Say you’re about to pull off a major comeback in Super Smash Bros. Or maybe the ‘fit you just put together at the Able Sisters is just begging to be photographed. And, hey! The sun is glinting beautifully off the Eldin Mountains in Hyrule, isn’t it? All perfect times to hit he screen cap button. But you know what? Leaving those great shots to linger in your Switch’s photo album probably doesn’t serve them right. You’re going to want to put them up somewhere else in your digital life: Tweet with them, add them to your social updates, maybe even make a hero edit starring your Villager.
Problem is, Nintendo doesn’t make it easy. And that’s probably by design. Most of Nintendo’s philosophy around online features and social media defaults to keeping kids away from such things, or at least adding friction to the process. Honestly, it’s probably the best for their brand, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to get all your triumphant moments off the Switch. So, here are two pathways to do so that are somewhat buried in your Switch’s UI: One wireless, the other using a USB cable.
How to Wirelessly Transfer your Switch Photos and Videos to a Smart Device
1. Go to your photo and video album from your Switch’s home screen
2. Select a photo to expand and inspect.
3. Choose “Send to Smartphone”.
4. Your Switch will ask if you want to send the current photo or select a batch.
Note: Choose as many as you’d like, but in my experience, the fewer the better for this type of transfer.
5. Once you’ve selected what you’d like copies of, your switch will prompt you to scan a newly-created QR code.
Note: This QR code may send your phone or tablet to its network settings. This is because the Switch is attempting to make a temporary local network with your device. If so, simply swipe back to your camera app.
6. Once the temporary network is up, your Switch will quickly generate a second QR code to initiate the transfer. Go ahead and scan it. This time, your phone or tablet should go to its default method of downloading files.
7. Save and store the files to your device as you normally would.
The photos and videos you chose are now free to share and copy wherever you want!
How to Transfer Your Switch Photos and Videos Using a Data Cable
But maybe you want to perform a major back up of your Switch photo album. The wireless method is great for single photos, a video, or even a small batch. However, you’ll probably want to use this next method from the Switch’s main menu if you are doing some real Spring cleaning.
1. Go to the “Settings” gear icon from your Switch’s home screen.
2. Choose “Data Management”.
3. Choose “Manage Screenshots and Videos”.
4. Choose “Copy to a Computer via a USB Connection”.
5. Follow the prompt to connect your data transfer cable.
Note: This method assumes a computer is being attached to the other end of the transfer cable, but in my experience, any device that is capable of saving files (and matches your cable’s USB type) should work.
6. Follow the Switch’s prompts for how much of your album you will transfer or back up.
7. Follow your computer or device’s prompts for how and where you will save the incoming Switch photos and videos.
Once the transfer is complete, you can free up space on your Switch, or simply enjoy being able to sort and post your gaming highlights from a more convenient platform.
While Nintendo operating systems don’t tend to be robust, The Big N usually has your back when it comes to letting you keep and organize your gaming data, albeit with a little less user friendliness than you might expect.
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Featured Image: A. Millard via Nintendo
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