Nintendo Switch Battery Replacement

Written By: Craig Lloyd

Comments: 156

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

45 minutes - 2 hours

Introduction

Follow this guide to replace an old and degraded battery in the Nintendo Switch game console.

The Switch uses JIS screws, but you can use a Phillips screwdriver in a pinch. Be very careful not to strip the screws. iFixit's Phillips bits are designed to be cross-compatible with JIS-style screws.

When you remove the shield plate, you’ll need to replace the thermal compound between the plate and the heatsink. Since normal thermal paste isn’t designed to bridge large gaps, the closest replacement is K5 Pro viscous thermal paste.

This guide, and the part we sell, are compatible with the original Nintendo Switch model released in 2017, as well as the newer refreshed model released in 2019 (model numbers HAC-001 and HAC-001(-01), respectively).

For your safety, discharge the battery below 25% before disassembling your Switch. This reduces the risk of a fire hazard if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Before you begin this repair, make sure the device is completely powered off.
Press and hold down the small round button on the back of the Joy Con controller.
While you hold down the button, slide the controller upward.

Kann ich diese Anleitung auch für die OLED anwenden? Habe im INet sonst leider nichts brauchbares gefunden.

Ina Barz -

backup all your sd card data i had to format mine after this tutorial and lost all my game data

JustForThisComment?ComeOn -

Step 2

Continue sliding the Joy Con upward until it's completely removed from the console.
Repeat this same process for the other Joy Con.

Step 3

Use a Y00 screwdriver to remove the four 6.3 mm-long screws securing the rear panel.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.

Had to use a Y0 from my kit - the Y00 was too small to get a grip on the screw.

cday - 05/06/21

I also had a much easier time with Y0 versus Y00. Y00 felt like it was starting to strip the first screw I tried to remove.

Joe -

My screws took a little coaxing before they were all ready to come out of the back plate, but I remedied this by turning the screwdriver as little as possible with each turn. Use almost no pressure, except for at the very beginning of each screw’s first turn.

nin10doh -

I think my screws are stripped, any way to get them out?

Banjomanperson -

I hear that using a rubber band can help? Not 100% sure on that though.

Pifase -

My top 2 screws are stripped, one into triangle, the other circle, rather than triangle spokes.

AndrewDaPro -

This happened when I replaced the micro-sd card slot, which turned out to have replaced the broken one with another one that turns out to be broken. I need to fix the fact that when I reapplied the back cover, the vent was misaligned.

AndrewDaPro -

I had huge problems removing the bottom two screws. I continued with the next steps and lifted the plastic shell as much as possible while using the screwdriver and it became an ease.

JustForThisComment?ComeOn -

y0 works best. Press HARD at beginning then ease off to finish.

J LWsMommy -

Step 4

Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the following screws securing the rear panel:
One 2.5 mm-long screw on the top edge of the device
Two 2.5 mm-long screws on the bottom edge of the device
To prevent these tight screws from stripping, apply firm downward force, work slowly and try another JIS 000 or PH 000 driver if the screws won't come out.

Hey guys, I tried removing the upper screw and it won't go out(neither will it go in) any tips how to fix this?

Thanks

Nemysis - 27/03/21

The screw boss might be stripped out. Has the device been taken apart before? If you can unscrew it a little bit to get the screw to peek out, maybe try and grab it with some pliers as a last-ditch effort.

Craig Lloyd - 29/03/21

I have the same problem. The JIS 000 tool works great on the joy con rails per step 5 but refuses to turn the bottom two 2.5 mm screws as in step 4. These bottom screws are noticeably smaller than the screws as in step 5. The JIS 000 does not get down into these screws. Hopefully they haven’t been stripped by the wrong tool. So is there a JIS tool that is smaller than 000? I’m stuck at this point…

david brown - 28/04/21

We used the JIS 3.0mm screwdriver for both top and bottom screws and it worked

Brooklyn Gardner - 07/05/21

Used PH00 to get these out with no problem.

cday - 05/06/21

Fun fact: these screw into little plastic tabs that stick out of the rear panel. Apparently those tabs are fragile and easy to just break off…

Benjamin Fritz -

If the screw is turning but not coming out, the plastic tab that it screws into is probably damaged or broken. You’ll need to try to pry the screw out with tweezers as you unscrew it. It is not the end of the world if you can’t screw these back in during reassembly.

claudio ocano -

My screws came out fine. But they are easily stripped with too much pressure on reassmbly

Jaxon Lee -

this screws are way too fragile and way too small so be careful when taking them off dont use much force and unscrew also one of them fell somewhere and spent 30 mins searching for it

Richard Aguirre -

PH000 will work if you don’t have JIS000. The large IFIXIT kit has both and I lost JIS000. Just be very careful as you can strip the heads when removing or inserting easier.

