It is a very quick and simple task to delete the game and save data on the Nintendo Switch. This can allow you to create some extra space, allowing you to enjoy more games or games that are much heavier.
Other than that, you also get an option of internal storage. Buying a micro-SD card with lots of additional storage can benefit you a lot in loading your Switch with your favorite games. Another alternative you can opt for is buying physical copies of certain games.
The best and most effective way to free up storage for the games you want to play is by deleting the game files and titles. You can have them reinstalled whenever you want to return to the game in the future. This will ensure plenty of storage for you to enjoy multiple games on your Switch. However, this still leaves a loophole for one unaccounted thing: Save Data.
If you’ve been playing a lot of betas, demos, or games you have completed, you’ve probably been racking up a lot of additional data. This data eats up your storage and has to be dealt with. By deleting the save data, you can easily deal with these types of dilemmas and free up some extra storage for yourself.
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How to Archive/Delete Games in Nintendo
When you perform an archive on a game on your Nintendo Switch’s home screen, you’re actually saving the program data of your game to a cloud storage rather than to the console itself. This way, you’ll have the option to download the data back to your Switch later on. Another option you can try is deleting a game from your home screen. However, this will not delete your game progress data.
Go through the steps below to archive or delete games on your Switch home screen:
- Find and locate the game you are planning to remove on your Nintendo Switch home screen.
- Go ahead and click on the – or + button using your controller.
- A pop up menu will appear. On the pop-up menu, find your way to Manage Software.
- You’ll see two options, i.e., Archive Software and Delete Software. Depending on what you plan on doing, choose either of the options.
By archiving a game file, you’ll be able to keep the game icon on your Nintendo Switch home screen. This option will also allow you to re-download the game easily again at any time in the future.
If you opt for deleting the game from your Nintendo Switch home screen, you’ll be erasing all the data. If you want to re-download the game, you’ll have to visit the eShop again and apply the download procedure. However, you won’t have to buy it again though.
If you yearn to create even more additional space on your Nintendo Switch, you can also go for deleting the save data from the game on your console.
How to Delete Game Save Data in Nintendo
By archiving or deleting a game on your Nintendo Switch, you can free up a lot of storage space for new games. However, if you still think the new storage space isn’t enough, you can also go for deleting the save data from the selected games.
This way, you can create a little more extra storage to be utilized in other ways. This option is the best way to go if you don’t plan on playing the game ever again, as deleting the game save data will have all your game progress removed.
To delete the game save data on your Nintendo Switch, follow the steps below:
- First of all, find your way to the Settings of your Nintendo Switch from the home screen. This will look like a gear icon present at the bottom of your screen.
- Inside settings, find the Data Management tab and open it.
- Here, you’ll see the Delete Save Data option. Go ahead and click on it.
- This will display a list of games for which you can delete the Save Data. You must now select the game for which you want to delete the save data.
- Once selected, you now have an option to delete the save data for a certain user on your console. You can also delete all the game save data from your console for all users if that’s what you wish to do.
Once you have deleted the game save data, there’s no way you’ll be able to retrieve it. However, you will still be able to have the game re-downloaded whenever you wish without paying for it.
How to Move Games to an SD Card in Nintendo
If you want to live a hassle-free life and not worry about deleting and then re-downloading games for making storage space, the best option you can opt for is an SD card. With a micro-SD card, you can avail up to 2 TB of external storage for your Nintendo Switch. This will allow you to download and enjoy all sorts of games on your Nintendo Switch without having to worry about storage deficiencies.
Once you get a hold of an SD card, you’ll have the option of storing and saving games onto your SD card without putting a burden on your internal storage. This way, you can access any game you want without having to delete and then re-download it.
In order to use your SD card with your Nintendo Switch, you’ll have to insert it into a specific port on the back of your console underneath the pull-out stand. Once installed, you can enjoy tremendous amounts of storage and store all sorts of games.
After installing the SD card, go through the steps below to move your games to it:
- Launch the Settings from the home screen of your Nintendo Switch.
- Inside settings, find your way to Data Management.
- Next, inside data management, find the option Move Data Between Console/microSD Card.
- Now click on Move to microSD Card.
- You must now choose the games you want to have downloaded to your SD card.
- Once selected, select Move Data to complete the process. Wait a while for the files to be transferred to your card.
Once the SD card has been installed on your Nintendo Switch, any software or games you download from there on will automatically be downloaded to your card. However, anything saved inside your internal storage beforehand will stay there until you move it yourself.
Why Deleting Game Data Can Be Useful in Nintendo
Deleting game data can benefit your gaming console in many ways. Although deleting game data can free up a lot of space on your Nintendo Switch, there may be other multiple reasons for why you would want to delete game programs or save data.
Keeping some free storage on your Switch can be essential to allow certain updates to roll in. Updates may be released both for your system and certain games. Therefore, you must have additional storage space to allow the installation of these updates.
Running out of space on your Nintendo Switch can cause certain troubles. If you have no storage available, you won’t be able to create new save files for the games you are currently playing. So, if you plan on using your Nintendo Switch without an SD card, it would be clever of you to remove games and delete the save data of games and applications you do not plan on using. This way, you will always have some amount of extra space available for whenever it is required.
If you plan to buy more physical games rather than digital ones, skipping an SD card may be okay in that case. However, getting an SD card anyway will provide nothing other than benefits as you’ll have enough extra storage to do anything you want.
Wrapping It Up
If you have followed this guide thoroughly, you should now know how you can delete the game save data easily on your Nintendo Switch. Having extra storage space on your device is very important as it can affect the performance of your console and your use. With extra storage, you can download your favorite games and enjoy them to the fullest.
Moreover, you can also leave room for updates to be installed when necessary. Deleting saved data can give you that extra amount of storage. Deleting games, you don’t tend to play will also free up storage and make room for other games to be installed. It is important to note that by deleting a game, you don’t have to repurchase it.
We hope this article would have helped you in figuring out how you can delete save data on your Nintendo Switch. You now also know what else you can do to maximize your storage space. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
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