Important note: It is possible to transfer save data for Animal Crossing: New Horizons between two Switches at will. Scroll to the bottom of the page for more details or check out our Animal Crossing Island Transfer guide.
Automatic Cloud Save Downloads are also now a thing! Watch the video above or skip to the relevant section below for more info.
So, you've gone and got yourself a lovely new Nintendo Switch Lite in addition to your regular 'old' Switch. Maybe one's going to be for the kids, or you're just tired of sharing. Perhaps you couldn't resist the cute hardware revision and plan to use Switch Lite as your smaller 'out-and-about' handheld and then put your feet up with a Pro Controller and the 'flagship' model when you arrive home to your TV. Sounds extravagant, but reasonable!
Obviously, the regular Switch console is designed for exactly that type of - what shall we call it? - 'switching' and although possible, it's clear that Nintendo doesn't really intend for individuals to have more than one Switch console. Cloud saves and the automatic Save Data option introduced in firmware update 11.0.0 make that reality less of a hassle, and digital game sharing is possible, too, although you can only play using your account on one console at a time. A Nintendo Switch Online subscription makes living the 'Johnny Two-Switches' dream relatively simple, and it's also possible to transfer saves manually between two nearby systems (remember, saves are stored on the console, not the cart).
In this guide we present how to play your games across two Switch consoles, including the restrictions, caveats and the potential issues to look out for. We'll update this guide as necessary, but the following represents the easiest way to play a single save file across two systems whether you own the game digitally or physically.
This guide does not refer to a full-on System Transfer which enables you to move all your save data and details to a different Switch on a more permanent basis - something you might do if you were selling your old console, for example.
How to play a game on one Switch, and then continue from the same save file on another
As things stand, anyone with a Nintendo Account can designate one Switch as their 'primary' console (by default the first console they connect to the Nintendo Switch eShop with) and another their 'non-primary' console. Playing your games on the non-primary Switch requires you to use your Nintendo Account and have a constantly active internet connection. The game will pause if it loses that connection, and also if the same software is played on the same Nintendo Account on the primary console.
Still with us? If those caveats haven't put you off the idea, read on for instructions on how to pick up where you left off in a game across two Switches...
For the purposes of this guide we'll assume you already own a standard model and have just got a new Switch Lite, but this would work just as well between two standard Switches (or two Lites, although we can't imagine a use case where that would be desirable). It makes sense to make your new Switch Lite your primary console (which therefore won't require an internet connection to play your games), with your docked home-bound Switch becoming your non-primary.
Be subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online
For the most convenient way of syncing game saves across two Switches, you'll need to be subscribed to Nintendo's online service and have cloud saves enabled. Please note that not all software supports cloud saves, so check that the game you wish to play is compatible - check out our full list of games not compatible with Nintendo Switch cloud saves. If you don't have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, skip ahead.
Download the game(s) you want to play
Digital games should be purchased on your main Nintendo Account. Owning the physical cartridge means you'll obviously have to move it between consoles, but remember that save data remains on the console itself, NOT THE CARTRIDGE, so you'll still need cloud saves activated to switch between consoles and continue playing where you left off (without transferring the data manually, that is).
De-register your original Switch as your primary console
On your standard Switch, hit your profile picture in the eShop (top right) and scroll to the bottom of the options on the right. Here you'll be able to deactivate this Switch as your primary console ready for your new Switch Lite to take up the mantle.
Check that save data is backed up to the cloud
Highlight your chosen game(s) on the Switch Home menu and hit the '+' button. Select 'Save Data Cloud' and check to see that the software is backed up with a tick beside your user account. If you want to be extra sure, tap on the user and you'll get additional details with a timestamp of the data on the server and the same information for 'this console'. Make sure it's the same.
Fire up your new Switch (Lite) and sign into your Nintendo Account
Powering up your new console and signing in to the eShop will make it your primary Switch, meaning you can play all your games on it without being tied to an internet connection. Unfortunately, none of your games are actually on console yet, so you'll have to redownload the lot from the eShop on the new primary console. Time for a cup of tea...
Check the cloud save has downloaded and start playing
Once the downloads have finished, hit the '+' button on the game(s) as you did on the other console to check the cloud save data has synced. Assuming everything matches, you're good to go.
