How to transfer games to Switch 2 from Switch 1

Donkey Kong punching through rocks in Donkey Kong Bananza with Pauline on his shoulder — (Image credit: Nintendo)

A System Transfer from Nintendo Switch 1 to Switch 2 is a great idea if you own the previous console generation, allowing you to carry over your user accounts, data, games, settings, save data, parental controls, system settings, and more besides. It basically moves everything you'd naturally want from the Switch 1 to the new console, so if you're hoping to carry over from where you left off, here's how.

How to do a Nintendo Switch 2 System Transfer during setup

The screen where you can transfer your data from Switch 1 to Switch 2 during the setup process for Switch 2 — (Image credit: Nintendo)

When turning on your Nintendo Switch 2 for the first time, you'll be given the chance during setup to do a system transfer from the Nintendo Switch 1. You don't have to, although I highly recommend it, and if you do then these are the steps involved:

Sign in to your Nintendo Account by scanning the QR code presented on the Switch 2 with your phone and following the instructions.
Move your Switch 1 and Switch 2 close together so that they connect.
On the Switch 1, go to System Settings > System > System Transfer and follow the instructions until it says "Searching for the Nintendo Switch 2 console".
Your Switch 2 should show the option a moment later to "Start Receiving Data". Select that, and keep the two consoles charged, connected to the internet, and close together until the process is finished.

For more details, check out our Nintendo Switch 2 setup guide. Of course, if you want to know if all this is worth it, a system transfer between Switch 1 and Switch 2 carries over the following:

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Users and Accounts
Purchased digital games
Game save data
Captured screenshots / videos
Certain system settings
Parental Controls

How to do a Nintendo Switch 2 System Transfer after setup

Feebas in Pokemon Legends ZA — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Your options for a system transfer after setup are pretty limited, unfortunately. If you do a factory reset on the Switch 2 you can regain the option when doing setup again but otherwise you can't do the full reset.

In fact, the only thing you can do is log in to your previous user account on your Nintendo Switch 2 and manually download games individually. It's slower, and it doesn't transfer certain settings, cloud saves, or images. Basically, if you think "I'll do it later" when offered the setup system transfer, I really recommend just doing it now and getting it out of the way.

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Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.