If you turn on your Nintendo Switch and find that its internet capabilities aren't working properly, one of two things could be happening: either it's unavailable to everyone, or there's an issue with your system or network. In almost every case, the problem is temporary and you can fix it by changing some settings or waiting.
Here's what to do when Nintendo Switch Online isn't working.
The instructions in this article apply to Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite.
Before trying any troubleshooting steps, you should check that everyone's service is down. Here's how to do it.
Check its status on the Is the service down website? In addition to letting you know if Nintendo Switch Online is currently down, this page also provides a chart showing the issues people have reported over the past 24 hours.
Check out Nintendo's X (formerly Twitter) account. While the company typically uses its multiple regional social media pages (covering Japan, North America, the UK, and Europe) to share news and trailers, they may release an update if a full-scale outage occurs. You can also try searching for the #NintendoSwitchOnline hashtag. While it's not specifically related to outage issues, you may find other users tweeting about issues using this hashtag.
Search other social media for other people reporting outages.
If the problem is a general outage, all you can do is wait for service to be restored.
If Nintendo Switch Online doesn't experience a total outage, the problem may be with your console or device. Here are some ways to try to get your system to reconnect.
Restart your switch. Turning your hardware off and back on is an easy way to fix some common problems. You should try this first before moving on to more complex troubleshooting methods.
Make sure your internet is connected. If your home network goes down, your Switch and devices won't be able to connect. Check your computer, tablet, and any other devices using the signal to see if they are connected to your Wi-Fi network and the Internet.
Check your internet speed. Even if your internet is working, it may be slow or disconnected. You need to be aware of issues like bandwidth-hogging programs, signal interference, and malware.
Restart your network. If you have separate modem and router, unplug them both. Wait 30 seconds, then power on the modem, let it finish booting, and plug it back into the router.
To restart your combined modem and router, simply unplug, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in.
Head to the Nintendo Support website to find Switch-specific instructions that may resolve your issue.
Contact Nintendo. If none of these solutions help, you can contact Nintendo's support team via phone, instant message, email, or text message for more help.