From now on, check the cloud save has uploaded/synced before changing between Switches
To prevent problems, it's probably a good idea to double check that your save data has uploaded to the cloud on whichever console you're using before switching to the other, just to be super safe. Likewise, you might want to make doubly sure that the other console has synced before resuming the game there, too. Better to be safe than sorry.
Automatic Save Data Downloads - NEW!
But wait! As of firmware update 11.0.0, Nintendo introduced a feature that automatically downloads backed up cloud Save Data from one of your systems to the other (assuming both are connected to the internet, of course).
To use this handy feature you'll have to enable it first. Do this by heading to System Settings > Data Management > Save Data Cloud and make sure 'Automatically Download Save Data' is turned on. Nintendo does state that "Save data will not be downloaded automatically unless save data for that software exists on the console. The first time only, users must download the save data manually".
Once it's up and running, however, we're very pleased to report that it appears to work very well and the save data will automatically download even if the system's in sleep mode.
So, to recap:
- Play your game on Switch A
- Save (or reach an autosave location)
- Close the game on Switch A from the Home Menu (using the 'X' button to ensure the software is completely closed)
- After about one minute or so, Switch B will have automatically downloaded the updated Save Data, even if it's in sleep mode
- Play game on Switch B with updated Save Data
- Repeat as necessary
If you're playing on your primary Switch and it isn't connected to the internet (remember, it's impossible for the same account to be used on your non-primary Switch without an internet connection), it's possible to create conflicts where two sets of save data are generated.
Fortunately, the system warns you when you try to open the game with two sets of save data. Still, be careful you don't wipe progress by selecting the older data.
And that's it! Not quite as simple as 'switching' with a single console, but entirely possible when you know how. Check out the lovely Alex's video at the top of the page for a full demonstration in video form.
How do I transfer save data for games that don't support cloud saves?
Well, for those games (or all games if you're not subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online) you'll have to transfer the save manually to a 'nearby' Switch. You're not copying save data here, you're transferring it to a 'target' system - it'll be erased on the 'source' system. This works just as well as the cloud save option for moving save data between the same Nintendo Account on two systems (note: the same account), although it'll need to be done every time you change from one system to the other and it also requires an internet connection.
On the 'source' Switch...
- On the Home Menu of the Switch you're finishing with, select 'System Settings' and then 'Data Management'. Then tap 'Transfer Your Save Data'.
- Then tap 'Send Save Data to Another Console' and choose appropriate account.
- Then select the specific game save data from the list that you want to transfer and choose 'Send Save Data'. Remember, the data will be erased from the current Switch.
On the 'target' Switch...
- As you did on the 'source' system, select 'System Settings from the Home menu, then 'Data Management' and finally 'Transfer Your Save Data'.
- Choose 'Receive Save Data' this time. You'll get the option to Overwrite Save Data if it already exists for that account, so make sure it's definitely the right data! Overwritten data obviously can't be retrieved.
- Once the transfer is finished, hit 'OK' and you should be good to go with the same game data now on your other Switch.
How do I share my digital games between Switch consoles?
So, you've registered one console as your 'primary' and another as 'non-primary' as detailed above. If you want to be able to play the same games at the same time and effectively 'share' your digital games with somebody else, the person on the non-primary console must use the main account (and be connected to the internet) and the person on the primary console must play using a different account (entirely possible because any account can access and play your digital library on your primary console).
If the same account is used to play the same game simultaneously, the game on the non-primary console will pause (the same will happen is you lose your internet connection). Assuming you're happy to juggle accounts and have the requisite Switch Online subscriptions activated, it's entirely possible to play online with each other, although it's impossible to play multiplayer locally using the same software across two consoles (for that you would need two copies of the game).
One thing to bear in mind is that the person on the primary Switch must remember to use a different account if you want to avoid cloud save confusion. For example, if you're in Flight Mode on your primary Switch and accidentally used the main account — while someone else is playing the same game on that account on the non-primary console — two unique sets of save data would be produced and this might cause confusion when the primary console is connected to the internet again. Cloud save clashes are best avoided if you're concerned about progress, so check with account holder if you go to play a game and a message flashes up showing a save data conflict or error. No-one likes to lose progress!
