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Everyone loves their Nintendo Switch; it has a huge library of amazing first-party titles, lets us play while on the move as a handheld, while also giving us the option to play on TVs just like any other home console. Naturally, while playing your favourite game, you're going to get snap happy and take a bunch of screenshots.
Most players resorted to sharing screenshots on Twitter or removing the Micro SD card to get their images, but as of the 11.0.0 update, sharing screenshots from your Switch has become a lot easier. Here's what you need to know.
Updated March 7, 2022 by Meg Pelliccio: We've updated this guide to include more options for how to get your Nintendo Switch screenshots and videos to your PC or mobile. Just below are three different options you can use depending on your setup.
Transferring Nintendo Switch Screenshots To Mobile Via QR
Below are the steps you will now need to take to transfer screenshots from your Switch to a mobile device. However, only ten screenshots and one video can be transferred at a time.
- From the Home Menu select Album, then select a screenshot or video capture.
- Select Sharing and Editing, then select Send to Smartphone.
- Select Only This One or Send a Batch.
- Using the camera on your smart device, scan the QR code displayed on Nintendo Switch.
- Once the connection is established, the screenshots and/or videos will be sent to the smart device and the thumbnail(s) will be displayed on the smart device.
Transferring Nintendo Switch Screenshots To PC Via USB Cable
Transferring screenshots from your Switch to a PC takes a few steps, but it's more efficient as it lets you transfer more than ten screenshots at a time. Here's how to do it.
- From the Home menu, select System Settings and then Data Management. At the very bottom of that submenu, you'll find Manage Screenshots and Videos.
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Then select Copy to PC via USB Connection, at which point you will be prompted to connect your console to your PC.
- You will then need to connect the two using the appropriate cable. Either a USB-A to USB-C, or a USB-C to USB-C. If you have a pro controller, then the cable it came with will work perfectly. The Switch itself must be connected. The transfer won't work if it's docked and the PC is connected to the dock
- From there, you should be able to access your Switch on your PC like it was any other removable drive and be also be able to transfer files freely.
The great thing about transferring images/videos this way is that screenshots are stored in one folder per game, making it super easy to find what you're looking for.
Transferring Nintendo Switch Screenshots To PC Via Micro SD
If you're using a Micro SD card for your Nintendo Switch, there is another option, though we recommend using the above USB method instead as it is far easier due to how it presents the screenshots/video in the folder.
Bear in mind, that removing/reinserting the Micro SD card to your Nintendo Switch will cause the console to prompt you to restart. Ensure you save your game before touching the 💎Micro SD card to avoid losing any progressꦜ.
- Remove your Micro SD card from your Nintendo Switch.
- Insert it into the Micro SD port on your PC/Laptop, or you can use an adapter that provides a port and plugs it into your computer via USB.
- From there, you should now be able to access your Switch screenshots on your PC just like any other removable drive.
The downside to this method is that all the screenshots/videos are sorted by the date taken, rather than by game title. This means you may have to dig through a few folders to find the correct image you're after if you don't remember the date you took it.