How to Recover Deleted Saved Data on Nintendo Switch

On this page, you will learn how to recover deleted saved data on Nintendo Switch with 3 different methods.

By @Zoey Last Updated December 11, 2024

Known for its gaming rhythm, the Nintendo Switch will keep you healthy and happy, and you'll be able to play remotely with family and friends. However, many gamers have reported to the community that they have accidentally lost their game library and are unable to continue playing. Can you recover deleted save data on Nintendo Switch? We'll introduce you to effective solutions for recovering Nintendo Switch data and recovering lost game data, screenshots and saves:

Worry no more! Don't worry, don't worry! read on to find out all the steps you can take to recover your Nintendo Switch data quickly and safely!

How to recover saved data on Nintendo Switch

Here we provide 3 methods for Nintendo Switch data recovery. Read this part to get them now.

Method 1. Restore Nintendo Switch data on Windows PC

Using SD card data recovery software will work if your game data is stored on the Nintendo Switch SD card and not on your computer.

So if you want to restore deleted screenshots and saved game data, carefully remove the SD card from your Nintendo Switch and plug it into a PC with a card reader. Then run MyRecover on your computer and select the Nintendo Switch SD card to search for the lost game library by looking for its name in the search box.

🌟Tip:

It's worth noting that if you're playing with Nintendo Switch, the saved game library can only be saved to the Switch console's memory and cannot be transferred to the SD card. If you insert a microSD card, some of the associated game data and all screenshots and videos will be saved to the microSD card by default. When the microSD card is full, the data is automatically saved in the console memory.

The Nintendo Switch offers a small memory capacity, so users prefer to choose an SD card rather than external memory to save game saves. Download and install MyRecover on your PC for free.

  • Restore deleted data to preserve the original file format/name/style.
  • Apply for a comprehensive data loss situation.
  • Highly compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7 SP1 and Server.
  • Recover over 200 types of deleted or lost data at high speed.
  • Recovers files while scanning.

Here's how to recover Nintendo Switch game data using MyRecover SD card data recovery software.

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server
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1. Launch MyRecover > hover over the drive > click the Scan button.

2. Scan the hard drive or partition for deleted and other missing files. During the process, you can directly restore the found files.

You can use different filters to find lost Nintendo Switch data more easily.

  • Type: covers all file types such as images, videos, documents, emails, websites, compressed files, etc.
  • Modified data: supports today, yesterday, last 7 days, last 30 days and customised data.
  • Size: filter file size from less than 128 KB, to 128 KB ~ 1 MB, to 1 MB ~ 512 MB and more or custom.

3: Select the files you need > click Recover x files to recover deleted or lost files from the SD card.

Method 2: Recover Nintendo Switch data from a cloud backup

Note: If you realise that you've lost your game archive, don't shut down the game in a panic, but take the first emergency steps as soon as possible.

If you have a Nintendo Online Account and make sure that Automatic Save Data is enabled, this can help you to effectively restore your saved game data. Here are the steps to follow to restore your game data from a cloud backup:

1) Go to "HOME > System Settings > Data Management > Backup Data to Cloud" and select the user.

You will see a page with three options in the left-hand panel and a list of saved game data in the right-hand panel. The one you want to restore must indicate that it is waiting for a backup. This only happens when the game is on; turning it off overwrites the saved data, so it's best not to get mad and turn the game off.

Step 2: Select Settings and deactivate the "Autosave" option. Select Settings and deactivate the "Automatic data backup" option. This will save your old data from the moment you turn off the game. You can then close the game by pressing the "X" button.

Step 3: Press the "+" button to open the game settings and information. Open "Save Data Cloud" on the left-hand side.

Select "Download save data" and launch the game to check whether the lost data has been restored after downloading.

Method 3: Re-download games deleted from Nintendo eShop

If you delete a game that tires you out or makes you angry one moment, only to regret it the next and worry about losing the archive, you'll have to start all over again. But don't panic! Previously saved game data will be automatically restored when you re-download a Nintendo Switch game from the Nintendo eShop. So you can re-download a game you've deleted, along with your archive data.

Step 1. Choose a user account to download the target game and log in to Nintendo eShop.

Step 2. Go to the Account Information section of the eShop and select 'Re-download'.

To re-download the game, click the download cloud icon.

Summary

In this post, we will introduce you to four effective methods to recover Nintendo Switch data, including the professional data recovery software MyRecover, which supports Nintendo Switch data recovery on Windows PC. In addition, you can recover lost game data from a cloud backup if you have a Nintendo Switch online account.