Nintendo Switch Won’t Turn on After Hard Reset

It is frustrating if your favorite gaming console won’t turn on. You can’t play Mario Kart, Pokémon or any other of your favorite games. In my case, I have a Nintendo Switch. A couple of months ago I had a problem with my unit. My Nintendo Switch won’t turn on after a hard reset. Turns out the battery was completely dead. What a relief after charging it and seeing the screen come to life! If you face a similar problem, then don’t panic and think of the worst. Continue reading to find the possible solutions.

An Overview of Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch is a very popular handheld gaming console from, well, Nintendo. Unlike PlayStation and Xbox, the Nintendo Switch is primarily a handheld device.

But Nintendo changed the game with its docking mode. You can connect/dock the Switch to a TV and play games on a large screen. Brilliant.

Nintendo Switch is available in three variants. The regular Nintendo Switch comes with an LCD Display and also supports docking mode. Then we have the Switch with OLED display. This also supports TV docking.

Finally, we have the Nintendo Switch Lite. It is the tiniest of all the three with a 5.5” LCD Display. Sad thing is the ‘Lite’ variant doesn’t support docking feature.

Even the best of consoles have problems. Nintendo Switch is no exception. After continuous usage, you might feel the Switch becoming slow, sluggish and unresponsive. Resetting the device usually gives it a new life.

Another reason to reset the Nintendo Switch is if you selling your unit and want to clear all your data. A factory reset will erase all your personal and game data from the device.

What to do if Nintendo Switch Won’t Turn on After Hard Reset?

Sometime, Nintendo Switch will not turn on after performing a hard reset. Before sending your unit for Nintendo service, perform some simple troubleshooting steps that we mentioned below.

Charge the Battery

• One of the common problems is a completely discharged battery. If the battery is dead, then Nintendo Switch won’t turn on after hard reset. Charge the Switch for at least 3 hours.
• You can directly charge the console using the wall adapter. An alternative way is to charge the Nintendo Switch using the Dock. In either case, look for charging indication.
• Try to power on the Switch after the battery has enough juice. In most of the cases, this should solve the problem and start the Nintendo Switch.

Try Charging using Another Dock or Adapter

• In some cases, the Switch will not charge directly or through the dock. This may be due to a faulty cable. Check for any dust and debris in the charging port of the Switch.
• Inspect the charging adapter and its cable. If you see any wear & tear, cuts or damage, do not use the adapter. Nintendo Switch won’t charge if the cable doesn’t plug all the way in or it its loose.
• Try to replace it with a new one from Nintendo. Do not use a 3rd party charger or cable. If the cable and adapter look fine, try charging using a different dock. You can borrow one from your friend.
• There is also a chance that your wall outlet is faulty. Try to connect the adapter to a different outlet. If you are using a surge protector, remove the adapter from the surge protector and connect it directly to a wall outlet.

Take Out the SD Card

• Do not reset your Nintendo Switch with the microSD Card installed. This will make the card unreadable by the switch after reset. Take out the microSD Card and perform a reset once again.
• Another problem with the microSD Card is possible data corruption. There is no way to identify this problem. So, remove the microSD Card and restart the Switch. If the problem is with microSD Card, then this will solve it.
• The problem could be serious if the Nintendo Switch won’t turn on even after removing the microSD and resetting it.

Perform a Soft Reset

• Sometimes, a soft reset will start the Nintendo Switch. But before this, check if your battery is charging or not. Also charge it for 30 minutes to 1 hour before proceeding.
• Remove the charging cable from the Switch or the dock. Press and hold the power button of the Switch for about 20 seconds.
• Now, release the power button. This will force shutdown the Nintendo Switch. Wait for a couple of seconds. Press the power button to start the Nintendo Switch like you normally do.

Another Hard Reset

• Even if the previous soft reset did not bring your Nintendo Switch to life, then it is time perform a proper hard reset. For this, you have to be sure that the battery is working fine. Also, charge the battery for some time, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Now turn off the AC adapter and disconnect the charging cable from the Nintendo Switch or the Dock. If you haven’t removed the microSD Card, go ahead and remove it now.
• Wait for 30 seconds after unplugging the adapter or charging cable. Now, press and hold the power button and also the volume up and down buttons. Do this for about 10 seconds or until the Nintendo logo appears.
• Continue holding all the buttons until the Nintendo Switch logo also appears. As soon as the Switch logo appears, let go of the buttons.
• This will take you to the ‘Maintenance Mode’ of the Nintendo Switch. You will see two options for resetting the device. One is to initialize the console with deleting the game data. In this mode, Switch will delete all the user data but keeps the game save data intact.
• The second option is to initialize the console by deleting all data. This is equivalent to a Factory Reset. If you got to this screen, we recommend the second option as it will give a fresh life to your Nintendo Switch.
• Sadly, if the screen doesn’t turn on during this process, there is a hardware issue with your Nintendo Switch. Contact Nintendo service for warranty, repair, replacement of refund.

Check for any Damage

You can check for physical damages to the Nintendo Switch. In case there is a damage such as battery bulging, don’t try to turn on the Switch. Contact Nintendo immediately.

Conclusion

Gaming consoles from reputable brands like Nintendo built to serve you for a long time. Nintendo Switch is one such console that is well received in the community. But if you are unlucky, you might face issues with the Switch. One such common problem is the screen won’t turn on. Don’t panic if your Nintendo Switch won’t turn on after hard reset. We provided some basic troubleshooting tips specifically for this problem. We hope that one of these solutions will solve the issue with your Nintendo Switch.