How to Find Your Lost or Stolen Nintendo Switch

So, it seems like you have lost or misplaced your Nintendo Switch or are you misplaced it on your home? If you fit any of the above, well, you come to the right place for the answers to those questions. There are ways that you can follow to find your lost Nintendo Switch, especially if someone has hidden it as a prank in your house. Also, it’s good to know the solution as a precaution.

Unlike other modern devices out there, you can’t manually locate your Nintendo Switch from another device using the same account. But there are a few steps you can take. Let’s dive into everything you need to locate and find your lost Nintendo Switch.

How to Recover or Find Your Lost Nintendo Switch

When it comes to recovering the Nintendo Switch, several ways may or may not work in your favor. One of the easier ways is to get in touch with the customer support for Nintendo in your region or country. Let’s take a look into what steps or procedures are involved.

Contact Nintendo Switch Customer Service

You can get help from Nintendo Customer Support to help track or find your lost or stolen Nintendo Switch. But for that to work, you must first get the Switch’s serial number. Here are different ways to obtain the serial number of the Switch.

Check Your Switch’s Box or Packaging

The serial number is a unique number that is used to identify the Nintendo Switch. Just like all other devices out there, the serial number for your switch can be found as a label or sticker on the box. This is why it is important to always keep the packaging or the box that your devices come in. Situations like this are where it can come in handy.

Check Your Receipts

Whether you have purchased the Nintendo Switch from the shop or online, you will always get a receipt that indicates the Switch model, the date of purchase, and also the serial number of the Switch.

On The Console Itself (If you have your Switch)

If you have your console with you, simply look at the bottom of the device. A sticker will be present that has the serial number of the Switch printed on it. For better measure, it is ideal to take a picture of the serial number and save it to your other devices or simply onto your favorite cloud storage service.

Check the Serial Number via The Settings Page

This and the previous methods will work if you have your Switch with you. If for some reason, the sticker that has the serial number has either faded away or has simply come off, you can always dig into the Settings menu of your Switch to get the serial number. Follow these steps.

1. Select the System Settings icon from the main screen of your Switch.
   
2. On the left-hand side, scroll and select the system menu.
3. Finally, on the right-hand side, choose Serial Number.
4. Here you will see the serial number of your console, its battery, as well as the left and right joy cons.

Once you have got hold of the serial number of your Switch, you can simply contact the Nintendo Switch customer support via your smartphone or PC and ask them if they could track the Switch for you.

Find Your Lost Nintendo Switch in Your House

If you misplaced your Nintendo Switch in your house, there is no official way to find it. However there is a practical tip that work in a certain condition. For this you need to have your Switch’s joy cons that were previously paired with your Switch.

If you have Joy cons, you can mimic the process of changing Switch volumes. But first you need to pair your Joy Cons. Walk around your house and press the Home button on Joy Con and see if it pairs with the Switch, keep doing this and walk around until both Joy Con and the Switch are connected.

When connected, you will know the Nintendo Switch is in close range. Now hold the Home button which will bring the quick access menu. Now press left joystick down three times. On your right joystick slide it left and right, back and forth which will change volume. You will hear volume change sound that you need to listen carefully to locate the Nintendo Switch.

This is one way to locate your lost Nintendo Switch in your house.

Add an AirTag to any Tracker to Your Nintendo Switch (Precaution)

Since the Switch does not have any type of software to track and report its location within the software. The best option is to stick to any popular tracking device such as an Apple AirTag, Samsung SmartTag 2, Tile Pro, or whichever tracker works best with your smartphone and has good tracking reports.

Since most of these tracking devices or tags have a large battery and can report or update the location to you with the help of other nearby devices via Bluetooth, tracking your Switch to the exact location is possible. This tracking method works best if someone has hidden away your Nintendo Switch at home as a prank. It can work if your Switch is stolen, but the chances of the person disposing of the tag are also high.

Things To Do If Your Switch Has Been Stolen

If you have been trying hard to track back your stolen or lost Nintendo Switch, it is ideal to remove your account from the said device. Also, get rid of any credit card information that you have saved on your device to purchase apps or games for the Switch.

De-register Your Nintendo Switch

If you have lost your Nintendo Switch, it is ideal to remove your account from the said Switch. Thankfully, this can be easily done by simply using a web browser. Want to know if you can do it? Here are the steps.

1. Launch your web browser and head over to the Nintendo Account sign-in page.
2. Sign in with the Nintendo Account that has been used for your Nintendo Switch.
3. From the sidebar of the web page, click on Shop Menu.
   
4. Scroll down on the right and choose De-register Primary Console.
5. You will be asked for your account password. Enter it and then click on OK.
6. Finally, click on the big red box that says De-register.
7. This is how you can de register your stolen or lost Nintendo Switch.

Remove Credit Card Info From Your Account

With a stolen Switch with a linked credit card, the person can go on a spending spree and make purchases you did not authorize. Here are the steps to unlink or remove your credit card info from your Nintendo Switch account.

1. Open up the web browser and visit the Nintendo Accounts web page.
2. Once you have signed in with your account, select the Shop Menu. The Shop menu is present on the sidebar.
3. Next to where it says credit card, select the Delete button.
4. You will be asked to confirm if you want to delete this info. Select Delete.
5. This is how you can remove your credit card from your Nintendo account if your Switch has been lost or stolen.

Find Your Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons/Controllers

The little Joy Cons on the Nintendo Switch and the OLED models are removable ones. And because we can be a little careless at times, the chances of misplacing these controllers and Joy-Cons are a possibility. Thankfully, hunting down the Joy-Cons is simple and easy with your Nintendo Switch. Here is what you need to do.

1. Make sure that your Nintendo Switch has the latest software updates installed.
2. Using the touch screen of your Switch from the Menu, select the Controllers option.
3. You will see the icons of your controllers on the screen.
4. To search for it, tap on the controller icon.
5. Keep searching for your vibrating controllers until you find them.
6. Sometimes, the controllers may not vibrate if they are too far from the Switch, have a very low battery, or are probably not paired to your Switch.

To avoid losing or misplacing your Joy-Cons or controllers for the Nintendo Switch, always have them stored in the carrying case if you will not be planning to use them.

Closing Thoughts

This concludes the guide on tracking your Nintendo Switch if it is lost or stolen. However, had the Nintendo Switch come with GPS functionality, it would be a lot easier to implement the Find My Device feature, making it easier to track your Nintendo Switch at all times.

Will GPS tracking for the Switch be released as a new feature for the Switch 2 that is expected to be released in 2025? Let us know your thoughts below.

Also Check:

• How to Connect and Use Xbox Controller on Nintendo Switch
• How to Fix Nintendo Switch Not Connecting to the TV
• Can You Watch Movies On Your Nintendo Switch?
• How to Update Firmware on Nintendo Switch to The Latest Version
• How to Rearrange Icons in Nintendo Switch [Sort Titles]

The post How to Find Your Lost or Stolen Nintendo Switch appeared first on YTECHB.