How to upgrade your Nintendo Switch storage and migrate your games
The Nintendo Switch only comes with 32GB of internal storage, which is minuscule if you plan on having more than just a handful of games and apps downloaded to your handheld console. The solution is to use a microSD card to expand the Switch’s storage. But what’s the easiest way to do that? And if you already have a microSD card and want to use a new one with more capacity, how do you migrate your files? Don’t worry; we’ll walk you through it all.
Before you begin, it’s always a good idea to back up your games to a desktop computer using a microSD card. Of course, any title downloaded from the Nintendo eShop (they’re tied to your account) can be archived and downloaded again directly, if needed. But it takes a lot longer to download your whole library; having a local copy will save time.
Game saves (like your completed run of The Master Trials in Breath of the Wild) are saved locally to the Switch’s internal memory. As long as you archive and don’t delete game data on the Switch, you won’t lose your valuable saved data.
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To get started, you’ll need: a computer (the OS doesn’t matter as long as you have storage space), a microSD card adapter (if your computer doesn’t have a microSD slot), and finally, a microSD card. Nintendo recommends using a single microSD card that’s UHS-I (Ultra High Speed Phase I) compliant, with transfer speeds of 60 to 95 MB/s; the higher, the better. Don’t use multiple microSD cards with different games on the same Switch because that can cause conflicts.
The setup process should be performed in handheld mode (i.e., not docked) alongside your computer since you will require access to the storage slot underneath the kickstand. This process is the same regardless of whether you’re
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