Shawn Spivey -

One thing that worked pretty well for me with the screws not coming out is slightly prying on the back cover to put them under some tension

Florian Kraupa -

Quick note, these screws are not magnetic. A magnetic screwdriver will hold onto any of the others safely, but you need to be careful not to drop these ones in particular.

Jason Lane -

These would just keep rotating and not come out. What worked was, as Florian Kraupa suggested, i slid a plastic pick just between the 2 shells near the screws to prise it open slightly, then unscrewed and out they came. They're the smallest screws I've ever almost not seen before, so be careful with them.

Susannah Carter -

Step 5

Use a JIS 000 screwdriver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the two 3.8 mm center screws on the sides of the device (one on each side).

I tried my JIS 000 on Step 5 and was unable to get the screw to budge. It’s partner from the other side came right out with no trouble. Don’t really want to narf up the screw, so I bailed out. Anyone else have this issue?

mrhoyt - 04/03/21

Could just be torqued down a bit more! I’d recommend making sure the driver bit seats nicely into the screw, apply some downward pressure, and slowly twist to try and back it out. Good luck!

Craig Lloyd - 05/03/21

Yeah I’m having this exact issue. Screw stripped and now I’m stuck. Wish I hadn’t even started.

Ryan Quinn - 22/05/21

I did finally get it out- one thing I noticed was some of the screws have blue Loctite on the threads. I guess they figure it’ll get tossed around. This underscores the importance of having the correct tools and making double darn sure you are using the correct size, etc.

mrhoyt - 05/03/21

What worked for me here was a Phillips 000, not a JIS 000

Federico Zivolo - 21/04/21

One of mine is totally stripped. Guess I can’t do anything now.

Nick -

My kit only has two screwdriver heads! The package was open when I received it!

Cynthia Hyland -

I had this issue as well. Screw was irreparably stripped. If you can get every other screw out, just keep applying pressure with a flat head screw driver right above the stripped screw and try to break the plastic piece holding onto the screw. It's a very minor invisible bit of damage that will allow you to continue the repair.

Raymond Garrison -

after getting all the other screws off I just hinged the back part away and it snapped off neatly where the rusted screw is. not the best solution but it worked.

Steve T -

One of my screws was SUPER attached too, but after following a bit noticed the one other in the left that got out nicely, had the plastic tab broken already! So I went ahead and broke the other tab too. So the two side screws are now holding nothing. But I think it will work thanks to the other 4 or 5 screws. Too bad!

carolaclavo -

i managed to get out one screw by putting a bit of paper over it which gave the screwdriver something to grip. The other side just won't budge and gets worse the more i try.

Steve T -

Step 6

Use your finger to flip up the kickstand on the back of the device.
If there's a microSD card in the microSD card slot, remove it now before you continue to the next step.

Don't put your SD card on your magnetic mat.

Chris Cotter -

Step 7

Use a JIS 000 screwdriver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the 1.6 mm screw in the kickstand well.
Close the kickstand.

Step 8

Open the game card cartridge flap.
The game card cartridge flap attaches to the other half of the plastic shell, preventing you from completely lifting up the rear panel if it's closed.
Lift the rear panel up from the bottom of the device and remove it.

How to remove micro SD port?

Pull straight up, press back into place when closing back up.

Christopher Hernandez - 02/03/21

This step is missing in this guide. Here are the steps from another guide:

Step 9) Nintendo Switch Right Joy Con Sensor Rail Replacement

Step 10) Nintendo Switch Right Joy Con Sensor Rail Replacement

David -

When I lifted up the back cover, it kind of stuck near the headphone port (even with cartridge slot open). But it wasn't a screw or anything and I kind of carefully pulled and wiggled and the cover came off ok

Doe -

Step 9

Use a JIS 000 screwdriver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the 3.1 mm screw securing the microSD card reader to the device.

Step 10

Use your fingers or a pair of tweezers to lift the microSD card reader straight up from the device to disconnect and remove it.
During reassembly, make sure the press connector underneath the foam pad is firmly connected to the motherboard. It may help to remove the foam pad before reinstalling the card reader.

