How to Recover Deleted Save Data Nintendo Switch | Complete Recovery Guide

Potential Causes of Save Data Loss on Nintendo Switch

Losing saved game data on your Nintendo Switch is heart-wrenching, especially after putting in countless hours of gameplay. You're not alone. Generally speaking, there are several common scenarios for losing save data on gaming consoles. Let's see if any of these matching your situation.

• Accidental Deleting Save Data: Whether it’s removing old data to free up space or misclicking through the Data Management menu, users may unintentionally delete save data.
• Transferring Save Data: If the transfer isn't completed correctly or is interrupted, it can result in Nintendo Switch save data missing from both the source and destination.
• Deleting a User: Each user on the Nintendo Switch has their own unique save data. If you delete a user profile, all associated save data is also removed unless previously backed up.
• Transferring a User: When you transfer a user to another Nintendo Switch console, their save data may not automatically move with them—especially if cloud backups weren’t enabled.
• Initializing Console: Performing a full factory reset deletes all data on the Nintendo Switch, including game saves, user profiles, and downloaded software.

While understanding these causes can help prevent data loss in the future, mistakes do happen. Fortunately, there are several ways to recover lost or deleted game data on the Nintendo Switch. Below, we’ll walk through the main recovery methods in detail.

How to Recover Deleted Save Data on Nintendo Switch

Similar to recovering deleted save data on Xbox or Xbox one, restoring save data on a Nintendo console requires using the built-in cloud backup feature. Additionally, you can redownload games you’ve purchased. If there's no backup available, a third-party data recovery software can also be used. However, note that Nintendo consoles don’t support backing up game data or saves to an external hard drive, so you can’t recover saves from an external drive backup.

Restore from Cloud Save

Nintendo Switch Online offers cloud save backup for many games. If your saved data was backed up before deletion, you can easily restore it from the cloud. This method is ideal if you’ve created cloud save backups before the data was lost. It's the most reliable solution to Nintendo Switch restore deleted save data.

Step 1. Go to the Home menu, select the game which you wish to recover save data of and press the "Plus" button.

Step 2. Scroll down and select "Save Data Cloud Backup", then choose the account you used to back up the game to the cloud.

Step 3. Select "Download Save Data" to restore it.

When the process is completed, you can launch the game to confirm whether the deleted save data has been restored.

Alternatively, you can also access and perform recovery through System Settings.

Step 1. Go to "System Settings" > "Data Management" > "Save Data Cloud Backup".

Step 2. Select the user profile associated with the deleted save.

Step 3. Select the game and tap "Download Save Data" to restore the deleted save data.

Notes:✎...

Not all games support cloud save backup. Be sure to check compatibility on Nintendo’s official site.

Redownload the Game in Eshop

Save data for Nintendo Switch games is typically stored in the console's internal memory. If you have enabled Nintendo Switch Online cloud saves, even if you uninstall the game, the save data will remain on the console, allowing you to resume play after redownloading it.

Step 1. Go to "All Software" > "Redownload Software" on your Nintendo switch.

Step 2. Select your user profile to redownload the game.

Step 3. Choose the "Redownload" section and view all previously purchased games.

Step 4. Select the desired game and choose Download icon to reinstall it.

Recover Deleted Save Data Using MyRecover on Windows

Since Nintendo consoles use microSD cards, which are formatted as FAT32 or exFAT by default, these file systems are recognizable by Windows. Therefore, you can recover deleted save data on Windows.

If you have no backups and can't reinstall the game with the deleted saves, don't lose hope. Professional third-party data recovery tools like MyRcover can still salvage your data. It can scan the microSD card using a card-reader for lost or deleted data on it and give an opportunity to recover the lost game save data without backup. You can recover deleted files via MyRecover in just few clicks.

Step 1. Remove the microSD card from your Nintendo switch and connect it to your computer.

Step 2. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from official channel.

Step 3. Select the microSD card to scan for lost data and click "Scan".

Step 4. Choose files you want to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Step 5. Select a safe and new location to save the recovered files to avoid overwriting.

When the process is completed, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop out. You can access and check the recovered files by clicking the destination folder.

FAQ:

1. Are switch saves backed up?

Yes, game saves on the Switch can be backed up. Only Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can use cloud saves, and game data is automatically backed up to the cloud. You can also manually back up save according to your needs.

2. What happens if I delete saved data on Nintendo Switch?

Deleted save data is removed from the console’s internal memory or SD card (depending on where it was stored). If you haven’t backed it up to the cloud or another location, the progress is permanently lost.

3. Does archiving games on Switch delete data?

Archiving a game on Nintendo Switch does not delete save data. It only removes the downloaded software from your console, freeing up storage space. You can easily redownload the game later using the icon on the HOME Menu, and your progress will be exactly as you left it.

Summary

Data loss on the Nintendo Switch can occur for various reasons, including accidental deletion, profile transfers, or factory resets. Fortunately, recovering deleted save data on Nintendo Switch is possible in many cases through above methods.

As a professional data recovery tool, MyRecover also supports data recovery from PS4 hard drive and other consoles hard drive. If you need to recover a large amount of data, please upgrade to the Professional edition of MyRecover. It also offers the function to preview file contents before restoration.