A Nintendo Account that will not sign in has Nintendo's own triage: forgot the password or sign-in information, trouble with the 2-step verification code, trouble with a passkey, or a sign that someone else accessed the account. If you see The email address/sign-in ID or password is incorrect, you may have changed your preferences to sign in with your sign-in ID only and typed your email. If the 2-step code is unavailable, use another method: one of ten backup codes, then an email code, then a text message if a phone number is registered.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nintendo Switch cannot sign in or verify the account”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A forgotten password or sign-in ID
What separates it You get The email address/sign-in ID or password is incorrect
How to confirm Use Nintendo's forgot sign-in info steps; check whether your account is set to sign in with the sign-in ID only
- 2
Sign-in by email when the account expects a sign-in ID
What separates it The message appears though the email and password are right
How to confirm Enter your sign-in ID instead, since Nintendo says a preference to sign in with the sign-in ID only can cause it
- 3
A 2-step verification code that is unavailable
What separates it You cannot get the code from the authenticator app or it does not work
How to confirm Choose Use another method to verify your identity and enter one of your 10 backup codes
- 4
A passkey that will not work
What separates it You registered a passkey but cannot sign in with it
How to confirm Use Nintendo's passkey sign-in article, or sign in with your password if that is still allowed
- 5
An account accessed by someone else
What separates it The email or details changed without you because someone else accessed the account
How to confirm Follow the Nintendo Account Recovery Process and secure the linked email
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- The exact message shown at sign-in
- Whether you use a sign-in ID, an email, 2-step verification or a passkey
- Whether the account is a child account in a family group
- Whether the linked email works and whether a phone number is registered
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedWork out what is wrong
ReversibleNintendo's guide asks whether you forgot the password or sign-in information, have trouble with 2-step verification, have trouble with a passkey or suspect someone else accessed the account. Pick the branch that matches.
Check how you sign in
ReversibleIf you see The email address/sign-in ID or password is incorrect, you may have set the account to sign in with your Sign-in ID only. Try the Sign-in ID rather than your email.
Recover the sign-in info
ReversibleUse Forgot Nintendo Account Sign-in Info to reset a password or find the sign-in ID. For a child's account, a parent or guardian can open their own account, choose Family group, select the child and see the account settings.
Fix 2-step verification
ReversibleOpen the authenticator app on the device you used to set it up to find the code. If you cannot, choose Use another method to verify your identity and enter one of your 10 backup codes.
Use the email or phone fallback
ReversibleIf you cannot find the backup codes, use another method to receive a verification code by email; if the email does not arrive and you registered a phone number, a code can be sent by text. If you have forgotten your password too, this option is not available.
Check your inbox for Nintendo mail
ReversibleIf a verification email never arrives, follow Nintendo's steps for an email you did not receive.
Recover a compromised account
ReversibleIf you believe your account has been accessed by someone else, follow the Nintendo Account Recovery Process and secure the linked email address.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- One account, any console
- A Nintendo Account is separate from the console and can be linked to a user profile on a Switch or a Switch 2; sign-in problems are not caused by the model.
- 2-step verification fallbacks
- Authenticator app code, then ten backup codes, then an email code, then a text message if a phone number is registered.
- Tools and supplies
- A computer or phone for the Nintendo Account page, access to your linked email and your authenticator app.
- What to tell Nintendo
- The exact message, whether you use 2-step verification and any recent changes; a part number is not needed for an account problem.
- Repair cost
- This symptom is normally fixed in settings, an update or the account and costs nothing. If it turns out to be hardware, Nintendo's out-of-warranty estimate, quoted by iFixit and Engadget, is $139 for a Switch OLED console and $30 for an original-style dock.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Nintendo Switch original model, Nintendo Switch revised model.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If you believe your account was accessed by an unauthorized person, use the Nintendo Account Recovery Process
- !If you cannot access the linked email and have no backup codes, follow Nintendo's steps for an email you did not receive
- !If a child's sign-in details are forgotten, a parent or guardian can find and reset them from the family group
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Where the manufacturer's article stops. Nintendo writes them for Nintendo Accounts across the Switch family and the Switch 2.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does Nintendo say my email or password is incorrect?+
It may be that you set the account to sign in with your Sign-in ID only. Enter the Sign-in ID rather than your email address.
What if I lost my phone with the authenticator app?+
Use another method to verify your identity: a backup code, then an email code, then a text if a phone number is registered.
Can a parent reset a child's sign-in?+
Yes. Nintendo says the sign-in information for a child's account can be found and reset through the parent or guardian's account under Family group.
What if someone else got into my account?+
Follow the Nintendo Account Recovery Process and secure the email address linked to the account.
Does the console model matter for sign-in?+
No. Signing in is an account matter, the same on every Switch and on the Switch 2.
Where do I sign in on the console?+
Use the Nintendo Account link options on the console's user profile. Nintendo has a separate article on linking and unlinking accounts.