Yes. The reverse is not so simple- you can’t see what you’re doing when you attempt to reconnect and it only takes one small error to completely bend the contacts on the connector. Very delicate.

if you very gently remove the foam pad sticker, you can at least see better how it lines up and can feel your way to a degree… then you can stick the pad back in. The pad seems pretty critical in keeping things in place once reassembled.

holmzee - 08/12/19

Definitely agree about not sticking the foam pad back on until the new SD card slot is connected. Saved a lot of headache. Great walkthrough and easy repair!

Jonathan Stachewicz - 06/01/21

Tried several times to replace this SD reader module. As mentioned above, the issue is aligning the connectors together. It appears the foam tape is being used to hold the connection in place. (assuming you can make a viable connection) I am rather surprised at this design. In my experience, mylar ribbon cables like this usually slide into a small PC mounted socket. It appears Nintendo went the cheap route here. This design is prone to failure since it does not enable a positive connection - at least from what I can see.

Bill Little - 28/12/19

Alors je suis en détresse total . Jai cassé les bouches en or sur le connecteur qui est soudé sur la carte mère.. comment changer cette toute petite pièces, oû la trouver . Cela fais 1 mois que je cherche partout. Sans remplacer la carte mère. Merci pour vos réponses

Mike Snow - 23/03/20

I found it easier to connect it without the black foam pad so I could see and than add the foam pad over it. It was super easy and I an I 33 Mom doing this for my son. Was well worth the money for the kit saved us almost 100 bucks

Katherine Harrison - 12/05/20

Had my son follow this guide to fix his own switch where the ad card reader didn't work. And he did. Great instructions!!!! Thanks a million!

William Scott - 04/07/20

The only difficult part of following this guide is connecting the new sd card reader into the poorly designed motherboard connector. Its quite possible the sd card reader that came in the console wasnt broken at all.

The repair kit works just as advertised and even comes with stickers.

Matthias_ Links - 21/10/20

I’m still getting error 2002-2054 even after replacing memory card reader module. Thanks, Nintendo!

Wes Stephenson - 26/12/20

My switch won’t read my microSD card after I reassembled it (error 2016-0641) please help!

Nate Topical - 01/01/21

Tip: Keep the old SD reader piece loosely attached while you line up and gently press the new SD component into the connector on the motherboard. Once the new piece is snug, then carefully remove the old piece keeping the sticky foam in place.

I am a middle-aged mom with absolutely no special tech skills and I easily followed the directions and successfully fixed the broken SD drive. ifixit is the best!

Wende David - 29/01/21

Ah good! i have more confidence now in doing it once you said you're a middle age mom with no experience

Mohammad Hosein Yavari -

I missed this bit about reconnecting the SD card reader under the foam pad and didn’t realise until my son pointed out a data storage problem?. All fixed in about 5 minutes taking advice from the replacing the SD card reader fix, especially removing the foam pad from the connector to better see and feel what you’re doing. All sorted!

Stuart Farquharson-Roberts - 28/03/21

Awesome guide! Very easy to do with the supplied kit

cravenkeo khamone - 13/05/21

Tank you very much, and by tank I mean M1 Abrams, jokes apart easy and simple to follow

Elia Veschi -

Thanks for the guide, I was struggling to find a solution, replaced more sd cards, before I stumbled upon this post. The Switch of my children works flawless again!

Robert Morvai - 25/08/21

Doesn’t work! I have spent 4 hours and $26 on a tiny screwdriver and some stickers.. I just gave up and replaced the Switch instead.

I even contacted a local shop to have them fix it and they told me it really isn’t possible. Thanks for taking my money Ifixit!

J.R. Wood -

This helped me to reseat my SD card reader ribbon cable. I was getting the 2016-0641 error and no card work. A drop had dislodged the cable partially. And yes remove the foam pad gently to properly connect the cable. You can reuse the foam pad.

Kris Morey -

For anyone who ends up bending the pins like I did while trying to reseat the microSD card reader…

I suggest gently placing very thin tweezers (like the curved ones in the Pro Tool Kit) in the gap and very, very gently pressing them back into alignment. Took a little effort but I was able to realign them enough to sit it in place and have it later working after reassembling the console.

Yakarot Sennin - 13/01/22

Anyone have a suggestion where I can purchase replacement foam for this sticker?

Rob M -

When reassembling, note the alignment pins in the left and bottom notches before tightening the screw

Jason Lane -

Super gemakkelijk te installeren met behulp van deze zeer duidelijke handleiding (met dank aan de vertalers!)

Wel even goed opletten op de aansluiting op het moederbord is zeer fragiel.