How do I transfer my Animal Crossing: New Horizons save data between two Switches?
After eight long months, it finally became possible to transfer Animal Crossing: New Horizons island save data and even residents between Switches. Nintendo had previously implemented a system allowing for one-time save data recovery (for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers) in case of hardware failure, loss or theft, but it is impossible to transfer your save data between Switches in a casual manner.
Previous to the Winter 2020 update, it was impossible to transfer your island to a new Switch, even if you bought a brand new console and performed a complete system transfer — it was rubbish!
Fortunately, you can now download an Animal Crossing Island Transfer Tool from the Switch eShop and transplant your island to a different console. Check out our guide for more details.
Convoluted? Yep, it's not as straightforward as one might hope, although the addition of automatic save data downloads in update 11.0.0 certainly makes things less painless. Let us know below how you've got on playing between two Switches, especially if you've experienced any issues.
Comments 48
My head hurts...
Nintendo really need to fix save sharing
Honestly, it's not the best way to play, but if you do want to make the "old" switch into your home console and use the Lite as your primary portable, then changing the Lite to Primary, as stated above, is the best option. In this day and age the chance of your "home" console not having internet connection is a lot smaller than the chance of you not having internet 'on-the-go'. Yes, you can use your phone as a hotspot or coffee shops have wifi, but honestly if I'm using mine on the go, I'm not sitting in a coffee shop but on an airplane, in a car, etc., not sitting in a wifi ready area. Nintendo needs to improve on this and remove the "always online" issue for the same profile on two separate consoles, but until then, this is a manageable work-around.
What a convoluted mess, you should be able to activate multiple consoles to one account and share all games and save data. Steam is a great example, I can finish up on PC and continue on Laptop if necessary, seamless. Nintendo needs to get with the times.
So if I get a Switch for my son, who's a minor and have a "kid" account tied to my parental account, that's ok then?
And which console should be listed as primary? He'll only play at home or where there's an internet account, so assume mine then? But I still need to switch during setup process? Got a bit confused by that part.
Don't care about playing the same game at the same time, but I do own all games digitally.
@Jeaz If your kid has the 2nd console he must play the games you bought on your account. There is no family sharing of games.
If you make his console the primary console, he can use his own account though your account still needs to be on that Switch as well. (And set that Switch as primary) This way you would need to be always online on your Switch.
What an absolutely mad system. Am I right in thinking that digitally purchased games will only be playable on the purchasing account on the non-primary system? I can see they'd want to avoid concurrency but physical copies prevent concurrency and have the advantage of being usable by any account.
I honestly couldn’t throw down the money for a Switch Lite till I knew they have fixed the joy-con drift issue. That is assuming they used the same tech for the controls on the Switch Lite.
NintendoLife people - have you done any tests to see how strict the Internet connectivity is? ie; if your wifi is a bit spotty does it block you the instant that it drops?
Johnny Two-Switches. I like that name.
@Unit_DTH Yeah I think this will be a real issue because this basically means that you essentially don't own anything digital on your home Switch and that your Switch Lite will be only console that you really own anything on, everything else is just dependent on some active internet connection which can be unreliable for a lot of people, and it also brings in the worrying issue of all your games being tied to your online account status.
I think the Switch Lite means Nintendo should change their policy and allow you to activate two consoles on a single account, that would fix this issue so people who want to have a Switch Lite as an additional on-the-go console won't have to worry about anything.
Thanks so much for this guide, you saved me 200 quid!
@sanderev He doesn't have an account as he's younger than 12 so Nintendo won't let him, so he's piggybacking on mine with a separate child user profile on the Switch.
It's the just primary system thingy that confuses me. My current Switch would be "my" system and the one I use to travel with, but the guide says I need to untick it as my primary system. Is that just during setup?
@JayJ I agree that they should change their policy, but I stated it is an easy work-around for those that decide to have both models in their household and also stated that they need to change their policy.
If you read the fine print on EULAs, you don't own anything that you purchase digitally, so "not owning" the digital games on your "home console" switch really means nothing at this point.
Thanks for doing all of this. I'm not reading it all now b/c we still only have 1 Switch in our home shared by 3 people, but reading all of the comments makes me think once we do get a 2nd Switch my kids can move their accounts to it and I'll just continue to play on the 1 we have now.
