So you’ve gotten yourself a new Nintendo Switch MicroSD card but you don’t want to lose the data on your current card. In this guide we’ll explain how to transfer data from one MicroSD card to another for use in the Switch.

　　Nintendo’s hybrid platform comes with 32GB of internal memory, but with games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild weighing in at more than 13GB and CDPR’s The Witcher 3 clocking in at roughly 30GB, most users are using the platform’s MicroSD port to expand the Switch’s storage capabilities.

　　Chances are that you want to replace the Switch MicroSD card for a bigger one at some point, but you don’t want to lose your previous saved data. Down below you’ll find instructions on how to safely transfer data from one MicroSD card to another. Please note that games downloaded to a microSD card on one system will not be playable on a different system.

　　In order to successfully transfer data between cards, you’ll obviously need two Switch compatible microSD cards. Nintendo’s hybrid platform supports microSD up to 2GB, microSDHC from 4GB to 32GB and microSDXC cards from 64GB and up. In order to use the latter, the Switch needs to be connected to the internet to download a mandatory system update.

　　In addition to two microSD cards, a PC with a microSD card slot is required to transfer data. If your system doesn’t come with a dedicated microSD card slot, an USB card reader is required.

　　Please follow the instructions below to transfer your data to a new microSD card.

Nintendo Switch MicroSD Card Data Transfer Between Cards

　　Eject the first microSD card, then insert the second microSD card into the slot or reader/writer.Using Windows Explorer access the microSD card again.Drag the data from the desktop to the new microSD card, then insert the new microSD card into the Nintendo Switch console.Note: Any software that cannot be read on the system using the new microSD card can simply be redownloaded from the Nintendo eShop.

　　In order to prevent losing data, we strongly suggest not to swap data between multiple microSD cards or systems. In addition, Nintendo advises to always copy the entire folder from your current microSD card  and never alter or erase the files it contains.