R de Bruijne -

It is key to remember most out of the box issues with the SD card reader, do not require a replacement part and can be solved with disconnecting then re-connecting the reader at the motherboard.

Only when a simple re-seating at the connector doesn't work should you buy the replacement part.

Jonathon Sinclair -

I bought the kit and followed the directions. I plucked the black rubber foam off with a pair of eyelash tweezers. Putting the tiny screws back in place also was made easier using the tweezers. As for placing the SD card in place I think I got a bit lucky. I lined it up and gently pressed until it simply went into place. I do believe being gentle is the key there. But it went in and I put it back together. The deconstructing and reconstructing is what took the longest for me at least. I turned it on to verify it worked and then unpowered the unit and inserted the card. The system recognized and update right away and did it and then recognized the card! Just what I need for 20 something dollars. Son is happy and back to gaming.

Albert Baker -

Thank you for postingthis fix. The original sd card reader had come unplugged from the motherboard, so replacement reader will be a spare.

Anybody found a way to ensure the sd reader stays in place?

Craig Thwaites -

It was my first time repairing a Switch and the fan replacement wasn't too hard, but unfortunately I think there should be a better warning about the SD card connector because I damaged it while trying to put it back in. I couldn't hear any click and it didn't seem to stay put and I think I ended up applying to much force and damaging the pins.

Serge Huber -

What are the foam black squares called and where can I get a replacement for one?

Marcus -

It’s called Foam tape

Alberto -

What is the error code 404 for

Alberto -

Step 11

Use a JIS 000 screwdriver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the six 3 mm screws securing the shield plate to the device.

Some models have a small board in the lower left beneath the kickstand which accepts SD cards. This will have to be carefully removed with its connections popped out, then replaced after.

Draque Thompson -

Yeah, that “small board” is the microSD Card reader chip, which was covered literally one step ago. All models have a microSD Card reader, that’s how game data is stored…

nin10doh - 12/12/21

Step 12

Use your fingers or a pair of tweezers to peel back the piece of foam on the top edge of the device near the fan exhaust port.
If the foam doesn't easily peel away, don't force it as it might end up tearing. Carefully peel at different spots to pull back the foam.

My Switch (bought about two weeks after launch) seems to be missing this foam piece… Was it added later, similar to the foam piece in the left joy-con (to improve connectivity)?

firetech - 05/02/21

It’s possible it was added to newer units! Nintendo slightly updated the internals of the Switch not too long ago.

Craig Lloyd - 05/02/21

My launch Switch also does not have this piece of foam, so it was most likely added later.

Christoph -

Also did not see this in my launch switch.

matthew.raehl -

Me three, no foam.

carolaclavo -

Step 13

Insert a spudger underneath the shield plate along the edge of the device.
Pry up to lift the shield plate and remove it from the device.
You may feel a bit of resistance. This is normal, since the shield plate is slightly bonded to the heat sink with thermal paste.
A thick pink thermal compound bridges the gap between the shield plate and the copper heat sink underneath. This helps prevent the Switch from overheating.
You can reuse the pink thermal compound if you're careful. Keep the compound clean and make sure it makes solid contact between the heat sink and the shield during reassembly.
If you need to replace it, refer to our thermal paste guide to remove the old thermal compound and replace it with an appropriate compound, such as K5 Pro, during reassembly.

How do you know if the thermal paste needs to be replaced?

Youji Hong - 27/08/19

Once you remove a heatsink you must always replace thermal paste even if you had just applied it ( or add a little more) . The reason is that once heat sink is fitted, paste splits around because of pressure and only needed amount will remain. If you remove the heatsink then some paste will move so when installed again there will be spots without paste. Hope this is clear enough. In any case cost of paste is very small compared to work time and value of your equipment…..

MacTek - 15/12/19

When your switch starts to lag and drop FPS, if you play breath of the wild and it starts to slow down in heavy areas like the forest where you get the master sword, can i use artic mx 4 insted of the pink compound?

Diego Soto - 30/08/19

I’d like to know as well if a cpu thermal compound like arctic mx-4 can be used to replace the pink compound

Adam Stillman - 06/09/19

No you shouldn't . It will spill around because it is not viscous enough and then there will be no heat transfer. As suggested by author K5 PRO is the most appropriate compound for such cases.

MacTek - 15/12/19

Arctic is generally only supposed to be used on bigger heat sinks like a personal computer. Its not nearly as thick or gummy compared to K5 PRO, and you should always use something that’s thicker for smaller project like a Switch/phone/tablet.

