How to transfer screenshots from a nintendo switch to a computer

In this article, you’ll learn how to transfer game screenshots and video captures from Nintendo Switch to a computer using a USB cable.

Important

• Game screenshots and video captures can be transferred from a Nintendo Switch system to a computer using a USB cable that supports data transfer (sold separately).
• The feature Copy to a Computer via USB Connection can be used with Windows OS, but not with an operating system that does not support Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), such as iOS.
• For non-Windows environments, you may be able to use this feature by installing (on your computer) a software for MTP support. Install software on your computer at your own risk. Nintendo cannot guarantee the use of any software nor can we provide information on software for MTP support.
• If you are unable to use the feature Copy to a Computer via USB Connection, you may use a microSD card to transfer the screenshots and video captures.

• There are no restrictions on the number of screenshots and video captures that can be transferred at one time using a USB cable.
• For steps on transferring game screenshots and video captures wirelessly, you may find this information helpful.

Complete these steps

1. From the HOME Menu select Settings, then select Data Management.
2. Select Manage Screenshots and Videos, then Copy to a Computer via USB Connection.
3. Connect your Nintendo Switch system to a computer using a USB cable (sold separately).
   • The USB cable must be connected directly to the USB-C connector at the bottom of the Nintendo Switch console (the USB ports on the dock do not support this feature).
4. Once connected to your computer, select the screenshots and/or videos to transfer.

Important: The exact sequence of steps hereon may vary between one PC and another.

Benj Edwards
Benj Edwards
Associate Editor

Benj Edwards is an Associate Editor for How-To Geek. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast. Read more.

Starting with Nintendo Switch System Update Version 11.0.0, you can now transfer all of your game and software screenshots and videos over a USB-C cable to a compatible Windows computer. Here’s how to do it.

Requirements

First, make sure that your Nintendo Switch is updated to System 11.0.0. To do so, open System Settings, navigate to “System,” and select “System Update.”

You’ll also need a compatible USB-A to USB-C cable that you can plug directly into the connector at the bottom of the Switch. The cable has to be wired for data transfer, not just for charging. Note that this transfer technique does not work through the USB ports located on the Switch dock.

Nyko

Finally, you’ll need a Windows PC. For the transfer to work, Nintendo says that the computer must support Media Transfer Protocol (MTP). Windows 10 PCs all include support for this.

Currently, the Switch’s USB copy function does not work on a Mac out of the box, although that may change with a future update. Reportedly, Android File Transfer might work. In the meantime, Mac users can transfer the screenshots with a microSD card.

How to Transfer Switch Screenshots and Videos to a PC via USB Cable

First, plug one end of your USB cable into the USB-C port on the bottom of your Switch, then plug the other end into an available USB port on your Windows PC. Your PC should recognize the Switch as a USB device and set it up automatically.

On the Switch Home screen, select the Settings icon, which looks like a gear.

In System Settings, select “Data Management” from the sidebar menu.

In “Data Management,” select “Manage Screenshots and Videos.”

In “Manage Screenshots and Videos,” select “Copy to a Computer via USB Connection.”

The Switch will attempt to connect to your PC. If the attempt is successful, you’ll see a “Connected to the computer” message.

On your Windows 10 PC, navigate to “This PC” in File Explorer and select “Nintendo Switch,” which you’ll find under the “Devices and drives” category.

Inside, you’ll find a folder called “Album.” Open that, and you’ll see a list of all your screenshots and videos in separate folders sorted by software title.

If you open any one of these folders, you’ll see the images and videos you’ve captured for that game or software application in the past, with each image or video stored as a separate file.

To copy the files over, you can drag and drop the files or folders to any location on your PC, including your Desktop. If you need to select all of the folders at once, press Ctrl+A.

When you’re finished transferring screenshots and videos, tap the “Disconnect” button on your Switch’s screen, then unplug the USB cable.

If a USB connection doesn’t work for some reason, it’s also possible to transfer Switch screenshots and videos using a microSD card. Good luck!

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Benj Edwards
Benj Edwards is an Associate Editor for How-To Geek. For over 15 years, he has written about technology and tech history for sites such as The Atlantic, Fast Company, PCMag, PCWorld, Macworld, Ars Technica, and Wired. In 2005, he created Vintage Computing and Gaming, a blog devoted to tech history. He also created The Culture of Tech podcast and regularly contributes to the Retronauts retrogaming podcast.
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Firmware 11.0.0 was pushed live today, and a big focus of today’s update involves getting your screenshots and gameplay capture off of the Switch and onto another device directly, either through a USB cable or wireless transfer.

To access this, users can connect their Switch to a computer using a USB cable, go to System Settings, then Data Management, and finally to Manage Screenshots and Videos.

