Considering Buying Second Switch - Transfer Game Data from Old Switch to New Switch

Considering Buying Second Switch - Transfer Game Data from Old Switch to New Switch - Black and white from above of anonymous male switching channels on retro black television placed in wooden table on street

TLDR: How do I move a secondary account to a new Switch without losing the secondary account's game data

My girlfriend and I currently share a Nintendo Switch, but sometimes we would like to play different games at the same time. I was thinking about getting her a Switch of her own, but she has spent many hours on game progress and would not like to lose it.

We both have Nintendo accounts, but based on the research I've been able to find it appears only the primary account on the Switch (my account) would be able to switch game data over.

Questions:

  • Is this true?
  • If so, is there any way to make her the primary account holder on my current Switch so she can transfer her data to the new Switch and then I just have to start over?
  • If I had two Switches, would I have to re-purchase the games I've already paid for?

Summary: I would like to get a new Switch, take all of the games I've already purchased on the old Switch, put them on the new Switch, make my girlfriend's profile the primary on the new Switch, and lose none of her game data. Preferably I wouldn't want my data lost either, but I don't mind starting over if I have to.

Any advice would help and is much appreciated!






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Will I lose my game data if I get a new Switch?

The new Switch has to have enough internal storage space to support the new data. Once the transfer is completed, the data won't be on the old Switch anymore. You can't have it on both. Screenshots and video captures saved to internal memory won't be transferred.

Does game data transfer between switches?

Save data can only be transferred between users that are linked to the same Nintendo Account. Both consoles must have system menu version 8.0. 0 or higher, be connected to the Internet, and near each other.

Do you have to rebuy games for a second Switch?

You need a Nintendo Account to buy games in the Switch eShop, and any purchases you make are tied to that account. Anyone with a profile on your Switch can play the games you've bought, even if you're not logged in; up to eight users can link their accounts to one Switch unit.

Do Switch games transfer to new Switch?

From within the System Settings of the original console, use the option to "Transfer Your User" for each account you wish to transfer. You can also select \u201cTransfer Your Save Data\u201d if you want to move an individual game save file to a different system.



Nintendo Switch Lite: How to Transfer Everything to your New Switch (Profile, Save Data, Games)




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Anete Lusina, Alif Sagor, Caleb Oquendo, Andrea Piacquadio