Shawn Christensen - 20/12/19

Why was this not included in the tools/equipment list? Getting to this step and now I will have to reverse and wait for yet another order to arrive. ? Very frustrated

Amanda Nally - 12/03/21

Hi Amanda,

Thanks for bringing this up. Sorry! We inadvertently left that part out during the guide refresh. I’ll add the necessary info into the step.

Arthur Shi - 12/03/21

To apply new thermal paste, the directions state to use the application method recommended for your specific processor type—vertical line, horizontal line, middle dot, or surface spread.

Which method should be used for the Nintendo Switch processor?

Philip W -

As stated in the comment above, is there a particular method to apply thermal paste to the Switch’s processor? Or as long as you distribute it evenly is enough?

lievjorg -

Is another thermal compound as MX4 or 6 okay as well?

Marceau -

does ifixit not have an appropriate thermal paste for this step?
there is only arctic silver 5 in the kit and i would guess that that should not be used in this case.
if true, the kit is incomplete

Lucas Tigy -

Step 14

Use the point of a spudger to pry the battery connector straight up and out of its socket on the motherboard.

be careful not to pry it off the board entirely

Nathan McKenna -

This was an old switch and the entire thing with the black plastic came off.. Most of the pins aren't there anymore, too.. is there a solution to that? Does soldering work?

Dawn Martin -

it's probably possible, but unless you have experience with microsoldering, you'd probably be better off taking it to a local repair shop

just some mango -

This step just ruined my device… wish there had been a warning of caution here.

Phone guy -

You can use a spudger to hold down the black plastic side of this connector that is supposed to stay attached to the motherboard while using the pointy spudger as shown in order to reduce any chance of pulling the socket off the motherboard.

Brian Edgin -

Step 15

Apply a few drops of adhesive remover or high-concentration (90% or higher) isopropyl alcohol inside the battery well along the top edge to weaken the adhesive.
If you are using adhesive remover, follow these preparation steps first.

you gqve me a rag with 70% or higher pad

md cu -

I found a better method of removing the battery:

1. Get isopropyl in the battery groove. (I used 70%)

2. Use the spudger to lift a corner slightly.

3. Use dental floss to under the corner and carefully floss under the battery. This will remove the adhesive in a very clean and easy way because you allow the isopropyl to get further down!

StankIntern -

this is the way.

Brian Duffy -

Yes, floss is the way to go. Started getting the floss under upper right corner then after flossing some, I worked the floss under the upper left corner. More flossing and adding alcohol and battery came loose.

John Coleman -

I also didn’t manage to get the battery out using the recommended method on a Day 1 Switch.

At work we use „Industrie Clean“ by Würth, for removing residue of adhesives. This worked like a charm on the batteries adheisive after torturing it with 99% Isopropanol for 20 minutes. Maybe it was the combination of both, I don’t know.

https://eshop.wuerth.de/Produktkategorie...

Oliver T. -

Step 16

Tilt the top edge of the device upward to allow the isopropyl alcohol to work its way underneath the battery.
Hold for 1-2 minutes to allow time for the isopropyl alcohol to weaken the adhesive.

Step 17

Insert an opening pick into the gap between the battery and the wall of the battery well.
Carefully dig the tip of the opening pick underneath the battery and slide it along the edge to begin slicing the adhesive.
Take care not to puncture or bend the battery with your tool—a punctured or bent battery may leak dangerous chemicals or cause a thermal event.

I'm sad to say, this kit did not work out for me. I must be one of the unlucky ones whose battery was glued to the case with the mother of all super adhesives, because despite following the instructions and using copious amounts of isopropyl alcohol, the battery absolutely refused to budge. The pictures show the blue pick wedged under the battery, but I was not able to get that far. Not even close.

To add insult to injury, during the process of working the pick back and forth to get under the battery, the pick jumped the case housing and nicked one of the cables below the battery. So now I'm out $50 for the ifixit repair kit along with a broken Nintendo Switch.

This is why I hate self repair: Because the attempt at self-repair always leaves me in a worse state than if I had simply taken the device to a professional. Wish I had listened to my instincts instead of giving self-repair a try.

Kie Rhee - 13/01/23

I struggled to remove the battery using 91% alcohol as well. In another guide I saw that a heat gun works better. I used my heat gun and it removed much much easier.

James Covey -

If you have problems here, try slipping the pick under the "bottom" edge instead. It seemed to slide under better for me from that angle.

Andrew Hamberg -

Please remember to consider the complexity of the self repair. This is considered moderate - but that is a moderate for someone with confidence in self repair. If you “hate” self repair then I would not suggest doing anything above the lowest difficulty. Sorry to hear about your attempt and I hope it works out for you.