The Top 25 Nintendo Switch Games

Three years later and the Nintendo Switch continues to hold its own against the Xbox One and PS4. If the little hybrid handheld has proven anything, it’s that a console is truly defined by what you can play on it. From Nintendo exclusives like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey to Nindies like Slay the Spire and Golf Story, choosing only 25 of the best Nintendo Switch games has proven to be difficult.
The list was assembled by the entire IGN content team and represents – after plenty of internal debate -what we think are the best games to enjoy on the Switch right now, whether you’re picking one up for the first time or have been a platform enthusiast since day one.

Be sure to let us know in the comments what made your list that wasn’t on ours!” width=”” />

25. Ring Fit Adventure

Sure, exercising is good for you, but it’s got two pretty big drawbacks: one, it costs a lot of money to join a gym and, two, it’s kind of boring. Ring Fit Adventure fixes both of those problems by gamifying exercise and letting you work out from home while somehow making the entire experience feel like a fun, casual RPG. By strapping the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con to your leg and with the strange, brilliant new Ring-Con peripheral, Ring Fit encourages you to use your whole body to battle monsters, collect coins, level up, and push past your personal bests — all while giving you a serious workout within the confines of your living room. It proves that exercising can be fun — especially when it’s thousands of dollars cheaper than hiring a personal trainer, too.” width=”” />

24. Link’s Awakening

With its charming, toyetic visual style and bizarrely dark undertones, the vast island of Koholint in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening has never looked better than it does on Nintendo Switch. Link’s shipwrecked adventure on a mysterious island rife with eccentric characters and sprawling dungeons has always been one of the stranger Zelda stories, and this remake allows new audiences and aging fans alike to appreciate it on a modern system. It modernizes the classic beloved Zelda game with a shiny new coat of paint, some excellent quality of life improvements, and loads more hidden collectibles but, ultimately, its greatest accomplishment is retaining the weird, haunting, beautiful feeling of the original Game Boy game.” width=”” />

23. Astral Chain

Astral Chain is PlatinumGames at its best. It’s got it all: a unique story; deep character customization with a variety of play styles, and – of course – power-armored robot pets. On top of all that, it’s got some of the most satisfying, challenging, and fast-paced combat you’ll see on the Nintendo Switch. If you’re a fan of other PlatinumGames like Bayonetta, Vanquish, or Nier: Automata, Astral Chain won’t disappoint.” width=”” />

22. SteamWorld Dig 2

SteamWorld Dig 2 is a textbook example of everything a sequel should be: bigger, smarter, and just straight up more fun. Guiding Dorothy through SWD 2’s labyrinthine caverns searching for loot and upgrades is a challenging and charming twist on the classic “Metroidvania” style and has a gameplay loop that will undoubtedly keep you up into the wee hours of the morning for “just one more run”.” width=”” />

21. Monster Hunter Ultimate Generations

The Nintendo Switch makes it possible to get the best of both *worlds* with Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. You can play using a comfortable pro-controller, but you can also slay its more than 100 monsters in person with friends. On top of the ridiculous amount of content packed in, you can also play as an adorable cat and pet alpacas.” width=”” />

There is now also a feature that will automatically download saved data backed up on the cloud to multiple Switch consoles, granted the same Nintendo Account is linked to each device. However, the save data must already exist on each console, so you’ll still need to manually download the save data onto a second device first before being able to utilize this feature.

Here are the full patch notes for Nintendo Switch Firmware 11.0.0 (via Nintendo’s website)

The new Switch update allows you to transfer screenshots to mobile and PC with ease. Here’s how to do it.

The Nintendo’s Switch’s new update allows you to transfer screenshots from the console to your phone and PC far easier. Here’s how to do it.

The popularity of the Nintendo Switch cannot be disputed. However, there are a couple of its features, or lack of them, that only seems to be in place to annoy the user. The console’s online chat options are downright poor. We would recommend avoiding the accompanying mobile app if you can. Almost four years after release, there is also still no sign of Netflix coming to Switch, and no one seems to really know why.

Anyone trying to transfer screenshots from a Switch to a mobile device or PC will have come up against some annoying hurdles too. The best ways to do it used to be by first posting the shots on Twitter, or removing the micro SD card from the Switch. However, the 11.0.0 update rolled out this week has made sharing screenshots from your Switch a lot easier.

Switch To Mobile

Below are the steps you will now need to take to transfer screenshots from your Switch to a mobile device. 10 screenshots and one video can be transferred at a time.

• From the Home Menu select Album, then select a screenshot or video capture.
• Select Sharing and Editing, then select Send to Smartphone.
• Select Only This One or Send a Batch.
• Using the camera on your smart device, scan the QR code displayed on Nintendo Switch.
• Once the connection is established, the screenshots and/or videos will be sent to the smart device and the thumbnail(s) will be displayed on the smart device.

via Nintendo Life

Switch To PC

Transferring screenshots from your Switch to a PC is a little trickier. However, it does let you transfer more than 10 screenshots at a time. Here’s how to do it.

