Topic: Adventure of the error 2168-0002

Note : this story is only to share troubleshooting experience about the error 2168-0002 I got on my switch

So if anyone got or may get this error. this is for you. Since I bought the console, I was gettting from time to time the error 2168-0002 (console crash) when it was DOCKED and I putting it to sleep. I spent so much time looking for this on the internet but it was like no one was getting it. I saw 2 posts about people getting this exact code, but their console was bricked. It was not my case. Each time the error would come up, I rebooted the console and it was fine. So I waited for OS updates to come in, hoping each time it would solve the issue.

When It came to update 2.3.0 and I was still getting the damned error, I thought it was enough. call nintendo (French canada hotline) and it was actually an awesome service. sent my switch as requested. after maybe a week, I got an email it was shipped back to me. yeah.

when I received it, I noticed it was the same switch, same serial number. sweet, they repaired it. on top of that, all my save files where there. but then, connecting it to the internet, I saw it was a different MAC adress. so either they change the motherboard completly or only the wifi card.

so error 2168-0002 is basically a network i ssue. from what I've found. when my console would try to disconnect from internet, it would sometime crash. that's my guess, at least.

problem is, Nintendo repair center forgot to unlink of transfer my eshop account to the "new console". so right now, the Eshop is seeing my console as a new one. It says my Nintendo account is already linked to another one and so I can't access eShop, online functions and downloaded games.

I called nintendo again, Canadian english line this time. it was awesome actually. the on-hold music was Hyrule Field from OOT. pretty neat. the rep was so kind and felt bad for the issue right after I received my switch from repair center. He was on a web tool to transfer my account to the "new" switch but got an error on his end too. He then forwarded my case on Tier2 and I will receive updates about it this week. can take up to a week to get done tho. so all and all. next week, it will be a month without my switch. it's shame that the process take so long.

so, I learned that nintendo account can be transfered from a switch to another by phone. neat.

I'm very frustrated that I can't play my games right now, even after a repair but. well. I just wanted to share that story with y'all.

peace out.

thanks for sharing the story, its too often people only post bad experiences so its nice to hear good stories too.

@ValhallaOutcast Update 1 : well it did not end well. at least for now. They can't make the transfer online. something is crashing each time. so a supervisor of their repair service center asked me to call back. when I did, he explain that I have to send my switch AGAIN. so while ALL OF YOU are enjoying the s**t out of your switch and games, I here just waiting for it to freakin work.

he gave me snipperclips for free to compensate. but i'm still 2-3 weeks away from seeing my switch again. plus 2 weeks for the first repair. men....

Ok so I have a question? If anyone else has this error, what have you done or played, because this error only happens to me when I play a specific game. Is this happening to anyone else too?

@Something42069 I did not had this error since the first time, back in 2017. The rep really confirmed to me that this error, in 2017 was only tied to the wireless card having issues, and that it had to be replaced. I'm guessing your specific game has some online features?
Note : I did a quick search and here is an article about someone that did a workaround, although you may have to be a bit tech savvy to pull it off : https://www.reddit.com/r/SwitchPirates/comments/9in8te/error_...

Please use this post to let us know how it goes. If it returns after a proper reboot or with the latest OS update, obviously you might have to send your switch for repair, if it is still in its warranty cycle.

Yeah I think I might just get the new model because mine is from 2017 as well. But for me it does not make sense because if I play that specific game it will either crash, freeze and force me to reset, or show this error code. This is without using internet and will not happen with my other online games.

@doomgc Sorry to necro-post here, but I've just had the exact same issue happen to me. I was transferring a video from my Switch to my phone when it happened so, I turned the system off and on again and everything seemed fine. All my save data is intact along with my screenshots, videos, friendslist etc. I even started up Mario 64 on the N64 NSO app and played for about 10 minutes with absolutely zero issues. I turn it off and on again and go back to the screenshots/videos app to continue my work from earlier, get about 4 videos in and it happens again. Is this a big thing that I should be concerned about? I'd be sad about missing stuff like Splatfest if I have to send it away but it'll be a small price to pay to keep this thing actually working. The thing that confuses me the most though is that the Switch this is happening to isn't even that old: I only got it in Christmas of last year as a replacement to my old Switch. If I have to get ANOTHER Switch just to be on the safe side, then I'm going to be p*****d.

EDIT: A network error that occurs sometimes when the Switch disconnects from it's regular internet? ....Like switching from regular wifi to the Switch's own in order to send screenshots and videos!

@Fizza Hi Fizza. Weird to look at this post after so much time. I got 2 kids since that, haha. I still play with the same switch every day with no error since this repair.
I'm really sorry about the error your are getting. I understand how frustrating it is when all you want is getting some nice gaming time.
So if you are getting this often, I really suggest you send it in. I know it sucks a lot. I don't know how old you are but I know when I was younger, the idea of sending my console was a big deal. But in the end, I think it is better than to buy a new one. Plus, if you said you just bought it, the repair, even the shipping will be free. Start a new repair ticket on nintendo support website and they will confirm with you if it's all free. And you can even add the link to this thread if it helps them finding the issue. To this day, this error still seems linked to a wifi netwrok card failure. Nothing you can do really. Keep me posted please! If you have the NSO subscription, which I think you said you have, make sure you cloud-backed up all your saves. Nintendo can never garantee they will keep your data when you send it in.