Justin (WizardRiot) -

I would suggest to insert a spudger from the cable side, to slight lift the battery, instead of inserting a pick from the other side.

tliu93 -

Thats what did the trick for me. Tried several minutes from the other top side of the Switch but finally made it from the cabel side of the battery. Used some Isopropyl alcohol right from the start but couldnt lift the battery from the top side.

ShedaoShai -

Could not the the glue to dissolve. Worked better with my heatgun.

Johan Samuelsson -

I tried to do this with the 90 % alcohol but wasn't working so I grabbed my wife's Dyson hair dryer and within 1 minute it was off. I was ready to give up but the hair dryer worked perfectly. Great instructions. Get a magnet pad to organize the screws.

Michael Brown -

Step 18

Leave the opening pick in place and apply a few more drops of adhesive remover or isopropyl alcohol inside the battery well.
Tilt the top edge of the device upward and wait 1-2 minutes for the isopropyl alcohol to weaken the adhesive.

Step 19

Continue sliding the opening pick deeper along the top edge of the battery, slicing more of the adhesive underneath.

Step 20

Once there's enough room, insert a plastic card underneath the battery and slowly pry the battery up.
You may need to apply more isopropyl alcohol if you have difficulty prying.
Be careful not to bend the battery as you pry.
Remove the battery.
Do not reuse the battery after it has been removed, as doing so is a potential safety hazard. Replace it with a new battery.

I carefully took the spongy part on the top of this battery and applied it to the new battery. No where in this guide does it recommend replacing that part. So I erred on the side of since I could get it off easily enough to just keep it on the new one just in case.

Josh Reed -

Step 21

Use adhesive remover or isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth to clean up any remaining adhesive left behind in the battery well before you install the new battery.
If your new battery does not come with pre-installed adhesive, follow this guide to install pre-cut adhesive on the bottom of the battery.

I think the adhesive strips must be old, because it was an absolute PITA getting both sides to separate. I wound up getting a razor blade to get under the non-adhesive side with the iFixit logo.

mbelanger -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

For optimal performance, calibrate your newly installed battery after completing this guide.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Nintendo Switch Answers community for help.

Author

Craig Lloyd

Member since: 10/02/16

35240 Reputation

50 comments

Can anyone confirm that Switch will NOT work with the battery removed or dead (dead as in once it’s totally non-functional as all lithium batteries eventually are, not dead as in just discharged but the battery works).

PSP works with the battery dead or pulled, as far as I know DS, 3DS, Vita and Switch do NOT, which is a gigantic design flaw.

Tester - 24/12/19

Yes. The battery of my Switch has been wearing down over some time, to the point where I had to charhe the device for some hours to even activate it - it isn't functional without a working battery.

Helen Winkler -

I would highly recommend against keeping dead batteries in any system, as this can cause damage to the motherboard of the device. If you experience your Switch randomly turning off while its battery is dead, immediately seek to get the battery removed or replaced.

While it is considered rare, dead batteries can sometimes reverse in polarity when its voltage is too low. This can damage the motherboard or other components unexpectedly.

Reboot - 27/06/23

Why can't you reuse the switch's battery?, if I'm just replacing the shell of the switch and have to move the battery why can't I reuse the battery in the new shell?

Matt - 09/03/20

Good question!

For safety reasons, we strongly discourage people from reusing a battery once it has been removed. Bending a lithium-ion battery even slightly can create uneven spots between the thin layers inside the battery. The battery may function fine for awhile, but over time and charge cycles, the uneven area can wear down faster, eventually resulting in an electrical short. The battery would fail, swell up, and possibly catch on fire.

Arthur Shi - 29/01/21

I left my switch off for months, and now I cant charge it in anyway. It was a hacked switch, it doesnt turn on, doesnt indicate that's its charging or show anything on screen even after being plugged in for few days, does replacing the battery fix my issue?

Matt B - 22/04/20

Hi Matt. With a modded switch, once the battery loses power you will not see anything on the screen while it is charging. After plugging it in for a while just try booting it in the method you normally do. (I prefer using the RCM loader tool as it lets you bypass the annoying jig method.) If that doesn’t work for you, then yes, it’s most likely your battery. Hope that helps!

Rich Isaninja - 01/10/20

I am in exactly the same situation and have ordered this kit to see if it will resurect the hacked switch before I drop 499 on a new one. I'll report back in a few days once I get this done

SYSDmg -

I have a switch in the same state did replacing the battery fix it for you?