In this article, you’ll learn how to transfer game screenshots and video captures from Nintendo Switch to a computer using a USB cable.

Important:

Game screenshots and video captures can be transferred from a Nintendo Switch system to a computer using a USB cable that supports data transfer (sold separately).

The feature Copy to a Computer via USB Connection can be used with Windows OS, but not with an operating system that does not support Media Transfer Protocol (MTP), such as iOS.

For non-Windows environments, you may be able to use this feature by installing (on your computer) a software for MTP support. Install software on your computer at your own risk. Nintendo cannot guarantee the use of any software nor can we provide information on software for MTP support.

If you are unable to use the feature Copy to a Computer via USB Connection, you may use a microSD card to transfer the screenshots and video captures.

Note

There are no restrictions on the number of screenshots and video captures that can be transferred at one time using a USB cable.

For steps on transferring game screenshots and video captures wirelessly, you may find this information helpful.

Complete these steps

From the HOME Menu select Settings, then select Data Management.

Select Manage Screenshots and Videos, then Copy to a Computer via USB Connection.

Connect your Nintendo Switch system to a computer using a USB cable (sold separately).

The USB cable must be connected directly to the USB-C connector at the bottom of the Nintendo Switch console (the USB ports on the dock do not support this feature).

Once connected to your computer, select the screenshots and/or videos to transfer.

Important: The exact sequence of steps hereon may vary between one PC and another.

The latest Nintendo Switch software update, version 11.0.0 , makes it much easier to transfer screenshots and gameplay videos to your smartphone or PC. The new methods are miles better than the unintuitive post-to-social-media-then-delete workaround we’ve been forced to use since the console’s launch, or the similarly burdensome “find a microSD card reader in your messy desk drawer” approach.

How to send Switch screenshots to your smartphone

This first method sends files directly to your smartphone over wifi—albeit in a very Nintendo fashion. Nintendo limits transfers to just 10 screenshots or one video at a time, and you need to use two QR codes each time you send files. That will make large batch transfers tedious to complete, but it’s better than awkwardly posting four screenshots to your public Twitter feed, saving them, then deleting the Tweet each time you want to save a screenshot.

Annoyingly, the Switch disables the screengrab feature while you’re using the transfer tool, so we can’t show you specifically what the new menu looks like, but the steps are simple enough to follow:

1. Select the “Album” icon from the Switch’s home screen.
2. In the Album screen, highlight a screenshot or video, then press the A button to open the “Sharing and Editing” menu.
3. The system will ask how you want to share your screenshots. Select “Send to smartphone.”
4. Select “Only this one” to send just one screenshot, or “Send a Batch” to select and send up to ten screenshots.
5. A QR code will appear on the Switch’s screen. Scan it with your smartphone’s camera app. Both devices will sync over wifi.
6. A second QR code will now be displayed. Scan this one to send the selected file(s) to your phone.
7. Wait for the download page to open in your phone’s browsing app. This can take a few moments, but the files will download automatically when they’re ready.
8. Press “End” on the Switch to close the sharing tool.
9. Repeat for all screens and video you want to transfer.

Note: Don’t let your smartphone’s screen lock or your Switch enter sleep mode, as it will interrupt the connection and you’ll have to start over. (I learned this the hard way.)

Nintendo makes it easy to take screenshots and videos of your games, then share Switch screenshots and videos to Facebook and Twitter. But why only those two services? There’s no official way to upload images to cloud storage services, like Google Drive or Dropbox. The only other way to transfer images and videos to your computer is using a MicroSD card, like some kind of cave person.

This is completely unacceptable. You can wait for Nintendo to fix this, or you can take action now. Tc—one discovered by my genius friend and colleague Joe Deer. Basically you need to:

Create a dummy Twitter account

Connect that Twitter account to your Nintendo Switch

Set up a quick automation that grabs all screenshots and videos from Twitter and uploads them to your favorite cloud storage

The first two steps are simple, and we can make the last one simple too. Zapier can connect Twitter to thousands of other apps, including most of the major cloud storage providers. A simple automation can grab screenshots and videos from Twitter and save them wherever you like. This Zap, created and shared by Joe himself, guides you through the process for Google Drive, but keep reading to learn how to set it up with other apps, like Dropbox or even Discord.

Now let’s walk through the whole process.

Create a dummy Twitter account

First, head to Twitter to create a dummy account.

You could use an existing Twitter account, if you want, but only if you’re fine tweeting every screenshot you’d like to save. Come to think of it, don’t do that.

Connect that Twitter account to your Nintendo Switch

Next we need to link this Twitter account to your Nintendo Switch. Head to the Gallery on your Switch, then try to post a screenshot. You will be asked to sign in to your social media accounts.

