Nintendo Switch repair and save recovery

Switch, Switch Lite, Switch OLED and Switch 2: charging ports, no power, screens, Joy-Con and game card readers.

What goes wrong

The Switch's USB-C port does three jobs: charging, connecting to the dock and sending the picture to the TV. It is the part that fails most. Behind it are small chips that manage charging and video, and those are commonly damaged by third-party docks and chargers. The usual symptoms are a console that will not charge, will not turn on, or works handheld but shows nothing on the TV.

Joy-Con drift, cracked screens, worn fans and game card readers that stop recognising cartridges make up most of the rest.

Repairs

Charging port

The USB-C socket is replaced, and the charging and video chips behind it if they have failed.

No power or stuck on logo

Board-level diagnosis of power and storage faults.

No picture on the TV

Repair of the video output circuit.

Screens

LCD, OLED and touch panel replacement.

Joy-Con

Stick replacement for drift, rail and button repairs.

Game card reader, fan and battery

Replaced as needed.

Your saves and data

Switch saves are stored in the console's internal memory, never on the microSD card, and they are encrypted to that console. If the console dies, the saves are recovered by repairing it. There is no way to read them from the memory chip alone.

Nintendo Switch Online members have cloud saves for most games, though a few titles do not support it. The microSD card holds screenshots, videos and downloaded game data. Screenshots and videos on a corrupt card can be recovered like any other memory card.

Sending a console

Take out any disc or game card, and remove memory cards you want to keep at home.
Send the console itself and its power lead. Controllers are only needed if they are part of the fault.
Box it with at least 5cm of padding on every side. The original box alone is not enough protection.
Add a note with your name, phone number and what the console does. Include your sign-in PIN if one is set.

We collect by insured courier from anywhere in the UK, or you can bring it to the workshop in London SE1. Every repair starts with a free assessment and a fixed price, and carries a 3-month warranty. See console repair prices and how the courier service works.

Common questions

My Switch will not turn on. Are my saves lost?

Not usually. Most dead Switch consoles have a charging or power fault, and once that is repaired the saves are exactly where they were.

Can you move my saves to a new console?

Once the old console is working, saves can be transferred to another Switch through Nintendo's own transfer feature.

Get a price from a technician

Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to get your laptop to us – normally the same working day.

020 7237 6805

Creative IT workshop
Unit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm