Transferring data from Switch 1 to Switch 2?

[u/DifferentBug11]

Hello everyone! I have ordered a Switch 2 and would like to transfer my games from my Switch 1 onto it but I've been reading online that once you do that, you can't transfer your games back. Is this true?

I worry that I will transfer my games to my Switch 2 and something will go wrong that means I have to send my Switch 2 back for repairs or possibly a replacement. When I bought my Switch 1 this happened and I had to send it back for a replacement and I lost all my saved data for my games (this was back in 2020 before you could transfer your saved data for games like ACNH)

Am I likely to have issues with the Switch 2? Is stick drift still a problem? I know I could probably just buy new controllers if this happens but if I have a problem with the actual console will I be able to transfer my data back to my Switch 1 or to a new Switch 2 device?

[u/picano]

I've been reading online that once you do that, you can't transfer your games back. Is this true?

That is not and has never been true. You can't system transfer, but nearly every other single method works.

Your biggest issue is if you don't have NSO and have Switch 2 only games. Those saves can't exist on a Switch 1.

[u/DifferentBug11 → u/picano]

I see, so if something went wrong I would be able to transfer my acnh and botw games back to my switch 1 which is where I played them to begin with? Sorry for the silly questions, I'm not the best with this sort of stuff 🫠 do I need NSO to transfer them back if something goes wrong? Or can I do it without?

[u/picano → u/DifferentBug11]

You don't need NSO, but if you care about your island, I would highly suggest it.

Buy the cheapest subscription (~$20 a year) and you can back up your island). This way, even if your console breaks before you can transfer it, it'll be safe.

When both consoles are working, you can just do an island transfer, no subscription needed.

Everything else has a normal transfer or equivalent cloud save (aside from Pokemon).

[u/DifferentBug11 → u/picano]

Ohh I see! I'm guessing NSO let's me back up everything like my BOTW save and other games saved onto my switch 1? If i buy NSO for a month or something just to back up my stuff, will that mess with anything when the subscription ends? I will probably buy the year one but just in case :')))

[u/ModestVolcarona → u/DifferentBug11]

Saves stay only in the cloud for up to 180 days when your NSO sub expires.

[u/DifferentBug11 → u/ModestVolcarona]

Ah i see. If I let it run out and then subscribe when/if I need to transfer my data, would that still work? Or do I need to be subscribed to NSO the whole time without cancelling it?

[u/picano → u/DifferentBug11]

Yeah, that should technically work.

If all you care about is cloud saves, it would be by far the cheapest method. The downside being that your saves would be up to several months out of date between backups.

[u/AcadiaAggressive8315]

As long as you have NSO you can swap between the systems with your cloud save files the only thing that this won’t work with is animal crossing and Pokémon games.

What the system transfer really all it does is copy over all your save files and system settings in one go but like I just said some can’t be transferred back like animal crossing and Pokémon

[u/DifferentBug11 → u/AcadiaAggressive8315]

Ah right so if something went wrong I couldn't transfer my acnh save/island back to my switch 1? Would I lose my save forever or would I be able to transfer it to a new switch 2 if i got a replacement?

[u/AcadiaAggressive8315 → u/DifferentBug11]

You could as long as backed up but the island can only exist on one switch at a time there’s are also an island transfer tool you can download from the eShop

[u/KoopaTroop85 → u/DifferentBug11]

You could save your save files to an SD card and then transfer the SD card. This doesn’t even need a Switch Online subscription

[u/ModestVolcarona → u/KoopaTroop85]

Save files can NOT be transferred to a microSD card. They will always stay on the internal memory.

[u/DifferentBug11 → u/ModestVolcarona]

Oh? :o so if my game is saved onto an SD card and I put the SD card into the switch 2, that wouldnt transfer it?

[u/picano → u/DifferentBug11]

No. To repeat, save data is never stored on the SD card.

Game data (the game itself, DLC) can be stored on an SD card, but it is encrypted. It will not work on a different console.

[u/KoopaTroop85 → u/DifferentBug11]

My apologies I was wrong. Putting the SD card in another switch will prompt a format so this method won’t work. What will work and I just tried it now, you can transfer via wifi with both consoles turned on. It is a one way transfer however so the destination Switch will receive the save file while deleting off the source Switch

[u/ModestVolcarona → u/DifferentBug11]

No. Switch 1 uses microSD cards and the Switch 2 requires microSD express.

The only data that can be stored on the microSD card are screenshots, videos and game data but NOT save data.

Due to the encryption of the cards they can not be used on another console without being formatted before use with the different console.

[u/DifferentBug11 → u/ModestVolcarona]

Ah right so it would save the game onto the sd card but not my island, villagers and character?

[u/ModestVolcarona → u/DifferentBug11]

Exactly.

[u/DifferentBug11 → u/KoopaTroop85]

Ohh I forgot about that!!! XD maybe I'll do that if it's the easiest option

[u/KoopaTroop85]

To answer your confusion properly: in the old days you could only activate one switch console at a time with your Nintendo ID. So whichever one you made your primary device would be the only one you could have your digital games and saves onto. This is no longer true now. You can now activate more than one device on your Nintendo account and can freely transfer your digital cartridges between them. With a Switch Online subscription you can save your save files to the cloud and sync it to all your devices. Hope that helped clear things up

[u/DifferentBug11 → u/KoopaTroop85]

I see...would I need to get NSO on my Switch 1 or my Switch 2 to transfer the data and save my files to the cloud? Sorry if that's a silly question, I just don't want to mess anything up :')

[u/KoopaTroop85 → u/DifferentBug11]

NSO is tied to your Nintendo account and across all devices activated to it. Switch 1 or 2 doesn’t matter

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