Select Post to Twitter, and you can sign in to your new Twitter account.

Note: You can plug a keyboard into the Switch to type your password, if typing using the on-screen keyboard sounds annoying. There are two USB ports in the Switch’s dock, or you can plug directly into the USB-C port if you have an adapter.

You should now be able to upload your screenshot.

Select Post to Twitter, then head to your dummy Twitter account to make sure it posted.

Set up a Zap to automatically back up Nintendo Switch screenshots to cloud storage

Now you’re ready to set up your automation. You can use the shared Zap from above if you want to send your images to Google Drive, or you can connect to any of dozens of cloud storage apps including Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, and more by following the instructions below.

Create a free Zapier account if you don’t have one, and then click Make a Zap.

First, you’ll choose Twitter as your app.

Choose My Tweet as the trigger event, then click Continue.

You will be asked to sign in to your Twitter account, after which you can set up the next step. Choose which app you’d like to upload your screenshots to. I’m using Google Drive in this example.

You will be asked to sign in to your cloud storage provider. After that, you can choose where your file should be uploaded.

You can choose to put you screenshots in any folder you want. Just make sure that in the File field, you’ve selected Entities Attached Media URL from the dropdown.

Click Continue when everything looks good. You will be asked to test your Zap, at which point the first screenshot or video you shared should show up in your cloud storage service of choice.

This works with any service supported by Zapier, which includes Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and Microsoft OneDrive. Or you could automatically post your Switch images to messaging apps, like Discord or Slack. Until Nintendo offers integrations with all of these services, this workaround gets the job done.

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Justin Pot is a staff writer at Zapier based in Hillsboro, Oregon. He loves technology, people, and nature, not necessarily in that order. You can follow Justin on Twitter: @jhpot. You don’t have to. But you can.

Learn how to transfer your screenshots from the Nintendo Switch to your smartphone with the Switch’s latest update.

The latest update on the Nintendo Switch now allows you to transfer screenshots from your Switch to your smartphone, making it even easier to share your favorite Nintendo screenshots to your social media and friends. If you’re looking for info on how to transfer screenshots from your Nintendo Switch to your smartphone, then we can help.

How to transfer screenshots from your Nintendo Switch to your smartphone

It was already fairly easy to share photos to your social media with the Nintendo Switch’s built-in social connections. Now, though, you’ll be able to transfer those same screenshots to your smartphone, allowing you to share them via text messages or on other social media sites as wanted. The feature was released in the most recent update, and this guide will help get you used to the changes.

After taking a screenshot, all you need to do to transfer it to your smartphone is open up your Nintendo Switch gallery, navigate to the photo that you want to share, and then select it. You should immediately see the option to Send to Smartphone.

A quick look at the way you download the images after connection to your Nintendo Switch.

Selecting this option will open up another window with a QR code. All you need to do now is open up your smartphone’s camera app, scan the QR code, and connect to your Switch console. Once connected, a second QR code will generate, and you can scan that code to open up a browser window with the screenshot that you chose (or multiple if you chose to send a batch of screenshots).

Once you have the screenshots on your smartphone screen, you’ll then be able to select them and save them to your device. From there you can simply share them in any way that you would normally share photos, making it even easier to caption or edit your photos more than you can in the original Switch gallery application.

Now that you know how to transfer screenshots from your Nintendo Switch to your smartphone, you can start sharing more of your perfect captures with all your friends.

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.

Learn how to transfer your screenshots from your Switch to your phone with this easy app.

When the Switch launched, the only way to get screenshots off of the microSD was to upload them to social media like Twitter or connect the microSD to a computer. Nintendo finally made an easier way to transfer screenshots, but it requires a lot of setup. Nintendo’s solution requires long-pressing each screenshot or video to send it.

The Switch Transfer Tool for Android simplifies this process for Android users (sorry iOS). You only need to scan one QR code to connect to the Switch and begin batch transferring screenshots and video to your smartphone.

How Switch Transfer Tool Works

1. Open the photo album on your Switch and choose the photo you want to share.
2. Tap the ‘A‘ button to open the Sharing & Editing interface.
3. Scroll down to ‘Send to Smartphone‘ and press A.
4. Choose ‘Only This One‘ to send one picture or ‘Send a Batch‘ for up to ten.
5. Open the Switch Transfer Tool on your phone.
6. Press ‘Transfer from Switch.’
7. Scan the QR code and select ‘Connect‘ when the prompt appears.
8. Screenshots will now appear in your phone’s gallery.

This tool makes it much easier to get your Switch screenshots on your phone without having to tool around with the built-in solution.

Does Switch Transfer tool work on iOS?

Unfortunately, the app is Android only. However, there is a similar solution called Switch Buddy for iOS that works very similarly. Check it out if you have an iPhone and you want to transfer your Switch screenshots more easily to your phone.

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