructions.

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