What happens if you link 2 Nintendo Accounts?

When you link 2 Nintendo Accounts, you can share games and play them on the same console, but each account will have its own primary console setting, which determines where the games can be played. Digital games are tied to the Nintendo Account that purchased them, and all users on a system will be able to play games purchased by any Nintendo Account that has registered the system as their primary console.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. Can you have two accounts linked to a Nintendo Switch?: Yes, up to 8 Nintendo Accounts can be linked to a single Nintendo Switch console, and each account can have its own primary console setting.
2. Can 2 Nintendo Accounts on the same Switch share an online subscription?: Players using a family membership can access the Nintendo Switch Online service via the same Nintendo Switch system or multiple systems, but multiple users on the same console are not automatically covered by a family membership.
3. Can two Nintendo Accounts share games?: Digital games are tied to the Nintendo Account that purchased them, but all users on a system will be able to play games purchased by any Nintendo Account that has registered the system as their primary console.

Account Management

4. How do I unlink two Nintendo Accounts?: Once a Nintendo Account is linked to a user account, this link cannot be undone, and the associated user account must also be deleted to unlink a Nintendo Account from a Nintendo Switch console.
5. Can you remove a linked account from a Nintendo Switch?: Important: Once a Nintendo Account is linked to a user account, this link cannot be undone, and the associated user account must also be deleted to unlink a Nintendo Account from a Nintendo Switch console.
6. Can I have two Nintendo Accounts with the same email?: No, only a single email address can be linked to one Nintendo Account, and if the email address you have entered is already registered, it cannot be used again.

Game Sharing and Purchases

7. Can you transfer Switch games to another account?: No, digital game purchases and code redemptions are final, and cannot be transferred to a different Nintendo Account.
8. How do I share games between accounts on the same Switch?: You can only gameshare on your Switch by sharing your Nintendo account with another console, so your games need to be digitally associated, or you can’t share them.
9. Can two Nintendo switches play on the same account at the same time?: No, you can’t play the same game at the same time on both consoles with the same account on both Switch.

Primary and Secondary Consoles

10. How many times can you change primary Switch?: A single Switch can be the primary console for as many accounts as you want, but each account can only set one Switch as its primary.
11. What happens if I deregister my primary Switch?: Deregistering one console will allow you to select a different console as the primary console for your Nintendo Account.
12. Can a primary and secondary Switch play at the same time?: No, you cannot play the same downloaded game at the same time on your primary and a secondary Switch.

Account and Console Maintenance

13. What happens if you delete a linked Nintendo Account?: Deleting a user account will delete all save data associated to the account, and save data cannot be restored once it is deleted.
14. Will I lose my games if I delete my Nintendo Account?: The digital games for the deleted account will remain, but those games will be unplayable, and physical games will still be fully playable, unless you have DLC, in which case, it will tell you to delete the “unusable” DLC.
15. How do you know when a Switch is bad?: If your light switch is functioning correctly, the light should turn on and off consistently when you toggle the switch, but if you notice flickering or dimming, or if the light only comes on after several attempts, you may have a bad switch.