How to Transfer an Island to a New Nintendo Switch System (Animal Crossing: New Horizons)
In this article, you’ll learn how to transfer an entire island and all residents in Animal Crossing: New Horizons to a new Nintendo Switch system.
Important
Access to both the source Nintendo Switch console and the target Nintendo Switch console is required to transfer an island. Local wireless communication must be enabled on both consoles.
If you have lost access to the source Nintendo Switch console, but you enabled island backup on that console, you can still restore your backup data on your replacement console. Follow our steps on How to Back Up and Restore Island Save Data.
The Island Transfer Tool (available as a free software download) must be downloaded from Nintendo eShop on both consoles.
If there is already save data for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the target console, it must be deleted in order to complete a transfer.
The island will no longer be available to visit on the source Nintendo Switch console after transferring. If you would rather only transfer individual residents (not including the island's Resident Representative) to a separate island on the target console, see our steps on How to Transfer an Individual Resident to a New Island.
Any Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise save data is also transferred with this process. The DLC must be downloaded on the target Nintendo Switch console before the DLC content can be accessed.
Will the target (new) console be completely replacing the source (original) console in your household?
Yes, only the target system will be used
Follow these steps if you will no longer be using the source system. These steps ensure that all your users and user data will be transferred to the target system.
Make sure that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is updated to the latest software version on your source console.
Download the Island Transfer Tool for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on your source console, if you haven’t already.
Transfer the User Data of the player from the source (original) Nintendo Switch console to the target (replacement) Nintendo Switch console. This will transfer all software save data tied to the user account, other than Animal Crossing: New Horizons, to the target console.
Repeat this step for each user account. If you are transferring all user accounts, a default account named “User” will remain on the source console.
If you already transferred your user and save data to a new console, please note that island save data will remain on the original (source) console. To complete the transfer, please re-link your Nintendo Account to a user on the source console and continue the process below.
Make sure that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is updated to the latest software version on the target console.
Download the Island Transfer Tool for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on your target console.
Open the Island Transfer Tool on each console.
If the same Nintendo Account was used to download the Island Transfer Tool on both consoles, use an alternate user to open the Island Transfer Tool on the primary console for the Nintendo Account.
Follow the on-screen instructions and select Continue, then Let’s begin.
On the source console, select Source.
Select Yes to confirm when the name of your island on the source console is displayed.
If Animal Crossing: New Horizons has not been updated to the latest software version, your console nickname will be displayed instead of your island name.
On the target console, select Target.
On the source console, select Continue. On the target console, select Proceed.
When the target console is detected, select Transfer data on the source console.
When the source console is detected, select Proceed on the target console. The transfer will begin.
When the transfer is complete, a message will appear on both consoles. The save data is now deleted on the source console and present on the target console.
Launch Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the target console to continue playing on your island.
No, my household will use both systems
Follow these steps if you will continue to use the source system. Note that your island will be completely transferred to the target system, so you will no longer be able to play on the island on your source system.
Make sure that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is updated to the latest software version on both consoles.
Download the Island Transfer Tool for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on both consoles.
Open the Island Transfer Tool on both consoles.
If the same Nintendo Account was used to download the Island Transfer Tool on both consoles, use an alternate user to open the Island Transfer Tool on the primary console for the Nintendo Account.
Follow the on-screen instructions and select Continue, then Let’s begin.
On the source console, select Source.
Select Yes to confirm when the name of your island on the source console is displayed.
If Animal Crossing: New Horizons has not been updated to the latest software version, your console nickname will be displayed instead of your island name.
On the target console, select Target.
On the source console, select Continue. On the target console, select Proceed.
When the target console is detected, select Transfer data on the source console.
When the source console is detected, select Proceed on the target console. The transfer will begin.
When the transfer is complete, a message will appear on both consoles. The save data has now been deleted from the source console and is present on the target console.
Launch Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the target console using the user account you will be using for your resident.
When prompted, select the resident name for the user account. You cannot change the resident associated with your user account later, so be sure it is the correct one.
Repeat this step for any other user accounts and residents that will be playing the game.