@Jeaz No, in that case you keep your system as your primary console and add your account to your child's Switch. He would need to use your account though.
@Sean161 "How do I transfer save data for games that don't support cloud saves?
Well, for those games (or all games if you're not subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online)..... "
Ha ha, leave it to Nintendo to do it like this....
“it's entirely possible to play online with each other, although it's impossible to play multiplayer locally using the same software across two consoles“
For 1 digital game - what makes it impossible to use different accounts to play local wireless, when playing online together works fine?
It's enough to make me not get a switch lite.
@Jeaz The sad thing is that I have my kids setup this same way that you are talking about, but they cannot play any of the digital games I have bought for my user on their profiles on their Nintendo Switch™ consoles from their user profiles. I must setup my profile on each of their consoles, then download whatever digital games they want to be able to play, then they have to use my profile to play the games bought with my account. Kinda dumb, since it isn't really family sharing.
“It just works”
@Unit_DTH Well there is a big difference between being able to play games whenever you want and only being able to play them when you are signed into an online service.
Right now the only good solution I see is switching around which console you have activated, like leaving your home Switch activated until you go on a vacation then activate the Switch Lite, that is unless you take your Switch Lite around with you a lot.
Yea, honestly, I toyed with the idea of a Switch Lite as my mobile option and just leaving my og switch docked 100% of the time, but this is enough to dissuade me lol
It is pretty clear Nintendo hates money and doesn't really envision people having more than one Switch, and I know that sounds snarky, but it's fine with me. It's really an unnecessary 200 bucks for most people.
@JayJ Perhaps I wasn't clear in what I said. If you have both a Regular Switch and a Switch Lite, then (since it is designed entirely for portability) make the Lite your primary and the Classic Switch to your non-primary since it could be your "Home Console" and would always have an internet connection.
Also, constantly switching which console is your primary is a pain and should never be the case in this situation. Nintendo is doing some backwards stuff, but they do enjoy keeping archaic unintuitive systems in place for their online offerings.
I wasn’t too seriously thinking about adding a Lite into the mix anyway, but this is enough to prove it would be a bad fit. If I did it would be to use the Lite as an easier, sturdier portable option while the original remained the main system. I don’t like the idea of potentially hobbling my home system by having it require a steady online connection. I don’t trust my service enough for that. And of course a portable that requires a connection is no longer quite as portable as one would like.
The majority of my library is now digital as well, so that’s an issue. Of course DLC means many titles, even if you have the carts, aren’t fully able to go from one system to another. Got Smash physically? Ok, let’s pop it in and play as Banjo Kazooie and whoops, not there, huh? And how about Spyro on cart? Anything short of a setup where both consoles have full offline access to each game you’ve bought, whether physical or digital, is more hassle than it’s worth.
A user account should just allow for a user to have a regular Switch and a Lite that can both house any games and DLC purchased. If they can’t make that work while they still protect against unlawful sharing, then they’ll just have to do without sales of the Lite to people who want to use them this way.
It’s fine, though. Just what I needed to dampen the temptation of blowing $200 on one.
This rather bs hassle is probably why I won't be double dipping with a mini, although having a switch that really has a good handheld experience would be great. I play my Switch desktop sometimes but mainly console. Just don't like it as a handheld.
Couple things, though. Yes, this save file stuff sucks. Also, even desktop with the full size switch, a lot of games are hard to play/read. I didn't see some kind of magnifying tech here to increase size, not sure I want to break out my reading glasses. Last, this is the first iteration, I have to wonder what else will come down the path. Perhaps a weird hybrid Switch/3ds or something that was BC with 3ds. A long shot, but I really love the clamshell design, and I have a ton of good games on backlog with my 3ds I haven't even played once, much less all the great ones I would revisit.
@sanderev I don't mind him using my account, as long as he can use his profile (like I can now on my Switch).
Sounds like it will work as well as I want it to. The required internet connection won't be an issue for us since he use it either at our house, car or cabin and all three has internet connections.
This seems pretty complicated for casual fans. Most of us on the this message board are diehards and will figure this out.
