Topic: Getting the switch sd data back after warranty repair

I needed to send the switch back for repair so i transferred everything over to an sd card. Its come back but when i add the sd card it says i need to format it. How do i get my sons switch back to its previous state with the games and saved information?

As far as I'm aware the SD card is tied to the Switch. If it's not recognising it it's possible they've sent back a replacement/refurb model rather then your original.

You won't have lost the games - worst case you just re-download via the eShop, but not so confident on the saves I'm afraid. You could try formatting a new card and copying the saves to that, but I'm not sure if it's the actual files or the card itself that are tied to the Switch.

You will have at least some games backed up with cloud saves if you subscribe to Nintendo Online.

Have you reached out to Nintendo Customer Service? They might be able to give you more info.

@dmcc0 Thank you. I can't believe all this data might be lost! If Nintendo online is a paid subscription then I do not have it. I've emailed Nintendo to see what they say. They should have been specific when saying save data not to use the sd card.

@rjbell Yeah, Online is a paid service. Lets you play games online and gives you access to a selection of NES and SNES games as well as cloud saves. Only around £18/year for individual membership so decent enough value.

You can definitely copy saves to another card - I've done it when transferring to a high capacity SD - only issue is whether it'll let you use them on a 'new' Switch.

Just out of interest, what was the repair for?

@dmcc0 Hopefully i can sort it my boy will be gutted otherwise.

It was a noisy fan issue.

Save data is always stored on the Switch console itself, never on the SD card. The SD card only stores the games themselves, and you'll be able to redownload those if you need to. If your save files aren't on the console itself any more, and you don't have an online membership so couldn't use the cloud backups, then I'm afraid you're out of luck.

@rjbell Funnily enough my son's Switch had an issue with the fan too. I ended up just getting a replacement online and replacing it myself as I think at the time they weren't doing repairs due to Covid. Reasonably easy fix if you ever need to do it again.