Exploring the Nintendo Switch’s Hidden Potential

The Nintendo Switch is already a very user-friendly and convenient console, but there are several settings you might be sleeping on that could make your experience with it even better. None of these settings are activated by default, so if you don’t know about them, you are likely not using your Switch to its full potential.

If you want to learn how to extend your Switch’s battery life, get faster download speeds, and get better graphics while playing docked, you can find all of that and more below.

1. Enable Cloud Data Saves

Have you ever spent hours on a game and lost all of your progress? This issue is more common than you would think. Whether your Switch gets stolen, you break your console accidentally, or maybe you lend your sibling your Switch, and they accidentally save over your save file. These things are unfortunate, but they can happen, and that can result in hours of progress down the drain.

If you’ve ever experienced this, you will understand the seven stages of grief that follow, usually culminating in you deciding to ditch the game for good rather than spend countless hours building back up to the point you were at before. All of this can be avoided, however, if you activate Cloud saves on your device.

To do so, head to the settings and make your way toData Management . From there, clickSave Data Cloud and choose youruser profile . Scroll down toSettings at the bottom and turn onAutomatically Back Up Save Data . Once you have activated this setting, you will be able to retrieve any data you lose. This feature is only available if you have a Nintendo Switch Online Membership.

2. Use Flight Mode to Extend Your Switch’s Battery Life

Putting your Nintendo Switch in Flight Mode limits your ability to connect to the internet. But if the game you’re currently playing doesn’t use internet, you can save a decent amount of battery life by putting your Switch in Flight Mode even when your feet are planted firmly on the ground.

Being connected to the internet and having your console constantly send and receive that signal uses energy. Putting your console in Flight Mode saves valuable resources that, if you’re not using them anyway, are better used elsewhere.

To put your phone on Flight Mode. Simply open your settings and scroll down toFlight Mode . It’s the second option on the menu and will only take a moment to activate, but could save you precious moments in your game.

3. Use Quick Archive to Free Up Space on Your Nintendo Switch

The Switch doesn’t have a lot of storage space. A Switch Lite, for example, only has 32GB of space available, and a portion of that is reserved for the system. 32GB may sound like a lot, but if you’re looking at downloading big games, even the Switch OLED’s improved 64 GB will quickly disappear.

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Your options here are to buy a large SD card to give your Switch more storage space or juggle your games. If your Switch is full, but you want to download a new game, don’t worry. You don’t have to delete all of your games to make space, you can quickly archive them instead.Archiving software on your Switch still frees up storage space, but leaves an icon of the game on your home screen, so you can quickly and easily redownload it when you’re ready.

4. Enable Bluetooth Audio

Bluetooth audio wasn’t something the Switch supported at launch, but it was later introduced in a system update. So Switch owners are now able to enjoy all the wonderful sounds of the Switch without the pesky wires.

Not everyone keeps up to date with the ins and outs of every Nintendo Switch update that comes out. So, if you, like many others, were still unaware of the fact that you could connect Bluetooth headphones to your Switch, this may come as a welcome surprise to you. Connecting andusing Bluetooth headphones on your Switch is a simple and easy process that could change the way you listen to your system.

5. Tweak Your TV Resolution Settings to Get Better Graphics

One of the most underrated Nintendo Switch settings can actually improve the graphics of your system when you’re playing in docked mode. But like many other settings on this list, it is buried in menus and not easy to find unless you know exactly what you’re looking for. Thankfully, you have us to show you.

If your TV is capable of displaying a 1080p image, so is your Nintendo Switch. In handheld mode, the Switch is only capable of 720p, but this can be improved in docked mode. You do have to change yourTV Resolution setting, however.Improving your Nintendo Switch’s resolution in docked mode is as easy as heading to your settings, going toTV Output , and selecting1080p from yourTV Resolution settings.

The Achilles heel of the Nintendo Switch is Joy-Con drift. This is a phenomenon caused by a wearing down of the mechanisms inside the joystick that leads to false input in your controller and makes your character or camera start moving on its own.

This issue can cause some serious headaches in-game, but there is a way to fix it (if the case is mild enough.) That is by recalibrating your Joy-Cons or any other controller you may be having issues with. Simply head to your settings, selectControllers and Sensors , and pressCalibrate Control Sticks . The Switch will guide you through the rest of the process, and you should finally experience some relief from drift for a little while, at least.

7. Alter the MTU Setting to Unlock Faster Download Speeds

MTU stands for Maximum Transfer Units. So, by increasing your MTU, you can allow more data to flow into your Switch at a faster rate, thus helping you achieve faster download speeds. It is also extremely quick and easy, makingimproving the internet speeds on your Nintendo Switch a process that will only take a few seconds at most.

To begin, make sure your Switch is connected to the internet and go to yourInternet Settings . From there, select the Wi-Fi you’re connected to and pressChange Settings . Then scroll down and bump theMTU up from1400 to1500 . That will ensure that the maximum amount of data is being transferred, and you should experience an improvement in your download speeds.

8. Extend the Auto-Lock Time on Your Nintendo Switch

You don’t want to drain your Switch’s battery by accidentally leaving the screen on for hours when you’re not using it, but you don’t want to constantly be unlocking it after setting it down for a matter of seconds, either.

Finding the perfect balance to mitigate unnecessary battery loss while also preventing you from becoming frustrated may require some trial and error, but there are several time frames to choose from, and one of them should be able to strike the balance you’re looking for.

To customize auto-sleep on your Nintendo Switch, head to the settings and scroll down toSleep Mode . You have two choices for auto-sleep, one for when you’re using your console in handheld mode and the other for when you’re playing on the TV.

Both can be customized separately. Pick the mode you’re looking for and choose your perfect timeframe from the list provided. You can choose fromone ,three ,five ,10 , and30 minutes , or evennever if you’re not afraid of accidentally leaving your system on overnight.

9. Discover Your Nintendo Switch’s Maintenance Mode

The recovery menu is something you hope you will never see, but it’s still important to know about because it can help troubleshoot certain issues without having to send your console away for repair. There are, of course, some things that even Maintenance Mode cannot help you with, but many software issues can be resolved with a factory reset or even a soft reset.

Image Credit:Nintendo

To open Maintenance Mode, hold thevolume up + volume down + power buttons down for a couple of seconds until the system boots up in Maintenance Mode, and you can troubleshoot your Switch from there.

Level Up Your Switch With These Helpful Switch Tips

The Switch is a great console already, but if you use any or all of these settings, your experience with your Switch could become even better. So, if you’ve been feeling like your Switch is a little on the slow side or the graphics aren’t quite up to scratch, these settings could help.

Even in the worst-case scenario, they could rescue your lost saved data or help fix Joy-Con drift or other software-related issues without the headache of sending your system away for repair.