Preparing Your Console for Sale or Troubleshooting
Whether you are upgrading to the newer Nintendo Switch OLED model, selling your original console to a friend, or attempting to fix a severe software crash that prevents the system from booting properly, you will need to perform a factory reset.
A factory reset wipes the console completely clean. It deletes your Nintendo account information, your saved Wi-Fi passwords, your screenshots and videos, and all downloaded games. When the process finishes, the console will behave exactly as it did the day you took it out of the cardboard box, presenting the initial setup screen to the next person who turns it on.
Before you begin this process, it is vital to understand that save data for your games is stored on the console’s internal memory, not on the game cartridges. If you do not have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription (which automatically backs up your saves to the cloud), or if you do not manually transfer your profile to a new Switch console before resetting this one, you will permanently lose hundreds of hours of game progress.
Method 1: Factory Reset from the Settings Menu
If your Switch is turning on normally and you can navigate the menus without crashing, this is the easiest and safest way to wipe the system.
- Ensure the console is connected to the internet. (Nintendo requires an internet connection during a reset to properly unlink your digital account from the hardware).
- From the Home screen, navigate to the bottom row of circular icons and select the gear icon labelled System Settings.
- Scroll all the way down the left-hand menu until you reach the very bottom option: System.
- Scroll all the way down the right-hand menu and select Formatting Options. (You may be asked to enter your Parental Controls PIN if you have one set up).
- Select the very last option on the list: Initialize Console.
- The Switch will present a stern warning explaining exactly what data is about to be destroyed. Read it carefully, then select Next.
- The console will connect to the internet to unlink your Nintendo Account. Once complete, a red button will appear. Select Initialize to begin the final wipe.
The screen will go black, and a progress bar will appear. Do not touch the power button during this process. Once finished, the console will reboot to the initial language selection screen. You can now safely hold the power button to turn it off completely and pack it into a box.
Method 2: Factory Reset using Maintenance Mode
If your Switch is frozen on the Nintendo logo, crashing immediately upon boot, or if the touchscreen and controllers are unresponsive, you will not be able to reach the System Settings menu. In this scenario, you must boot the console into a hidden diagnostic menu called Maintenance Mode.
- Press and hold the physical Power button on the top left edge of the console for 12 seconds until the screen goes completely black. This forces the console to shut down entirely.
- Now, press and hold both Volume buttons (Volume Up and Volume Down) simultaneously.
- While still holding both Volume buttons, press the Power button once to turn the console on.
- Keep holding the Volume buttons until a black screen with white text appears. This is Maintenance Mode.
Inside Maintenance Mode, you have two options for resetting the console:
Option A: Initialize Console Without Deleting Save Data
If you are trying to fix a broken console but want to keep your game progress, choose this option first. It deletes the operating system files and reinstalls them, but it deliberately leaves your save files, screenshots, and user profiles intact. This fixes 90% of software crashes without destroying your progress.
Option B: Initialize Console
If you are selling the console, or if Option A failed to fix your crashing issue, select this option. This performs the exact same total, destructive wipe as Method 1, erasing absolutely everything on the internal storage.
Once you select your option and confirm the warning, the progress bar will appear, and the console will reboot when finished.
