How to Reset Nintendo Switch: Restart, Factory Reset or Keep Your Saves
How to reset Nintendo Switch: restart, factory reset in System Settings, or use Recovery Mode to restore factory settings while keeping your save data.
Here’s how to reset Nintendo Switch completely: open System Settings > System > Formatting Options > Restore Factory Settings. That deletes everything on the console. To reset it but keep your saves, power it off, hold both volume buttons, press POWER, and pick Restore Factory Settings Without Deleting Save Data in Recovery Mode. Frozen console? Hold POWER for 12 seconds first. These steps match Nintendo’s support pages as of November 2026 and Switch system version 23.0.1 (released October 1, 2026, per Nintendo’s update log). Switch 2 uses the same button combo.
Key takeaways
Which Switch reset do you need?
“Reset” covers four different actions on a Switch, and they wipe very different amounts of data. Pick the lightest one that fixes your problem. Here’s how they compare, based on Nintendo’s support documentation.
| Reset | What it deletes | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Force restart | Nothing. It only cuts power to a stuck console. | The screen froze or buttons do nothing |
| Clear Cache | Saved web data such as cookies and stored logins | Sign-in or web-based screens misbehave |
| Restore without deleting save data | Installed software and update data. Saves, screenshots and users stay. | Crashes or error codes keep coming back after a restart |
| Restore Factory Settings | Everything in system memory, including saves and user profiles | Selling, gifting, or a last-resort fix |
Our take: most “my Switch is broken” moments end at the first row. Start at the top and only move down when the lighter fix fails.
How to force restart a frozen Switch
A force restart is what most people mean by “reset.” Nothing gets deleted, and it takes under a minute.
- Hold the POWER button for at least 12 seconds until the screen goes black. On Switch 2, Nintendo’s freeze guide says to hold it for at least 20 seconds, with the Joy-Con 2 attached and the console out of the dock.
- Press POWER once to turn the console back on.
- If the freeze returns, take out the game card and microSD card, then run System Settings > System > System Update.
A console that still responds doesn’t need the long press. Hold POWER for three seconds, choose Power Options, then Restart.
How to factory reset Nintendo Switch from System Settings
This is the full wipe. It returns the console to its out-of-box state, except the installed system version, which stays the same.
- Connect to the internet. Nintendo says a console reset offline isn’t deregistered as your account’s active console until it next opens the eShop.
- Open System Settings on the HOME Menu.
- Scroll down to System, then select Formatting Options.
- Enter your Parental Controls PIN if asked.
- Select Restore Factory Settings, read the warning, choose Next, then select Restore Factory Settings again.
Your Nintendo Account isn’t deleted. It’s unlinked from the console, and once you sign back in you can redownload what you bought, though Nintendo warns that software no longer being distributed may not come back. Games stored on a microSD card stay on the card but become unusable, apart from screenshots and videos, so plan to delete and redownload them.
How to reset a Switch without deleting save data
Recovery Mode has a middle option that removes software but keeps saves, screenshots and user profiles. Use it when crashes or error codes keep returning and a restart didn’t help.
- Power the console fully off: hold POWER for three seconds, then Power Options > Power Off.
- Hold volume up (+) and volume down (-) together, then press POWER once.
- Keep holding both volume buttons until the Recovery Mode menu appears.
- Choose Restore Factory Settings Without Deleting Save Data, enter your PIN if prompted, select Next, and confirm.
Recovery Mode also lists a plain Restore Factory Settings option. Nintendo says to use it only when the System Settings route won’t work, and that it takes about five minutes on consoles running system 10.0.0 or later. Never use the keep-saves option before selling. Nintendo is clear that a console leaving your hands needs the full reset, because this one leaves your saves and user info behind.
What’s different on Nintendo Switch 2
Switch 2 follows the same logic, with a few changes worth knowing before you start.
- The Recovery Mode combo is identical: hold volume up and down, press POWER once.
