While Nintendo Switch is a great handheld console available, it does come with a few issues of its own. Well, all electronic gadgets do have their share of issues and so the same is the case with Nintendo Switch.
Occasional freezing is a common occurrence, prompting the need for a restart. However, you can easily resolve such issues, one has to perform a restart on the Switch.
Today’s guide is all about how you can restart Nintendo Switch.
There are many reasons why you might want to perform a restart on the Nintendo Switch. It could be that a game is freezing, making the Switch unresponsive or it could also be a software bug that is causing the Switch to be unresponsive on the home screen itself. It could be any other reason like maybe you are not able to turn the Wi-Fi on the Switch or anything else for that matter.
Instead of switching it off and then switching it on, a restart is a better option. Read along to learn how to restart the Nintendo Switch.
There are four different ways to restart the Nintendo Switch. One method can be classified as a normal restart. The other way helps you perform a hard reset, a separate method for unfreezing the device, and a method for clearing the cache.
Table of Contents
Let’s take a look at each method.
How to Restart Nintendo Switch [A Quick Normal Restart]
A normal restart can be done when you just want to restart the Switch maybe because you have added a new account or feeling the device isn’t working properly. The best thing about this method is, that you’ll not lose game data by performing a quick restart. To perform a normal restart simply do the following:
Step 1: Press and hold the power button at the top of the Switch for at least three seconds.
Step 2: You will now see a menu on the screen. Select Power Options from the list.
Step 3: Select the Restart option from the list. The Nintendo Switch will now restart itself.
If you leave the device with the Power Menu on, the device will automatically put itself into sleep mode.
How to Hard Reset Nintendo Switch [Force Restart Method]
Hard Reset comes in very handy when your Nintendo Switch suddenly goes unresponsive or the game freezes and you have no other option but to forcefully restart the Switch. Here is how you can forcefully restart the Nintendo Switch.
Step 1: Turn off your Nintendo Switch.
Step 2: Press and hold the power button until the console reboots or reset. It will take around 15 to 20 seconds. Once done, release the power button.
Step 3: Now press the power button once and start using the Nintendo Switch.
There you have it, proper back to the normal working Switch.
Risks of Forced Restart
Well, forcefully restarting should not bring any harm to the device. But, if you were in the middle of saving a game file, then there are chances that you might lose those saved files for that particular game, there could even be issues with the app data being corrupted, meaning that you will have to probably download the whole game again.
Sometimes, a forced restart can even brick the Switch and simply cause the Switch to show a blue screen and nothing else. When such a situation occurs, it is best to send the device to Nintendo to get it fixed.
How to Unfreeze Nintendo Switch
Apart from restarting your Switch, you can also use two other methods that can help to unfreeze your switch.
Method 1: Press the Home button
Ever got yourself in a situation where you were playing a game and your Switch decided to just get unresponsive? Well, by pressing the Home button, you can exit the game right away and be back on the home screen. However, you will have to keep mashing the Home button to get out of the game.
This method is useful when you just do not want to perform a forced restart and live in fear of losing some kind of data, be it save data or the app data.
Dock the Switch
Now, this method will work if you have purchased the Switch Dock. Let’s say you were playing a Mario game on your Switch and it just decides to freeze. So, what do you do? Well, you simply put the Switch in its Dock and then un-dock it. Your Switch should return to being normal.
What docking and undocking do is, interrupt almost everything to prepare itself in the dock mode. And as soon as you pull it off the dock, the Switch will be back to normal, and you can continue playing the game that was just unresponsive a minute or two before.
How to Clear Cache on Nintendo Switch
The browsing history as well as your user ID and passwords are stored in cache memory on Nintendo Switch. Whether it’s an issue with the game’s cache or with your account, you can clear the cache to resolve any issues on your device. Here are the steps.
Step 1: Select the Settings icon on the Nintendo Switch’s home screen.
Step 2: Scroll down, Find System, and tap on it.
Step 3: Select Formatting Options and then tap on Reset Cache.
That’s it.
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