How to transfer digital games between Switch systems

Information received about Switch prior to the console’s launch indicated that you’d be able to easily transfer digital games between systems. So long as you have a Nintendo Account, it should be possible. Nintendo has since published information on its support site that explains how you can go about transferring games. And fortunately, it’s pretty simple.

Below are the full steps:

1. On the active Nintendo Switch console, use your Nintendo Account to access the Nintendo eShop and deactivate the console.
   • If you don’t have access to the active console, please contact us for additional assistance.

2. On the second Nintendo Switch console, link your Nintendo Account to a new or existing user account.
3. Use your Nintendo Account to access the Nintendo eShop on the second console. The system will automatically be set as the active console for your Nintendo Account.
   • To verify, check that the “Active-Console Status” shows as “active” in your Nintendo eShop Account Information.
4. You can now use this account to add funds, purchase games, and download new and previous software purchases.
   • All user profiles on the active console will be able to play the games.
   • If you want to move the purchases to a different system (or back to the first one), complete steps 1-3 again to deactivate this console and activate a different one.

Nintendo shares these tidbits as well, though they’re fairly obvious:

• To move games from one console to another, you will need to deactivate the console where the games currently are, then activate the new Nintendo Switch console. You can then download and play your games on the new system.
• You can activate one Nintendo Switch console per Nintendo Account.
• Games can be downloaded and played on the activated Nintendo Switch console for the Nintendo Account.
• The games will not be playable on a deactivated system unless you make that the active one again for your Nintendo Account.

Note that it is impossible to transfer save data between systems. Also, games can only be played on one console at a time.

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