Colin Hickey -

I would recommend plugging in your Switch to a computer (preferably with the libusbk driver installed). If your computer recognizes the Switch, and even better, if tegrarcmsmash gui shows that a Switch is detected in recovery mode, this means that your Switch is softbricked, and you'd need to figure out how to unbrick it. If nothing is detected at all, this means your Switch, the connected cable, or either of the USB sockets of your computer/Switch might be malfunctioning. Try different cables and ports, and if that doesn't help, you might need to troubleshoot further or send your Switch in for repair.

Reboot -

This helped me, my power button isn't responsive and had to turn it off and on. I skipped the battery and just pulled the chip with tweezers blow on it and put everything back together.

I had a problem taking off the plastic on the back near the earphone jack on step 6, you might want to give tips on how to remove it easier.

Francis Evaristo - 07/05/20

I’m a little new to this scene, but I am curious. Do you have to replace it with the same type of battery that comes with the switch or are you able to buy a different battery to possibly upgrade the switches battery life?

Do both switches run the same battery? and if not, are you able to install the Switch V2 battery into the V1 console?

Hopefully i’m making sense lol, thank you :D

Austin Braun - 07/05/20

The Switch v2 has the same battery as the launch-model Switch. The newer one gets better battery life through a more efficient CPU.

io mintz - 19/05/20

Once the battery has been replaced, should the console boot immediately?

Samuel Ruey - 07/08/20

I got an error 2101-0001 when booting my battery! TToTT this at least means the battery works but should I fix something else!

Charlotte Marino - 15/09/20

Great guide and thread! Thank you.

Michael Yewell - 27/11/20

This was a very good video but a couple helpful comments. My switch had a stripped head on one joycon side that required me to drill out the screw a bit to make a new groove for the screwdriver bit. This was a brand new switch mind you. Anyway, the metal shield required the removal of 6 screws - not five as shown in the video. In the video, a screw hole is there with no screw, but I had the screw in the bottom right. The battery was a pain to remove with respect the adhesive that was used. It took more than a card to pull out and I crapped a little bit of the inside dividers. All said and done, the switch put back together just fine, no extra screws, and powered on and seems to work well.

Brian - 22/01/21

Just did this to my sons switch and all works well…easy

michael ellifritz - 15/03/21

I can’t seem to find the step where you use the thermal paste? Am I missing something?

Federico Zivolo - 10/04/21

The thermal paste/thermal pad is for the shield plate step found here.

Arthur Shi - 12/04/21

I have a modded switch that will no longer charge and will not turn on. Should i replace the battery?

nater2k2 - 13/04/21

What type of mod did you do? a hardware mod or a software mod?

Daniele Carminati - 14/04/21

My switch battery is puffed up (i didnt poke at it or anything) and I'm getting a replacement soon, as soon as I opened it the battery puffed up more, I disattached it, im scared to remove it since it started fuming, what do I do???

Christian Santos - 26/04/21

Throw the battery that fumed away, and wait for the new one to come.

Daniele Carminati - 26/04/21

So i replaced the switch battery put it back together, and when i try to turn it on it shows the nintendo logo and then turns off, is that supposed to happen or did i do something wrong?

King Steven - 15/05/21

Did you calibrate your battery after replacement?

Daniele Carminati - 16/05/21

This is a great guide and I should have read it more thoroughly before I placed my order. The repair kit really should include a spot of thermal paste along with the precut adhesive. That’s my only complaint. I really had no difficulty removing the battery, I used a very flexible thin guitar pick to start the “glue-slicing’ step, then I used the metal spudger from another iFixit kit to help gently pry the battery out. Came out in one piece with all the adhesive stuck on the battery.

mkeehnel -

I had trouble reconnecting the battery. I feel like this tutorial would benefit from one extra step clarifying the proper way of reconnecting the new battery, as I almost broke something in the process. Or maybe I’m the only one lol. Either way, this was a great help! Thank you

Carissa Frost -

I haven’t used my Switch in a while and since I started using it again, it’ll says my battery is 100%, but when I turn it on without it being plugged in it shuts off within 5 seconds. When I turn it on while it’s plugged in and then unplug after 10 seconds it keeps running fine until I go into sleep mode and this process starts over again. Does this sound like a problem a new battery would fix? I tried several of the reboot/reset steps on the internet without success

Laurens van Heems -

What is the usual method for booting a switch mine may have this fault dosnt indicate charge while trying to charge

joannemurray4 -

Thank you for the step-by-step. Other than the magnetic work-mat, what would be some standard tools for someone to have for projects like this, or screen replacement on a phone, etc.?

