How to fix the most common problems with your Nintendo Switch
- nov
- 19
Problems with your Nintendo Switch? Our ultimate guide will help them disappear!
The Nintendo Switch is a ton of fun to play, but it's also a complicated piece of tech that doesn't quite follow the rules of typical consoles or tablets. It's not always obvious what to do when something doesn't quite behave the way you think it should. That's where this collection of Nintendo Switch troubleshooting steps comes in.
If you don't see your issue on the list, please leave us a comment, and we'll do everything we can to provide you with a solution you can use.
My controller got jammed on the wrist strap!
It turns out there's a right way and a wrong way to attach the wrist strap adapters to your Joy-Cons when they aren't attached to the Switch. If you go with the wrong way, nothing lines up, and it feels like you can't actually separate the halves anymore.
Don't panic! You didn't break your controller and it's not permanently stuck like that, though it may certainly feel like it when you try to pull the two pieces apart. The fix is simple, as long as you know how to do it!
How to fix a jammed Nintendo Switch controller
My Switch is HOT, like maybe too hot?!
If you've heard stories of phones exploding in people's pockets and gadgets melting from an overheating battery, it's easy to worry that your Switch is running hotter than it should, especially if you're not used to how hot consoles run. We decided to test the heat from the Switch using a thermal camera to allay any fears that it will fry or literally burn a hole in your pocket.
Is your Nintendo Switch running hot while in the dock?
My Joy-Cons seem too loose when I snap them into the Switch. Is that normal?
For the most part, a little wiggle is normal with the Joy-Con controllers when snapped into the Switch. However, there have been some complaints that it's not just a wiggle, but a downright un-attached controller that's causing the problem, and that's after making sure the Joy-Con is indeed properly snapped into place.
Here's how to check to see if your Joy-Cons are properly set, and what to do if you still experience a loose connection:
How to deal with loose Joy-Cons on your Nintendo Switch
Why is the sound on my television out of sync with my Switch game?
Your gaming experience can be extremely awkward if the sound from your television isn't syncing up with the Switch's gameplay. Fixing the issue can be a matter of adjusting the settings on your TV to reduce latency, which will improve your entire gameplay experience. You can also try the classic IT Crowd advice of turning it off and on again by rebooting the console.
If those fixes don't work, you might want to invest in some equipment to improve your sound quality. Here's a guide to the simple remedies and what you can buy if those fail.
How to fix television audio lag on Nintendo Switch
This Switch keeps changing the channel on my TV
If you are watching TV and accidentally roll over on your Switch controller, or someone else picks up a Joy-Con and presses buttons, all of a sudden, the TV will flip back to the Nintendo Switch input ready to play a game. It's a cool feature if you do it on purpose, but accidentally waking a controller can quickly pull you away from whatever you were doing on your television.
Fortunately, this feature is entirely optional. You can disable it without messing with any other features, and go back to life as it was before game consoles could adjust your TV at will.
How to stop your Nintendo Switch from taking over the television
The dock is scratching my Switch, how do I stop it?!
It's true, and it's so sad! If you're not extra careful about how you put the Switch in or take it out of its dock, you can get little scratches on the far sides of the display. The plastic on plastic rubbing together is just enough for little scratches, and they're particularly difficult to avoid depending on how many other people are using your Switch!
You need to be able to protect your Switch from more scratches, and that means making sure there's a solid way to use the dock without worrying about this being a problem.
Best screen protectors for Nintendo Switch 2020
How to make a dock sock for your Nintendo Switch
I want my Switch to stop changing the screen brightness. Help?
Nintendo Switch adjusts screen brightness based on how bright or dark the room you are in is. This works well enough in most situations, but if you're on a train or in a room with indirect light, these sensors can easily get it wrong, and you need to be able to mess with the brightness on your own.
Nintendo makes it easy to adjust the brightness as you see fit, but you can also entirely disable auto-brightness controls and be able to do things your way from now on.
Here's how you quickly adjust the brightness on your Nintendo Switch
My Switch has completely frozen and nothing works, what can I do?
In rare cases, my Switch has just stopped altogether and does nothing. For example, I was moving from one app to another, and suddenly none of the buttons worked. Not even the power button! That's a bad place to be, especially if you're trying to game on the go.
There are a couple of ways I found to deal with this problem. So, even though it doesn't happen often, there are quick ways to address it.
How to fix a frozen Nintendo Switch
I'm worried I might break the Switch kickstand!
You're not the only one. It might feel flimsy, but it's a pretty resilient piece of plastic, that kickstand. Actually, it's removable, too. So even if you accidentally manhandle it right off the back of your Switch, it probably didn't break, and you can just pop it right back on.
No, you're not going to snap the kickstand off your Switch
I accidentally bought a game that I don't want. How do I return it?
Eeehhh... (picture my face grimacing right now). Well, that could be a problem. If you purchased a physical game card and didn't open the package, you can probably return it to the retailer you purchased from. Games from the eShop, however, are a different story.
Want to return a Nintendo Switch game? Well, there's a catch
These Joy-Con controllers are just too small. They're cramping my style ... and my hands!
For some people, the Joy-Cons are a joy to play with. For others, however, there's just not enough controller to hold. Luckily, third-party accessory makers have come up with a variety of solutions, depending on your personal needs.
How to keep your Joy-Con controllers from hurting your hands
What's this blinking green light on my Switch dock, and how do I fix it?
When you set your Nintendo Switch into its dock, you may notice a solid green light letting you know all your connections are good. If that light starts blinking, there may be trouble. Be sure to try the things listed in the article linked below before calling Nintendo for a repair.
How to fix the blinking green light on your Nintendo Switch dock
How to fix controller drift on your Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons
Controller drift is one of the most annoying issues in gaming. It's a situation where your analog stick becomes too sensitive to input, so much so that characters in a game may start moving even if you're not pressing the analog stick. It happens on the Switch just like it does on any controller, and there are ways you can ease the pain.
How to fix Joy-Con controller drift on your Switch
I'm running out of room on my Nintendo Switch
Instead of deleting all those games to make room for more, you should know that storage is expandable on Nintendo Switch. You can buy any standard microSD card for your Nintendo Switch and use it to install your games to. New games can find the card just fine, but how do you move older games over? That can be a bit trickier. Let us help you.
Your Nintendo Switch troubleshooting tips?
Did you just pick up a Nintendo Switch because of some great Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals? Is your Nintendo Switch having issues that we didn't mention here? Or do you have any experience with Nintendo Switch troubleshooting? Let us know what happened and how you fixed it.
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