The Nintendo Switch and its two siblings, the Nintendo Switch OLED and Nintendo Switch Lite, are all fantastic consoles that boast a massive and high-quality games library.
However, with a base storage of just 32GB, the vanilla Nintendo Switch model will not be able to store too many games, screenshots or videos, meaning that you may want to invest in a MicroSD card for additional storage.
But if you’ve reached the point where you have too many games and you know you’re not going to be revisiting them anytime soon, an easier option would be to erase some of the game save data files from your Switch. Not only does this free up storage, but it means you can replay your games from the beginning and relive the magic.
Read on to find out the easiest way to delete your game save data on a Nintendo Switch. It’s important to note that once you delete your game save data there is no way to recover it, so make sure you’re happy with your choice before you delete any data.
What you’ll need:
- A Nintendo Switch
The Short Version
- Click on Settings
- Go to Data Management
- Click on Delete Save Data
- Choose the game you want to delete
- Click Delete All Save Data for This Software
- Press Delete Save Data
Step
1Click on Settings
Turn on your Nintendo Switch and click on Settings from the menu at the bottom of the screen.
Step
2Go to Data Management
Scroll down to Data Management.
Step
3Click on Delete Save Data
Scroll down and choose the Delete Save Data option.
Step
4Choose the game you want to delete
You will be presented with a list of games that are on your console. Choose the game you want to delete to save data for.
Step
5Click Delete All Save Data for This Software
Click on the Delete All Save Data for This Software button to continue.
Step
6Press Delete Save Data
Make sure you are happy with your choices and that you have saved your game data on a Micro SD if necessary, and then click the red Delete Save Data button.
Troubleshooting
No, the game will not be uninstalled from the console but all your game data from the game will be deleted.
No, at the time of writing there is no support for external hard drives on the Nintendo Switch, meaning you will need to use a MicroSD card for expansion.
You might like…
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