Jody Cloutier -

Hi Jody, that's a great question!

I recently replaced the joysticks in both of my joy-cons and the battery in the Switch, itself. I used my ProTech Toolkit to do the bulk of the work. For the battery, I had to clean up the existing thermal paste and apply a new layer to the heat sink when I was done so I used Arctic Silver ArctiClean and Arctic Silver Thermal Paste (these are a personal preference in brand, you can use others.)

As far as screen replacements on phones, the Pro Tech Toolkit will get you pretty far. An extra thing I'd add for that would be an iOpener. In addition, and depending on the phone you're repairing, you may need replacement adhesives (here are examples for the Google Pixel 4 Rear Panel and the iPhone 12 Pro Max Rear Panel.) Luckily we have a ton of replacement guides which will let you know what extra part you'll need to complete the repairs!

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Amber Taus - 08/02/22

Can I use Ethyl Alcohol for the removing part?

Manimanocas -

Yes, this works. Alcohol-based solutions should help in removing the battery chamber adhesive effectively.

Reboot -

I left my switch off for about a month and a half and now it doesn't turn on. Is that a battery problem or what I've tried all booting methods and I need help with this one.

Tyler Seelbinder -

Habe you charged it since then? Batteries usually lose power over time when not used.

Helen Winkler -

How do you dispose of the old battery?

Yano Dava -

Yano, read all about that here!

Carsten Frauenheim -

Hey guys, you have skipped the part where batterry is sticked by some glue in there (on the video, luckily its on the page here in written form so all good). Probably wasn't the first time you were doing it on this switch. :-)

Daniel Čech - 08/09/22

Do you need to reapply thermal compound before putting the switch back together?

ARandomGuy231 -

The battery I buy didn't come with foam ?
And I put everything back in without changing the thermal paste ?

Jean-Sébastien Wiedemann -

Is the K5 thermal compound needed specifically or can a PC thermal paste such as Thermal Grizzly be used?

Xaxus -

Any thermal putty would work in this scenario. Thermal paste is finer and can dry much more easily in a Nintendo Switch, simply because there is more space inbetween layers of the heat sinking components. (backplate, heatsink).

Theoretically you could apply regular thermal paste on the heatsink, then thermal putty or thermal pads on the backplate side, but I wouldn't recommend it personally for the sake of consistency.

Reboot -

I did a battery replacement on my Nintendo it was previously dead for a while how long until it powers back on it’s been on the charger since I entered the new battery

Louise Minxy -

I bought a Switch battery set from you and installed it.

Unfortunately, the battery does not charge. Even after hours no sign that the Switch is charging.

Alois Huber -

So i just replaced the battery with the kit you recommended. Thanks by the way switch turned on fine but when i put the charger on it. It turns off the switch and goes blank. If the cord is on one side it makes no noise shows no sign of charging . But If i flip the other side of cord it makes a low pitch noise and its not the fan im sure of it but it doesn’t charge either. Thanks in advance

Alfredo Mascote -

This guide was great! A few things to note:

The old battery was really stuck in there, and even with the alcohol soaking into the adhesive, I still had to grab a flat, metal tool to pry the battery out to counter the strength of the adhesive. The metal gave me more prying power to lift the battery out. I did this carefully so the battery wouldn't be punctured.

I reassembled everything, however, the Nintendo Switch was going to the boot screen and turning off. I took off the back cover again and found upon closer inspection that my battery connector wasn't securely plugged down. The new wires were too stiff and lifted it off the contacts. I used some leftover tape and a thermal pad on top of the battery connector to make it stay put. Before completely reassembling, I plugged the Nintendo Switch it and it showed the typical charging screen.

After that, I followed the calibration instructions for the battery. I can definitely notice my gaming sessions lasting much longer on a single charge.

Kathy McCarthy - 16/11/23

I've never done anything like this before, so I was very stressed out with the idea of opening my switch. But the guide was very well detailed, and my switch is now saved! I recommend reading the comments on the steps you are confused on because they might save you from ruining parts of your console. Also try to get at least 70% isopropyl alcohol and tweezers since they don't come with the kit (dental floss can also be really useful to remove the battery).

Duk -

On the battery clip, one of the side clips that I "think" helps keep the battery in place is missing or broken off! Would I need to replace it with a new one?

Thanks for any replies.

James.

James -

Danke für die super Anleitung hat alles bestens geklappt 👍👍

Andreas Hiss -