- A full restore deletes everything in console memory, including software, saves, screenshots, videos and user info, per Nintendo’s Switch 2 support page.
- Linked Nintendo Accounts are unlinked, not deleted, so purchases and eShop balance stay with your account.
- After a keep-saves reset, software on a microSD Express card stops working, screenshots excepted.
- For a locked-up Switch 2, Nintendo’s steps call for holding POWER at least 20 seconds, versus 12 on the original Switch.
Back up your saves before a full reset
The full reset is the only option that destroys saves, so sort them first. Nintendo gives you two official routes.
- Save Data Cloud: included with a Nintendo Switch Online membership. Some games opt out, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, so check each game before you wipe.
- Transfer Your Save Data: found under System Settings > Data Management, it moves saves to another nearby console over local wireless.
Save portability is slowly getting better across the industry. Platform holders have confirmed a cross-save standard for 2027 releases, but that won’t protect saves from games you own today. Back them up now.
Resetting before you sell or gift it
Do three things in order: back up, run Restore Factory Settings while connected to the internet, then check that the console boots to the language selection screen. That first-boot screen is your proof the wipe worked.
If problems survive a full reset, the next step is Nintendo’s repair service, not a screwdriver. Opening the console yourself can void warranty coverage, so book the repair through Nintendo support first. Keeping the console instead? Our rundown of the first ten settings to change on a new console works just as well on a freshly wiped one.
Start light. Back up. Then wipe. In that order, a reset never costs you more than it should.
If the console isn’t lasting long enough between charges, our Switch 2 battery life guide explains how to stretch it.
FAQ
Will I lose my games if I reset my Switch?
Not permanently. A full reset removes installed software, but digital purchases stay on your Nintendo Account, so you can redownload them after signing back in, unless a game is no longer distributed. Physical games just need the cartridge. Saves are different: they’re gone for good unless you backed them up first.
What if I forgot my Parental Controls PIN?
The Switch asks for the PIN before any factory reset. If the console is linked to the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smartphone app, you can view the PIN in the app’s settings. Without the app, contact Nintendo support, which can help you recover access using information shown on the console.
How often should you restart a Switch?
Nintendo doesn’t publish a schedule, and sleep mode is built for daily use. Our take: restart when something feels off, like a sluggish HOME Menu, a download stuck at zero, or a game that refuses to launch. A full power-off every so often is harmless and clears out minor glitches before they pile up.
Cassia Fenwick
Cassia Fenwick is a staff writer at Console Alley, covering console gaming from the latest hardware questions to the games players return to for years. Her work moves across news, practical guides, reviews, gaming gear, and the wider culture around games. Whether she is breaking down a new console feature or explaining a mechanic in a familiar favorite, she writes with a straightforward goal: help readers understand what matters and what to do next. She pays particular attention to the small details that shape the playing experience. A controller compatibility rule, a battery-life setting, a difficult-to-find resource, or a change introduced by a game update can make the difference between a frustrating evening and a rewarding one. Her published coverage includes Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 questions, Terraria, Stardew Valley, and The Sims 4, with explanations that welcome readers who may be discovering a game for the first time or returning after time away. Cassia's style is clear, patient, and grounded in practical examples. Rather than assuming readers already know the terminology, she begins with the question at hand, adds the context that genuinely helps, and keeps instructions easy to follow. She is interested not only in how a feature works, but also why its design matters—especially when a small interaction, interface decision, or unexpected mechanic changes how a game feels. Outside her gaming coverage, Cassia enjoys colorful postcards, making books, and noticing the shapes, colors, and details built into everyday objects. That curiosity carries naturally into her writing, where overlooked features and thoughtful design can provide a fresh way to look at a game. Her aim is for every article to be useful on its own: approachable enough for a newcomer, specific enough for someone looking for a quick answer, and enjoyable enough to leave readers with something new to explore.
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