Topic: Help setting up multiple switches

Hi I will now have 3 switches soon in the house
Currently I have one with myself as registered user, my wife and two children as users, my children are also under my name on Nintendo family group.

For Christmas they will have one each, what's best way to set them up?

Add me as main then them as users making each child the first user?

Or can I use their sign in info from family group to set them up on new machine

Or create new child account per switch from scratch

Not too worried about online games as we can share switches with that game on worst case. Also have physical games too.

Thank you

@Mentalboy1 You're asking a big question where the answer depends on some choices you make regarding setting up. Discussing it in here is a headache because it requires several follow up questions which usually lead to additional paragraphs of explaining the switch structure of nintendo accounts, switch user profiles, game save data.(if you know some of these things already, you're ahead of the curve)

I'd suggest searching youtube regarding setting up family + multiple switches. After you know how you want to set up, Nintendo's support page has directions for most things.

First off here you should make a Nintendo account for each user so that each system has connection to each Switch and then purchase a Family Nintendo Account for cloud save and easier transfer of game data should each user use another Switch to game their game on. Also if underage I would recommend making them older then 18 so that they can do more with account but that is up to your decision. I did that for my nephew.

There's more to do but this way each user has own account to access their game data and they can download their cloud saves to each Switch depending on which system they use. A start-the second link is a search for multiple users you can use a references.

More reads:
https://www.nintendo.com/sg/support/switch/user/index.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=Switch+console+multple+users+...

Hi
So at present I have set up one as a tester. Signed him in under his name via me as parent. It's seems he can only play downloaded games if picking me as user? If pick him he can't use it as he didn't buy it???
Should I start again with creating an independent account?.
I'm really thinking leave as set up and just swap switches for certain games. Eventually just going to buy cartridges.
Ps this is second time trying and on parental app I know have a switch 1 and 3 (2 be as de registered as messed up set up)

Each user is better having their own account and email connected to it. One email registered per account only. You can't access the same game on both accounts. There is limits on access you should check with Nintendo FAQ the site has a wealth of information on multiple users and account accessing.

@Mentalboy1 Your current switch is set as your Primary console. On the Primary console, all accounts/users on that Switch can play digital games purchased with your account.

When you log into a second (or third) Switch with your account its considered a secondary console. On the secondary console, only the account/user that purchased the games can play them - it also does a check online to make sure you are not playing the same game on your account on the Primary Switch.

Note that a User can either be local to that console, or have an email address attached. As others have suggested, probably best to have an email attached for each user.

Ok thank you, so if each user had an mail address would that mean they can play those games?
This setting up.is.made far too complicated!
May just let them use my console for the odd game they use. And new online games they got for Christmas each, just share the physical switch..then eventually look for cartridge games to.replace them.

@Mentalboy1 Unfortunately not - it would just mean that each users save files could be synced with whatever console they happen to use (via Online cloud saves).

If you have 2 Switches, you could swap Primary consoles - make your Switch your secondary, and your kids Switch your Primary so you could both play each others games, but doesn't really work with 3 consoles unless you have a favourite child 😂

You can still add your account to the 2nd and 3rd Switch and your kids would be able to play digital games via your user, but even that's not ideal - I'm pretty sure you can't actually play as the same user on multiple consoles at the same time either as I vaguely remember my son saying he was playing Mario Kart once using my user on his Switch and it kicked him out of the game when I started playing something else on my Switch.

Given the amount of times this particular question comes up in the forums it seems fairly common for a parent to be buying digital games for kids on a shared Switch and then wondering why the kid can't play when they get their own Switch.

It's way more complicated than it needs to be and I'm surprised they haven't come up with a way to share games with family members yet - The Family Online membership would be the obvious method, but even that would be open to abuse if a group of 8 mates took out a family plan and just shared all their games.

Thank you for all your help, it's frustrating that a family friendly company like Nintendo make it so hard. I am going to stick with having me on their switches as well incase they want to play a game. Luckily the online games on my switch they rarely play with exception of 1 or 2. So they can play on my switch. for games I don't play they could use my account on their switch and save progress without affecting me there's only one game I won't share as will affect my save file 😂

I will.explain the games they have will only work on their own console and can swap whenever they fancy playing that game. Out of games I bought them 2 are online codes and one is physical (then sports is pre loaded on the one)

Eventually may de the swapping primary thing but as will all share may be ok. I'm not really bothered about cloud saving and don't want to pay extra just to make games work so annoying. As mentioned eventually will look at second hand market for cartridge versions of the above.

Cheers again

Well they are family friendly but that is where it ends. They are a company at the end of the day making money for their bottom line and share holders. They make family games but beyond that alot depends on who interpreting their meaning of "Family Friendly Games".