@doomgc Thank you so much for responding! If you don't mind, I'd like to run through a few questions with you in regards to this error:

1. By sending it off to be repaired, will stuff like my save data, screenshots/videos and all that kind of stuff remain? I have over 800 hours between all the Switch era Pokemon games and the last thing I'd want is for it to vanish in a puff of smoke (I have all cloud saves backed up for the games that can use them as well).
2. I noticed that you had issues regarding changing accounts for stuff like eShop purchases and such. With the benefit of hindsight, what should I do before sending it off to prevent that from happening to me?
3. Would I still be able to play my games (since the error seems to only be linked to screenshots/videos as of now) or would you advise against it until getting the Switch back from repairs?
4. What timeframe would you expect it to take before getting my Switch back? Pokemon Scarlet/Violet come out in a month alongside a Splatfest a week prior so you can probably imagine why I'm so antsy about it. I live in Ireland if that helps as well (so I'd be sending it to Nintendo of Europe).
5. How will this affect my NSO subscription? In what can only be described as utterly dreadful timing, my NSO EP subscription runs out at the end of the month and I'm worried that by sending it off for repairs, I won't be able to renew it afterwards.
6. How should I package it when sending it off? Should I keep it in the case or remove it, take the Joy-Cons off or keep them on, take out any game cartridges in the system or take them out, etc.

Sorry for me getting quite rambly there, I get very worried in regards to stuff like this. Thank you for taking the time to get back to me though: seeing the story of someone who managed to fix it is leagues better than seeing the dozens of YT videos on how it 'BrIckED mY SwiTCh!'

I hope your kids are doing well as well

@Fizza hey, I will answer all this in details later tonight or tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, go open a ticket on nintendo support webiste. Describe your issue, link this thread as support, tell them about your NSO subscription renewal date. After their response, you will decide if you send it in or not, but to save time, start the process now. I'll answer more as soon as I have more free time. Have a nice day!

@doomgc Gotcha. It's getting late over here in Ireland so I'll attempt it tomorrow but thanks for the heads up!

I've also been checking out this video by Yoshiller who had a similar experience with his Switch (not 2168-0002, instead being an overheating issue but it does give me a good idea of the state it will be sent back in):

@Fizza Hi again, sorry for the delay. Kids and life.

1. My save data and everything were still on the console when I got it back. But I cannot stress this enough: They cannot guarantee it. At the time, it was extremely stressful since there was no NSO and cloud save backup. But got lucky, let just say. Try and do everything you can to backup your data off the console if the console let you do it.

2. I wouldn't change anything. Nintendo repair service forgot to migrate the new switch (my guess is they changed the whole motherboard and it was seen by the Eshop as a new device) as the main console for my account. Since I couldn't de-active the old one myself, I had to call the hotline. They can do a console switch over the phone, that I can confirm you.

3. if you have another console, then yes. With the save cloud you can control your save data like you want. If you are talking about using your switch in its current state (showing off errors), I would alos say yes. I played with mine for months with this specific error code and never got corrupted data. Again, you now have the luxury of cloud save data to back you off.

4. I'm in Canada. The repair center was in Vancouver, all the way across the country. From the day I sent it in the mail to the day I received the repair one (let's forget the Eshop account issue) it took 3 weeks. I can attest for you in ireland/europe. I would say the same. Nintendo is usually well received for their repair services.

5. That I don't know. I would very much specify it in your initial service request on their website. take note of the date you send it + calculate your remaining days before the expiration date. Keep track of that in case you need to ask them for a refund or compensation.

6. You will receive instruction on how to package it when Nintendo decide the course of action on your case. For me, they told me to remove the Joycons and ship only the console. I put it in a couple of layers of bubble wrap in a tight fit box, so the console couldn't move inside. Nintendo provided the address and the Purolator (Only in Canada) account to use so it doesn't cost me anything. I was still in warranty tho. Obviously, no cartridge, no SD card, just the console itself.

Quick tip : GO to your system settings--> Support/Health & Safety--> Error History--> select the error code 2168-0002 (don't press A on it, just higlight it)--> Hold left joystick button + Right Joystick button + - (minus) until a screen appears-->Click report and send. This will send a report with your switch serial number and the error code + all system configuration. The repair team will be able to search for this in their database when troubleshooting.

Good luck. I know it sucks. Their repair services, at least in Canada, is great. Please keep us posted. This error code is still not documented well enough, so if all this helps other people when googling the code, all the better.

And have a well-deserved time off internet, my friend.

@doomgc I'm extremely torn on what to do. On the one hand, it seems like a painless enough process. On the other though....I simply cannot risk losing my save data. If I were any other person, I'd probably take the repair and be done with it. However, when my main games on my Switch are the Pokemon games (which all don't have cloud saves), losing my saves for them would be too much heartbreak for me to handle (even with HOME saving my team members). Currently mulling over my options as we speak but at the moment, I have a few:

1. Grin and bear it like you did for a while until a more permanent solution is found.
2. Buy an entirely new Switch and complete the transfer process between the old and new one (would love to hear some thoughts on this one especially).
3. Get to the point where I can talk to a Nintendo employee, explain my situation and thoughts and see what they say.

I think what I'm going to do for now is leave my Switch for about a week to see if this error just happened to be an off day for the system (happened twice but it was within a few minutes of each other) but I'm not really liking any of my options going forward. My mental state has taken a sharp decline because of this and me constantly worrying about it isn't exactly helping either. Thank you for the advice though.

@Fizza Holy Heck! I forgot that Pokemon saves don't transfer! shoot!