If your Nintendo Switch is playing up and having glitches, or if you’re about to sell it or give it to someone, you might want to reset it.
There are a few different ways to reset your Switch with slightly different results, and we’ll run you through each in turn, down below.
Since all of Nintendo’s Switch models run the same software, these steps should work on original Switches, Switch Lites and Switch OLED models in the same way.
How to hard reset your Switch
If you want to keep all your data but perform a total reboot of your Switch (for example, if it’s not turning on), the steps are quite simple.
When the system is powered off, hold the power button for 15 secondsRelease the power button then press it to power onIf your console boots, the reset has been completed
How to factory reset your Switch
If you’re instead looking to wipe your Switch completely clean, ready for a new user to set themselves up on it without access to any of your data, you’ll want to factory reset the console. Do that by following these steps:
From the console’s home menu, select Settings Scroll down to System on the left menu barScroll to the bottom of these options and select Formatting OptionsSelect Initialize Console then hit OKWait for the process to erase your data
Once this is over, your console will be like new and all data will be gone. Back up anything you want to keep, first!
If you can’t do the steps above you can go a more in-depth route, with the steps below.
With the console powered off, hold down the volume up and volume down keys, then hold the power buttonHold these buttons down until Maintenance Mode startsFrom here, select Initialize Console to erase your data (an option is there to keep your saves instead)
Either of those routes should let you factory reset your console, as desired.