Linking a Nintendo Account to your Switch takes only a few steps. The reason to slow down and read first is that one part of it is permanent: “Once the Nintendo Account is linked, it cannot be unlinked or changed for that user account.”
So the decision that matters is not *how* to link — it is *which* account you link to *which* user profile. Get that right and the rest is a few taps.
Quick answer
- Go to System Settings > Users > pick the user > Link Nintendo Account.
- Choose carefully. A link cannot later be undone or swapped for that user.
- Want a different account? Add a new user rather than trying to relink an existing one.
- Limits: eight user profiles per console, and eight Nintendo Accounts linked at a time.
- You need a linked account for the eShop, online play and Nintendo Switch Online.
The Step You Cannot Undo
Worth stating on its own, because most guides skip it. When you tap Link, that pairing of Nintendo Account to user profile is fixed for good — Nintendo’s page says the account “cannot be unlinked or changed for that user account”.
That has a practical consequence. If you later want a different Nintendo Account on that console — a second person, or an account you created properly after using a throwaway — you do not relink. You add another user profile and link the new account to that instead. The console supports several, which is what the eight-profile limit below is for.
What a Nintendo Account Actually Gets You
It is not cosmetic. “A Nintendo Account is an account that provides access to certain features on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch, including access to the Nintendo eShop”, along with Nintendo Switch Online and online play.
Put another way: without one, a user profile is a local save slot and nothing more. Nintendo’s own summary is blunt — “If you want to use your system’s online features , you will need to link a Nintendo Account.”
How to Link an Existing Nintendo Account
- Select System Settings on the HOME Menu.
- Scroll down to Users, then select the user profile you want to link.
- Select Sign in to a Nintendo Account or Link Nintendo Account.
- Sign in.
- Select Link to confirm — and remember this is the irreversible step.
If you do not have an account yet, the same screen offers Create a new account. Rather than typing everything on the console, “you can request an email with instructions to link your Nintendo Account with a confirmation code” and finish the job on a phone or PC.
Adding Another User Profile
Because links are permanent, adding users is the normal way to handle more than one person — or more than one account. Go to System Settings > Users > Add User.
There is a ceiling: “Up to 8 user accounts can be created on Nintendo Switch.” And if the option has vanished entirely, that is why — “If the \”Add User\” option does not appear, there are already 8 user accounts on the system.”
The account side has a matching limit: “Up to 8 Nintendo Accounts can be linked to a Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch console at a time.”
Accounts for Children
The order of operations matters here, and doing it the wrong way round means starting over. For a child young enough to need parental consent, “the account must first be created through the parent or guardian’s Nintendo Account” — so set it up from the adult’s account first, then link it to the child’s profile on the console.
Using Your Games on a Second Console
Linking the same account to more than one console is allowed, and digital purchases travel with it — with a limit: “You can play your virtual game cards on up to two consoles, and anyone else that uses those consoles can also play them.”
That last clause is the part worth reading twice: anyone using those consoles can play them, not just you. Worth knowing before you buy, too: Nintendo does not refund digital purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I unlink a Nintendo Account from a Switch user?
No. Nintendo says a linked account cannot be unlinked or changed for that user profile. Add a new user profile instead.
How many accounts can one Switch have?
Up to eight user profiles, and up to eight Nintendo Accounts linked at a time.
Do I need a Nintendo Account to play?
Not for offline single-player on a local profile. You do need one for the eShop, online play and Nintendo Switch Online.
Why has Add User disappeared?
The console already has eight user profiles. Delete one before adding another — bearing in mind that deleting a user also deletes its save data.
Can my child have their own account?
Yes, but it has to be created from a parent or guardian’s Nintendo Account first.
While you are in the settings: here is how screen recording works — posting clips needs a linked account — plus how to switch the console to dark mode and how to pair Bluetooth headphones.
Published 17 September 2026. Menu names, limits and the linking rules are quoted from Nintendo’s current support articles rather than written from memory. Accurate as of 17 September 2026.
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