How to Expand Storage Space on a Nintendo Switch
Introduction
The Nintendo Switch has 32GB of internal NAND memory, a portion of which is reserved for use by the system itself. This may not sound like a lot of storage for modern games that take up quite a bit of space, and has been a point of contention in the gaming community since the Switch released. Thankfully, the system's internal memory can easily be expanded by adding a microSD card.
This guide will help you determine what your Switch's storage situation is like, how to free up space on your Switch, and how to expand that storage should you feel you need to.
1 Check Storage Space
- From the Home Menu, select System Settings.
- Select Data Management.
- The available space for the System Memory and microSD card (if used), will be displayed on the top of the screen.
2 Manage Software
- From the Home Menu, select System Settings.
- Select Data Management.
- Select Manage Software.
- Select the software you wish to manage.
- Choose to delete or archive the game. Deleting removes all data including game saves. Archiving deletes the game but keeps the game saves in case you want to download the game again.
3 Manage Save Data and Screenshots
- From the Home Menu, select System Settings.
- Select Data Management.
- Select Manage Save Data/Screenshots.
- Select Delete Save Data to be brought to a list of games that have save data on your switch.
- Selecting Manage Screenshots will bring you to a menu so you can adjust your screenshots.
4 Additional Storage Options
The best way to increase storage space for your Nintendo Switch is to add a microSD card to it. These types of memory cards come in various capacities at different price points. As a point of reference, your Nintendo Switch has 32GB of internal NAND memory. The Switch can accept microSD and microSDXC cards, and supports up to 2TB of total storage.
The microSD slot is located under the kickstand.
To insert your new microSD card, simply lift the kickstand and push the card in until it clicks.
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YesNoThe Nintendo Switch has 32GB of internal NAND memory, a portion of which is reserved for use by the system itself. This may not sound like a lot of storage for modern games that take up quite a bit of space, and has been a point of contention in the gaming community since the Switch released. Thankfully, the system's internal memory can easily be expanded by adding a microSD card.
This guide will help you determine what your Switch's storage situation is like, how to free up space on your Switch, and how to expand that storage should you feel you need to.
- From the Home Menu, select System Settings.
- Select Data Management.
- The available space for the System Memory and microSD card (if used), will be displayed on the top of the screen.
- From the Home Menu, select System Settings.
- Select Data Management.
- Select Manage Software.
- Select the software you wish to manage.
- Choose to delete or archive the game. Deleting removes all data including game saves. Archiving deletes the game but keeps the game saves in case you want to download the game again.
- From the Home Menu, select System Settings.
- Select Data Management.
- Select Manage Save Data/Screenshots.
- Select Delete Save Data to be brought to a list of games that have save data on your switch.
- Selecting Manage Screenshots will bring you to a menu so you can adjust your screenshots.
The best way to increase storage space for your Nintendo Switch is to add a microSD card to it. These types of memory cards come in various capacities at different price points. As a point of reference, your Nintendo Switch has 32GB of internal NAND memory. The Switch can accept microSD and microSDXC cards, and supports up to 2TB of total storage.
The microSD slot is located under the kickstand.
To insert your new microSD card, simply lift the kickstand and push the card in until it clicks.