9 Settings Every Nintendo Switch Owner Should Use

Nintendo Switch It's already a very user-friendly and convenient gaming console, but there are a few settings you might still be dreaming about that could make your gaming experience even better.None of these settings are activated by default, so if you don't know them, you're probably not using them to their full potential. Switch potential.

If you want to learn how to extend your Switch's battery life, get faster download speeds, and get better graphics when docked, you'll find all of these settings and more below.

1. Enable cloud data saving

Have you ever spent hours on a game only to lose all your progress?This problem is more common than you think.Whether your Switch was stolen, you accidentally broke the console, or you lent your Switch to a sibling and they accidentally saved your save file.These things are unfortunate, but can happen, which can result in hours of progress being wasted.

If you've ever had this experience, you might decide to give up on the game for good rather than spend countless hours getting back to where you were before.However, this can all be avoided if you activate cloud saves on your device.

To do this, go to Settings and go to Data Management.There, click "Save Data Cloud" and select the user profile.Scroll down to "Settings" at the bottom and turn on "Automatic backup of saved data".Once you activate this setting, you can recover any lost data.However, this feature is only available if you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership.

2. Use Airplane Mode to Extend Switch Battery Life

Setting your Nintendo Switch to airplane mode limits your ability to connect to the internet.However, if you're playing a game that doesn't use the internet, you can save a lot of battery life by putting your Switch into airplane mode, even if you have your feet firmly on the ground.

Connecting to the internet and having your console constantly sending and receiving signals consumes energy.Setting your control panel to airplane mode saves valuable resources that, if you're not using them, are better spent elsewhere.

To put your console into airplane mode, open settings and scroll down to airplane mode.This is the second option on the menu and takes only a moment to activate but can save you valuable gameplay time.

3. Use Quick Save to Free Up Space on Nintendo Switch

The Switch doesn’t have a lot of storage space.Taking the Switch Lite as an example, it only has 32GB of free space, part of which is reserved for system use. 32GB may sound like a lot, but if you want to download large games, even the Switch OLED's improved 64GB will disappear quickly.

In this case, you can choose to buy a large-capacity SD card to provide more storage space for the Switch, or separate your games into categories.If your Switch is full but you want to download new games, don't worry.Instead of deleting all your games to make space, you can quickly archive them. Archive software on the Switch still frees up storage space, but leaves the game icon on the home screen so you can quickly and easily redownload the game when you're ready.

4. Enable Bluetooth audio

The Switch didn't support Bluetooth audio at launch, but it was later introduced in a system update.As a result, Switch owners can now enjoy all the great sound effects of Switch without the hassle of annoying cables.

Not everyone is up to date on every update to the Nintendo Switch.So if you're like many people and didn't know you could connect Bluetooth headphones to your Switch, this might come as a surprise.Connecting and using Bluetooth headphones on the Switch is a simple and easy process that might change the way you listen to the system.

5. Adjust TV resolution settings for better graphics

One of the most underrated settings for the Nintendo Switch actually improves the system's graphics in docked mode.But like many other settings on this list, it's buried in the menu and not easy to find unless you know what you're looking for.

If your TV can display 1080p images, then your Nintendo Switch can also display 1080p images.In handheld mode, the Switch can only display 720p, but this can be improved in dock mode.However, you must change your TV resolution settings.Increasing the resolution of your Nintendo Switch in docked mode is as simple as going into Settings, going to TV Output, and selecting 1080p from the TV Resolution settings.

6. Calibrating the Nintendo Switch Controller

The Achilles heel of the Nintendo Switch is Joy-Con drift.This phenomenon is caused by wear and tear on the mechanics inside the joystick, causing erroneous input to the controller, causing the character or camera to start moving on its own.

This issue can be a major headache in games, but one way to fix it (if it's mild enough) is to recalibrate your Joy-Cons or other potentially problematic controller.Just go to Settings, select Controllers and Sensors, and press the calibration lever. The Switch will guide you through the rest of the process, and you should eventually be able to get away from drifting at least temporarily.

7. Change MTU settings for faster download speeds

MTU stands for maximum transmission unit.So, by increasing the MTU, you allow more data to flow into the switch at a faster speed, helping you get faster download speeds.This method is also very quick and easy, and it only takes a few seconds at most to increase your Nintendo Switch’s internet speed.

First, make sure your Switch is connected to the Internet, then go into "Internet Settings."From there, select the connected WLAN and press "Change settings".Then scroll down and increase the MTU from 1400 to 1500.This will ensure the maximum amount of data is transferred and your download speeds should improve.

8. Extend the automatic locking time of Nintendo Switch

You don't want to drain your Switch's battery by accidentally leaving the screen on for hours without using it, but you also don't want to keep unlocking it just seconds after you put it down.

Finding the perfect balance that reduces unnecessary battery drain while preventing you from getting frustrated may take some trial and error, but there are several time periods to choose from and one of them should do what you want. balance.

To customize auto-sleep on your Nintendo Switch, head to Settings and scroll down to Sleep Mode.You have two auto-sleep modes to choose from, one when using the console in handheld mode and another when playing games on the TV.

Both modes can be individually customized.Select the mode you want and then choose the most suitable time period from the list provided.You can choose from 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or even never turn on the system if you're not afraid of accidentally leaving it on overnight.

9. Understand the maintenance mode of Nintendo Switch

The recovery menu is something you hope you'll never see, but it's still important to know because it can help you troubleshoot certain issues without having to send your console in for repair.Of course, there are some issues that even maintenance mode won't help you with, but many software issues can be fixed with a factory reset or soft reset.

To turn on "Maintenance Mode", hold down the Volume Up + Volume Down + Power keys for a few seconds until the system boots up in "Maintenance Mode", then you can troubleshoot your Switch.

Level up your Switch game with these helpful Switch tips

The Switch is already a great console, but your Switch experience could be even better if you used any or all of these settings.So if you've been feeling like your Switch is running a little slow, or the graphics aren't quite what you want, these settings might help.

Even in the worst-case scenario, they can rescue your lost save data or help fix Joy-Con drift or other software-related issues without the headache of a trip to a brick-and-mortar store for repair.