A Switch that freezes, locks up or will not power off has a fixed sequence in Nintendo's freeze article: with the console undocked, attach the Joy-Con, hold POWER for at least 20 seconds to force it off, remove game cards and any microSD card, power on and install a system update, and if it happens in TV mode confirm you are using the licensed dock. If it is still not resolved, initialize the console without deleting save data from Maintenance Mode. A game card that will not read has its own article and is inserted with the label facing the same way as the screen.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nintendo Switch games crash, freeze or close”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A frozen console or a stuck game
What separates it The screen stops responding and the console will not power off
How to confirm Attach the Joy-Con, hold POWER for at least 20 seconds to force it off and power on again
- 2
A game card or microSD card that is misread
What separates it The console freezes at the HOME Menu or a game will not start with a card inserted
How to confirm With the console off, remove game cards and any microSD card, then power on and test without them
- 3
Outdated system software
What separates it Freezes began after a game update or after a long time offline
How to confirm Open System Settings, System, System Update and install any update
- 4
An unlicensed dock in TV mode
What separates it It freezes only when docked because of an unlicensed dock in TV mode
How to confirm Nintendo says to use the licensed dock (HAC-007 or the dock with LAN port HEG-007); a different accessory may cause the problem
- 5
Corrupted system data
What separates it It keeps freezing or restarting after all of the steps above have been tried
How to confirm Initialize the console without deleting save data from Maintenance Mode
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which game or screen the console froze on and whether it happens docked or handheld
- The exact message, if any, for a game card that will not read
- The system version and whether a microSD card is installed
- Whether the console is a launch, revised or OLED Model
Try in this order
0 of 8 completedUndock and attach the Joy-Con
ReversibleRemove the console from the dock and slide the Joy-Con onto the rails, aligning the minus button on the left and the plus button on the right until they click.
Force it off
ReversibleHold the POWER button for at least 20 seconds to force the console to power off. Nintendo's Maintenance Mode steps use 12 seconds to force shutdown, and either way you hold until it goes off.
Remove game cards and the microSD card
ReversibleOpen the game card slot cover on the top right and push the card down until it clicks, then slide it out. Remove any microSD card with the console off, swinging the stand open to reach it.
Power on and update
ReversibleTurn the console on with the cards out, open System Settings, System, System Update and install any update. If updates fail, restart and try again.
Check the dock if it happens in TV mode
ReversibleConfirm you are using the licensed dock. If a different accessory is used, replacing it with the licensed dock may resolve the problem.
Deal with a game card that will not read
ReversibleInsert the card with the label facing the same direction as the screen. Messages such as nothing inserted in the game card slot point at the card, the slot or the software; try other cards to see whether it is one game or all.
Initialize without deleting save data
ReversiblePower off, then hold volume up and volume down and press POWER, keeping the volume buttons held until the Maintenance Mode menu appears. Choose Initialize Console Without Deleting Save Data. Save data, screenshots and user information stay; software on a microSD card is unusable until redownloaded.
Start a service request if it continues
ReversibleIf the console still freezes, Nintendo's service request handles it. Include the AC adapter for testing.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Docks by model
- Nintendo names the dock with LAN port (HEG-007, supplied with the OLED Model) and the dock (HAC-007) as the licensed docks for TV mode.
- Game cards
- Switch consoles play game cards made for Switch software. Switch 2 exclusive game cards do not work; Switch 2 Edition cards play only the Switch version.
- Tools and supplies
- A computer to back up screenshots first, a licensed adapter and a soft cloth.
- What to tell Nintendo
- The game name, whether it froze docked or handheld, the system version and the console serial number; not a part number.
- On a Switch Lite
- The Lite has no dock and no detachable Joy-Con, so skip those steps: hold POWER for at least 20 seconds, take out the game card (top edge) and the microSD card (behind its cover), power on and update, then initialize without deleting save data if it keeps freezing. A Lite that freezes in a hot car or in the sun should cool down first; it has no fan vent you can clear.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Nintendo Switch original model.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the console still freezes after an update and initialization, start a service request
- !If only one game card fails, try it on another Switch and contact the game's publisher or Nintendo
- !If the console will not power off after 20 seconds of holding POWER, unplug the adapter and start service
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Where the manufacturer's article stops. Nintendo writes them for the Switch, OLED Model and Switch Lite together.
Battery repair steps and Nintendo's out-of-warranty cost table.
Force shutdown, remove cards, update and initialize.
Game card read messages and insertion.
Maintenance Mode steps.
Exact questions
Common questions
How do I force a frozen Switch to turn off?+
Hold the POWER button for at least 20 seconds. In Nintendo's Maintenance Mode steps it says to hold for 12 seconds; either way keep holding until the console shuts down.
Will initializing delete my save data?+
Not the without deleting save data option. Nintendo says save data, screenshots and user information are kept, but software on a microSD card becomes unusable until redownloaded.
How do I get into Maintenance Mode?+
Power the console off, hold volume up and volume down, then press POWER and keep holding the volume buttons until the Maintenance Mode menu appears.
Why does the Switch say nothing is inserted in the game card slot?+
Check the card is inserted with the label facing the same direction as the screen. Nintendo's article covers this message and others for a card that will not read.
Do Switch 2 game cards work in a Switch?+
Nintendo says game cards for Switch 2 exclusive software do not work in a Switch. Cards for the Switch 2 Edition of Switch software play the Switch version only.
Can a dock cause freezes?+
Nintendo says if the freeze happens in TV mode to use the licensed dock; an unlicensed accessory may cause the problem.
Do the launch and OLED models freeze differently?+
No. Nintendo's freeze article covers the Switch, the OLED Model and the Switch Lite with the same steps apart from the dock and Joy-Con.
Are there Switch Lite steps I can skip?+
Yes. The Lite cannot dock and has fixed controls, so the dock and Joy-Con steps do not apply; the force-off, card removal, update and initialize steps are the same.