For me personally, I'm thinking of find cheap, used copies of the games that my son and I may want to play together like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart, Smash etc. Other than that, my collection is almost entirely physical, he can just use whatever cart he wants. Oh Nintendo....so dated
Oh my God, this is crazy. I was thinking of buying a Switch Lite (or two!) for my daughters, but I'll wait until they fix this mess.
Holy crud, that's a lot to go through to move over saves if you own both devices, totally not worth it.
I don't care about saves across games, but if I own two Switches, can I play cartridge based games on both or will those also be tethered to the internet, as well?
I think the only way Nintendo could sell me an additional Switch Lite would be an Animal Crossing Bundle... and I would then use it for that game exclusively... that really is a big mess and I hope enough people complain about this so Nintendo changes something...
Dumbest. System. Ever.
Why do Nintendo sometimes hate us so much? Nothing worse than legislating for the minority that would abuse an easy-sharing policy, so the majority of us have to suffer. It’s anti-consumer, and means I’ll not purchase a second Switch for my daughter
Ha I was just asking whether this is like the PS4 primary/secondary console system and can you do game sharing the same way, and the answer seems to be yes.
@Bondi_Surfer Sure, I do prefer Apple's scheme for iOS games (5 devices, family sharing, no login requirement), but Nintendo's system looks basically identical to what Sony does with PSN on the PS4: to share games, you need to log on to the secondary console with the account the game is registered to, and then on to the primary console with a different account.
I would suggest considering getting a second Switch anyway and using the standard game sharing workaround. The advantages of gaming together are too much fun to miss even if you don't like Nintendo's DRM policy.
@variableman The PS4 works the same way. It isn't great, but it's OK. Lots of players manage to make it work and it's nice to be able to play games on two consoles.
Nintendo probably fears what happened with the PS3 where the original 5-console policy resulted in extensive game sharing coordinated via web sites (which players loved, but Sony hated because they felt they were losing money.) Sony backtracked on that to 3 on the PS3 and to the primary/secondary console scheme on the PS4.
Okay guys, i kinda made a stupid mistake.. I traded my (quite cracky) nintendo switch in for a Lite version. The store has mine old switch where I didn't perform a clean swipe (although the store worker told me he's gonna perform the factory reset later on). I made a new user on the Lite and i linked it with my nintendo account and i downloaded all mine previous games and savedata. Everything seems to be fine, but im not sure whether my console is the main or not... Anyone suggestions how i can check it or solve it?
@Jeaz Set up a new account on your switch, add this account to your son's switch and let him use that as his main account, buy the games on your switch using this new account let him play them using the new account you made and you play then using your own account, that way you can both have cloud saves, play then game at the same time and even play online together.
@Ckerigon Go to the eShop and click on your user icon look if you can see the heading primary console if the guy reset the switch it should tell you that your current console is the primary.
If it doesnt you can either go to the store and ask them to restore your old switch or call Nintendo and see if they can do anything
@8bitSquid
Yes it is! thanks m8!
@Ckerigon No problem
I’ve been using two switches for a while and it’s actually not hard. The cloud saving works pretty painlessly.
The only thing that really annoys me is that the playtime tracking doesn’t work properly, even though it appears to update your profile it doesn’t properly track. I played wolfenstein Youngblood for 15 hours across the two consoles using the same account/save and my profile has only logged “5 hours or more”. Hate it
Meanwhile on Xbox One.. Just use same account on different console, and it auto syncs.
I keep getting tempted by the yellow Switch Lite, but I just know it's going to be a total pain in the butt to keep things synched up. I've decided to be happy with what I already have. Imagine that!
Very helpful guide, thanks for this. I was wondering why the only game I could play on my Lite was the one I had on cartridge
Nice work gavin This issue is repeatedly asked about in the forum, and there will be plenty more wondering as the switch continues to sell well.
I just want to buy two Switch Lites for my kids so I can play my own Switch and not have to fight over it. But I still want them to be able to, occasionally, use the TV for games, which means they either need OG Switches and always stick to their own Switch, or they need Lites that can transfer save games properly.
Lites really seem more suited to their tiny hands, but it seems like a real hassle with the save games and multiple users. Way to be family friendly, Nintendo.
We bought a Switch (classic) for our daughter to take to college. Will all of this work between two classic Switch systems?
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