How to reset Nintendo Switch (and Switch OLED) to factory settings

Restoring the factory settings of a Nintendo Switch is a process also known as a “hard reset” and offers several options to fix software problems or protect data before reselling the console. In this article, I will guide you step by step through the process of resetting your Nintendo Switch’s factory settings.

How to perform the Nintendo Switch factory settings reset

The easiest way to hard reset your Nintendo Switch is through the main menu. Follow these steps:

Step 1: On the main screen, go to the “System Settings” menu located at the bottom left of the screen, depicted as a gear icon.

Step 2: Press the “A” button to display a list of options on the left side of the screen.

Step 3: From the list of options, select “System.”

Step 4: The options in the “System” menu will appear on the right side of the screen. Scroll down to the lowest option, “Initialize.” This will open a new menu with several options for restoring your Nintendo Switch. Read on to find out which option best suits your needs.

Options for restoring your Nintendo Switch to factory settings.

If you followed the previous steps correctly, you will be presented with several restore options. Choose carefully to get the correct type of reset.

Cache reset: use this option if you want to delete the Internet browser data from your Switch, but keep everything else. This includes saved user IDs and passwords for various websites, such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as your Switch’s browser history.

Keyboard reset: the Nintendo Switch’s virtual keyboard keeps track of the words and phrases you type and saves data on the words you use most often. Use this data to offer predictive writing options for the words you use often, speeding up the writing process. This option will erase the data related to this predictive writing feature.

Format the microSD card: to use a microSD card as additional storage for the Nintendo Switch, you must format it. This option will erase all data on the microSD card you insert into your Switch, allowing you to use it in the console when you are finished. If you encounter errors when using a microSD card on your Switch, this is the option for you.

Initialize the console: this is the most drastic option. This option will reset your Switch to factory settings, erasing all saved data, screenshots, videos, Switch usernames, browser data, game data, and system updates. It will also reset system settings, such as parental controls, to their defaults. If you have a Nintendo user account linked to online services such as Nintendo eShop, the account will still exist online, but it will no longer be linked to your Switch. According to Nintendo, your Switch data stored on a microSD card will not be deleted. However, with the exception of screenshots and videos, the data on the microSD card will become unusable.

Use this option only as a last resort if you are deleting your Switch completely or if you encounter errors so annoying that you cannot resolve them with other options. Nintendo stresses that an Internet connection is required to reformat the console.

What to do after restoring your Nintendo Switch to factory settings.

You may lose some data when restoring your Nintendo Switch’s factory settings. However, all will not be lost-you will be able to reinstall the games you previously purchased.

After connecting your Switch back to your Nintendo account, you will be able to download games or DLC from Nintendo eShop conveniently. You won’t have to worry about physical copies of your favorite games. You will have the option to reinstall them at a later time.

To do this, insert the microSD card into your computer before formatting. Once the card is inserted, select the “Albums” folder. From there, you can locate and restore images, screenshots or other files saved on your computer. After completing this, simply remove the SD card and insert it into the Switch console. At that point, the Switch device should restore the default settings.

Conclusions

Restoring the Nintendo Switch’s factory settings can be a useful operation to fix software problems or protect data before reselling the console. By following the steps outlined in this article, you will be able to properly hard reset your Nintendo Switch and choose the reset option that best suits your needs.

Always remember to back up your important data before performing the factory reset. That way, you can easily restore your games and data after the reset process.

We hope this guide has been helpful to you! If you have any other questions about Nintendo Switch or other related topics, please feel free to contact us.

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