Therefore, today we are going to see how it is done, the process is very simple, and also if it is necessary to do it before selling it to someone we do not know.
How is it formatted and what is it used for?
First of all, you should know, although I guess you already knew, that if you format your Nintendo Switch you will lose all the data, games, profile, etc., that you had in it. You would find a console like it just rolled out of the store.
For this reason, many people use it to sell it and it is advisable to do so because, although a console does not have the same information about us as a computer or a mobile, it contains data that could harm us, as well as payment data. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to sell your console to someone and give them your card to buy the games they want, would you?
Now that you know what it is and why it’s worth formatting your Nintendo for whatever reason you want to do it, let’s see how the process would go.
Steps to format Nintendo Switch:
- Choose configuring consoles from the HOME menu (🏠).
- Scroll down and select Console.
- Scroll down the menu and select formatting options.
- If you have a parental control password set on your console, you’ll need to enter it to continue. If you don’t have it, you won’t be able to do anything.
- Choose restart console to delete all data and information from your console.
- A tooltip will appear on the screen, read it, then select Following continue.
- Credit Restart to complete the process.
- Wait a little (about 5 minutes) and your console will be as fresh from the store.
The process is very simple and does not require any keystrokes or difficult means to perform. From its own menu we can do it and it will safely eliminate the information as with any other method.
Remember that you will need an internet connection to do the process (since Nintendo wants to know that your account is no longer associated with this console) and that it does not delete your profile. You will continue to have your email with your data unless you delete it manually. Nintendo clarifies this with the following note.
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Any linked Nintendo Account will continue to exist after the console is formatted. It can also be linked to the Nintendo Switch console or managed via accounts.nintendo.com.
Once the process is complete, you won’t be able to go back either, so think twice before starting it.
