How to transfer Nintendo Switch internal storage data to a microSD card

Follow the steps in this tutorial to transfer data between the internal storage of your Nintendo Switch and a microSD memory card.

Official SanDisk micro SD cards for Nintendo Switch in green, red, yellow, blue-green, and black colors
Image: SanDisk

One of my favorite things about Nintendo Switch is the ability to use microSD cards for expanded storage. If you play a lot of games, you’ll probably want to buy a microSD card for your Nintendo Switch to overcome the limitations of the internal storage, capped at 32 gigabytes. Transferring data between the internal storage and a removable microSD card will free up storage space on the console.

We’ll show you how to do just that in today’s tutorial. But first, let’s go over some of the basics of using microSD cards on Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo Switch and microSD cards

While you could technically use any microSD card with your Nintendo Switch, only certain models with specific speed ratings will yield the best gaming performance. Nintendo advises using the following memory card types with the Switch:

  • microSD (up to 2GB)
  • microSDHC (between 4GB and 32GB)
  • microSDXC (64GB and higher)

Nintendo Switch does not support miniSD or SD cards. The microSD standard is the smallest of them all and looks like this:

128GB microSD card licensed for the Nintendo Switch

For best performance, Nintendo recommends memory cards with these specs:

  • UHS-I (Ultra-High Speed Phase 1) compatibility
  • Transfer speeds of at least 60-95 megabytes per second

Manufacturers put the UHS rating on the face of the card. For instance, you may see “U1” or “U3.” The higher the number, the better. Keep in mind that manufactures often overestimated data transfer speeds based on peak performance scenarios. As a rule of thumb, use as fast a microSD card as you can afford (cards exceeding 60-95 megabytes per second  shouldn’t cost much more).

You can pick official Nintendo-licensed microSD cards made by SanDisk or ordinary microSD cards without Nintendo branding. Nintendo-licensed microSD cards look nice and are certified to work with the Switch, but opting for a comparable non-Nintendo one can save you a few bucks although you’ll need to format it properly.

Your Switch can save the following data to a memory card:

  • Downloadable software
  • Software update data
  • Downloadable content (DLC)
  • Screenshots and captured videos

Follow along with us as we show you how to move data from the internal storage of your Nintendo Switch to a microSD card.

Move data between Nintendo Switch’s internal storage and a microSD memory card

1) Insert a microSD card into the dedicated slot behind the kickstand of your Nintendo Switch, then push in until it clicks.

2) Wake up the console and select System Settings on the Home Screen.

System Settings on a Nintendo Switch home screen.

3) Scroll down and select the Data Management section, then choose the Move Data Between System / microSD Card option.

Move data between system and microSD card on Nintendo Switch.

4) Select the Move to microSD Card option.

Nintendo Switch Move Data Between System and microSD Card option.

5) Select the game(s) and/or data you want to move to the microSD card (you can choose more than one).

Nintendo Switch microSD Move Data.

6) Hit the green Move Data button.

7) In the confirmation prompt that appears, select the Move option.

Nintendo Switch microSD move confirmation message.

8) The data transfer will begin.

Nintendo Switch moving data to microSD transfer progress.

9) When you see a prompt that the data has been transferred, choose OK.

Nintendo Switch microSD Data Move Completed.

And that’s all there is to it!

Pro tip: To move data from a microSD card to the console’s internal storage, follow the steps above but choose the Move to System Memory option instead.

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