Cover image of nintendo switch sd card data recovery story

How to recover save files from Nintendo Switch SD card 4c241p

Avatar of Eduardo Rebouças
See how to recover save files from Nintendo Switch SD card in this article.

Losing save files regardless of their content is always annoying. In the case of saved games, which keep the countless hours of our progress, the loss can be painful. In this article, we will give you some tips to try to avoid headaches when recovering saved files from the Nintendo Switch memory card if it becomes corrupted or breaks. 25i4e

By far the best way to protect your precious Nintendo Switch save files is prevention. Do backup theirs is essential, and the best way to do this is by backup in the Nintendo Switch Online cloud. With an active subscription, the device itself automatically s your saved files to the cloud, ensuring you never lose them, at least while the subscription is active.

The use of the service is simple, and we explain it in the article how to back up your game save files to the cloud Nintendo Switch Online. There you will find all the information you need to protect your data in the most convenient way possible, through the service provided by Nintendo itself. This mode is by far the most guaranteed and is very worthwhile, after all, the Nintendo Switch Online service includes other advantages in addition to the backup automatic for a reasonably low price.

Recover Files from Nintendo Switch SD Card 50e2p

If your MicroSD card breaks, simply replace it with a new one by inserting it into the Nintendo Switch. From there, use the recovery options as per the article to recover your Nintendo Switch Online cloud save data. 

Select the eShop icon. (Image: Eduardo Rebouças/ Showmetech)

To retrieve ed games transferred from the Switch's internal memory to the MicroSD card, you'll need to navigate to your Nintendo eShop game library. While connected to the Internet, click on the bag icon in the main menu and select the desired after logging in. 

Within the options you will be able to re- any game previously purchased from the eShop. (Photo: Eduardo Rebouças/ Showmetech)

In the eShop, navigate to the upper right side of the screen and select your avatar to enter the menu information. in option again, you will find the list of all the games you have purchased in your . Choose the game you want to again by clicking on the rectangle with a cloud next to its name.   

But what happens if you don't want to subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online? There is a way to do backup location on your computer for save files that you can use to recover any game save data you might lose. 

Compared to backup for the cloud, this method is a bit more work and requires a computer. Just like the MicroSD card in your portable Nintendo hybrid, there's always the possibility that data on your computer's HD is also lost.

For that, you will need an SD card reader and connect it to the PC. Insert the Switch's MicroSD card into it. Now, on Windows, open the File Explorer and select the card from the units listed on the left side of the screen. Drag the entire contents of the card onto the desktop. Do not modify the copied data in any way to avoid the risk of losing them.

Now, whenever you want, either due to a possible defect in the MicroSD card, or if you a card with greater capacity, just copy the data from your PC to the card inserted in the SD card reader.

Search for "cmd" in the Windows search box. (Image: Eduardo Rebouças/ Showmetech)

In case the MicroSD card fails, as a last resort, there is also the possibility of trying to recover your data with Windows, or through external programs, using a PC. By inserting your damaged card into the reader connected to your computer, in the Windows search box, type “cmd”. Right-click on “cmd” and choose the option to run it as an .

Enter the command line as shown. (Image: Eduardo Rebouças/ Showmetech)

In the command box that opens, type “chkdsk”, followed by (the drive letter corresponding to the MicroSD card) and finally /f. For example: “chkdsk :g /f”. Press enter afterwards. The utility will scan your SD card for errors as well as attempt to repair them. After the process is finished, safely eject the MicroSD, put it back in the Nintendo Switch and check if your save files are back to normal.  

At worst, this process will fail. That's where the with specializing in data recovery. There are a huge number of options, both free and paid, that you can use to try and recover your saved files. None of them are guaranteed to work as there are a variety of factors that influence data loss, and once lost, there is sometimes no way to recover a corrupted card. 

: always try to use a MicroSD card from a well-known brand, with proven quality, such as Plexor or SanDisk. When purchasing your new card, make sure you are buying it from a reputable store, as many of the MicroSDs available online and in smaller stores are often counterfeit and unreliable. 

Just in case, as we mentioned at the beginning, it is always good to be cautious when it comes to preventing the loss of saved data. Always have some kind of backup of your saved files, either by the backup in the Nintendo Switch Online cloud or locally. The old adage still holds true: one forewarned is forearmed!

See too

REVIEW: Nintendo Switch OLED

Official Nintendo website with more information about Nintendo Switch Online

Leave a comment Cancel reply 26673o
Related Posts 593ri

Xbox Games Showcase 2025: See the event's main releases 6p25u

With plenty of new announcements, the Xbox Games Showcase showcased several new games, including Call of Duty Black Ops 7, Silksong, and the ROG Xbox Ally handheld console. Check out everything that happened!
Tiago Rodrigues Avatar
Learn more

Summer Game Fest 2025: Check out everything that happened at the event 5f6l2k

Summer Game Fest 2025 is here and we finally had the announcement of Resident Evil 9 (Resident Evil Requiem), a new game from RGG Studio and much more. Check it out
Tiago Rodrigues Avatar
Learn more

Check out the winning apps from the 2025 Apple Design Awards 632m1j

Just days before the Worldwide Developers Conference 2025 (WWDC), Apple announced the winners of its Design Awards, aimed at apps for Apple devices. See
Alexandre Marques Avatar
Learn more