Update system: Before you do a reset, try updating your system. You just need Wi-Fi. Updates can fix freezes or fast battery drainage.
This instruction will work with: Nintendo Switch Family, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch — OLED Model.
How to reset Nintendo Switch
In this post, I will show you how to reset the Nintendo Switch system and delete all settings. You can reset your console if it has problems or you want to sell it.
Internet connection is required to format the system.
Any associated Nintendo Accounts will still exist after the system is formatted, and can be re-added to Nintendo Switch systems.
Nintendo Switch hard reset instruction
- Find System Settings on the HOME Menu.
- Go down to System, and select it.
- Find and tap Formatting Options.
- In this step, you need to enter your Parental Control PIN. If you Forgot your PIN you need to restore it. How to restore pin read here
- Select Initialize Console to delete all data in the system memory.
- Select Next to continue.
- Press Initialize to complete the process.
How to reset Nintendo Switch Console Without losing games.
- Power Off your device
- If the console does not respond, hold down the POWER Button for 12 seconds to force it to shut down.
- In the next steps press and hold down the volume up (+) and volume down (-) buttons, then press the POWER Button to turn the console on.
- Keep holding down the Vol buttons until seeing the recovery menu.
- Select “Restore Factory Settings Without Deleting Save Data“.
- If a Parental Controls PIN has been set for the console, you will need to enter it.
How to Reset the Nintendo Switch’s Cache
- On the Nintendo Switch home screen, select Settings.
- Scroll down and select System on the left menu.
- Slide down and select Formatting Options.
- Select Reset Cache.
- Reset keyboard:
- Format microSD card
- A warning that you can’t restore the data will pop up. Select Reset.
- Initialize console:
- Initialize console without deleting save data