How to Transfer Data to Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express

Updated on Nov 8, 2026 | by Qiling

Quick Navigation:

What Switch 2 Accepts
Prepare the New Express Card
Copy the Data with Qiling
Check the Card in the Console
Frequently Asked Questions

Nintendo Switch 2 replaced the microSD slot with a microSD Express slot. The new format is far faster, but older cards do not work for game data, so a transfer usually means buying an Express card, letting the console format it, and then moving your screenshots, videos, and downloaded games across before you retire the old card.

What Switch 2 Accepts

Nintendo lists microSD Express as the supported format for Switch 2. A standard microSD, microSDHC, or microSDXC card still fits into the slot, yet the console reports it as unsupported and refuses to store game data on it. That is the most common reason a card that worked on the original Switch appears to have stopped working.

Only two kinds of data live on the card: downloaded games, and the screenshots and videos saved to the Album. Save files stay in the console's internal memory and are not moved to the card by this process. The operating system creates a folder named Nintendo at the root of the card, and everything outside that folder is ignored.

Prepare the New Express Card

Buy a genuine microSD Express card and check the label before you pay. The Express logo and the EX marking are what separate it from a fast-looking UHS-I card, and counterfeit cards that advertise Express speeds are common online. They usually fail as soon as a large game is written to them.

Install the new card with the console powered off, then turn it on. Switch 2 offers to format the card and you should accept, because the console prepares the file system it needs and erases anything already on the card. Do not format the card on a PC, since Windows creates a layout the console cannot use.

Keep the old card untouched and out of the console until the transfer is complete. It is your only copy if something goes wrong.

Copy the Data with Qiling Disk Master

When both cards can be read at the same time, the simplest path is a file copy: mount the old and new cards in a card reader, open the Nintendo folder on the old card, and copy it to the root of the new card. Windows Explorer handles this well when both cards appear as normal drives.

Some readers mount only one card at a time, and some cards report a raw or unreadable volume after years of use. In that case, clone the old card onto the new one with Qiling Disk Master, which copies the whole card sector by sector, including the Nintendo folder and any hidden files.

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Step 1. Select the Source Card

Connect both cards, start the program, and right-click the card that holds your data. Confirm the capacity and the drive letter against Explorer, because two cards of the same size are easy to confuse.

select the old microSD card as the source in Qiling Disk Master

Step 2. Choose the Destination Card

Right-click the microSD Express card and choose Clone. The destination must be at least as large as the source, or the clone cannot start. Check that the destination really is the Express card and not a folder on the PC.

choose the microSD Express card as the clone destination

Step 3. Preview and Proceed

Read the pending list, then click Proceed. The clone writes every sector, so a 256 GB card takes a while. Leave both cards connected until the program reports that the clone is complete.

Check the Card in the Console

Put the new card into the console and open System Settings > Data Management. The card should be listed with its capacity and free space, and the downloaded games should appear as installed. Open the Album and confirm that your screenshots and videos are there, including any taken before the transfer.

If the console asks to format the card again, stop. A second format means the console did not recognize the layout, which usually happens when the clone did not finish or when the card is not a genuine Express model. Put the old card back in and repeat the transfer instead of formatting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Switch 2 work with a normal microSD card?

No. A standard card fits, but the console treats it as unsupported and will not store games on it. Only microSD Express cards are accepted.

Are save files transferred with the card?

No. Save data stays in the console's internal memory. Moving the card moves games, screenshots, and videos, not saves.

Can I just copy the Nintendo folder in Explorer?

Yes, when both cards mount as normal drives. Copy the folder to the root of the new card and let the console verify it. Use a clone when the old card cannot be read.

What happens to the old card?

Nothing until you delete the files yourself. Keep it as a backup until the new card has been in use for a few days.

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Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure