what to know
- To link your account to your Switch, go to System Settings > Users > Accounts > Link Nintendo Account .
- To send a friend request, select your user icon > Add Friend > Search with Friend Code .
- If you don't have a friend code, you can also search for friends.
This article explains where to find your friend code, how to send a friend request, and how to change your friend code on your Nintendo account.
If you want to send and receive friend requests, first link your Nintendo account to your Switch. Doing this is simple:
If you don't have a Nintendo account, you can create one on the Nintendo website. A parent or guardian must create an account for children 12 and under.
Select System Settings on the Switch home screen.
Scroll down and highlight Users , then select the account you want to link to access their profile settings.
Select Link Nintendo Account .
After linking your Nintendo account, you can access the Switch's online features and add friends to your list. You need to find your 12-digit friend code before you can share it with others.
Select your user icon on the home screen.
Select profile . You'll find your friend code on the right side of the screen.
That's it!
On the Home screen, select your user icon and then select Add Friend . From here, you can accept pending requests or send your own.
If you don't see any of the options listed below, run a system update and make sure your Switch has the latest version.
There are many ways you can connect with others.
- Friend Suggestions : This option allows you to send requests to users who are friends with you on the Nintendo app, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Facebook, or X (formerly Twitter).
- By local user : Select this option to exchange friend requests with other nearby Switch users. If your Switch is not connected to the Internet, friend requests are temporarily saved on the console and sent automatically the next time you connect.
- By users you played with : Use this option to send requests to people you have played with in online matches.
- By friend code: Here you can enter a specific friend code and send a request to that person.
- Suggested Friends : If your Nintendo account is linked to other apps that have friend lists, this option displays them so you can easily send requests.
You can only register up to 100 friends on Nintendo Switch. After that, you have to remove some people from the list before you can add more people.
If you want to change your friend code for any reason, it's easy to do.
If you change your friend code, you will need to wait 30 days before changing it again.
Select your user icon on the home screen.
Select User Settings > Friend Settings .
Select Resend Friend Code .
That's it! You should now have a new friend code. Your friends list should also remain intact, so you don't need to re-add people after making changes.
