How to fix the blinking green light of death on the Switch
- sep
- 16
Here's what to do when the green light on your dock starts flashing.
So one moment everything was fine. You were playing with your Switch and having a grand ol' time. Next thing you know, something has gone terribly wrong. You put your Nintendo Switch in its dock and suddenly the green LED on the front of your dock starts blinking. Even worse, your Switch doesn't seem to be outputting a signal to you're your TV or charging.
It seems that you have encountered what is beginning to be colloquially known as the blinking green light of death. Well, before you throw your Switch down the garbage disposal and sit down for a nice long cry, there are a few things you can try to get your Switch back in working order.
Check for updates
- Undock your Switch and go to the Settings menu to ensure that there are no updates available for your Switch.
- Once you are certain that you are up to date, restart you Switch by holding the Power button for three seconds, selecting Power Options, and choose Restart.
Power Cycle
- Unplug the HDMI cable from your dock, unplug your power cable from the wall and your dock and wait for 30 seconds.
- While you are waiting the 30 seconds, take this opportunity to inspect your power cable to ensure that it is not damaged in any way.
- Plug everything back in and see if that resolved the issue.
Skip the middleman
- If none of these things worked for you, plug the power cable directly into your Switch. If it begins to charge, the dock is the likely culprit.
If you have a faulty or malfunctioning dock, you're unfortunately going to have to send it in to Nintendo for repair. If you're not under warranty, you're going to have to pick up a new one. New Switch docks are still a little pricey but you can buy one at Amazon for $90
Hopefully, you were able to get your dock back in working order. If not, I wish you all the best and I hope that everything will come to a quick and simple resolution.
Have you experienced the blinking green light of death? Let us know about it in the comments.