How To Record on Nintendo Switch [2 Ways]

Nintendo Switch is one of the best and most popular gaming consoles in the world. The Nintendo Switch has a special unique feature that we can use the Nintendo Switch for three various purposes such as TV Mode, Handheld Mode, and Tablet Mode. You can also add your friends to Nintendo Switch to play together. If you aren’t aware, it is possible to record the game on Nintendo Switch as screenshots or videos. It is the easiest process, and recording the game is useful for many digital gamers as they can look back at their best scores or share the same with other gamers. The recorded screenshots or video gets saved on the Nintendo Switch by default. It can be moved to the microSD card for other purposes later.

How To Record The Game On Nintendo Switch

You can record the games on your Nintendo Switch by using two different ways, and they are:

  1. Using the Default Tool on Switch.
  2. With the Capture Card.

Record games on Nintendo Switch by using the default tool

The most straightforward way to capture a screenshot or video on the Nintendo Switch is by using the built-in capture button. The below steps will work on your Switch and Switch Lite.

Important Note: With the built-in capture tool of your Switch, the user could only record up to 30 seconds of gameplay.

[1] Turn ON your Switch and open the game which you have to record.

[2] Press and hold the Capture button available on your Switch left-hand Joy-Con.

How to record on Nintendo Switch - default tool

[3] Now, it will record the game for the last 30 seconds.

[4] A message will appear on the top left corner as Saving.

How to record on Nintendo Switch - saving

[5] When the recordings is saved, a message will appear on the top left corner as Successfully saved.

How to record on Nintendo Switch  saved successfully

To View or Edit your Recorded Video on the Nintendo Switch

In case you want to view or edit the recorded video you have captured on the Nintendo Switch before sharing, the steps below are all that you should follow.

[1] From the Switch home screen, navigate to select the option, Album.

How to record on Nintendo Switch -  selecting the album

[2] Select the video clip on the Switch and press the A icon on the bottom right corner of your Switch.

selecting the video to play

[3] To edit or share the video, Play the video first and select the A icon again to open the options menu.

playing the video

[4] Now, the Options menu will appear on the screen. Select the option that is necessary to you.

  • Post
  • Send to Smartphone
  • Trim
  • Save as Screenshot
  • Copy
  • Delete
options menu

How to transfer the recorded game on the Nintendo Switch to your PC

In addition to editing, Switch supports transferring the recorded video or screenshot to the PC. It can be done by using a microSD card.

[1] With your Nintendo Switch setup, go to the home screen and select the Settings option in it.

[2] In the settings, open the Data Management tab and select Manage Screenshot and Videos option. Then press the A icon on the Switch display.

selecting the option data management

[3] Now, it will open a new tab and select Copy All Screenshots and Videos to the microSD card.

selecting the option Copy All Screenshots and Videos to the microSD card

[4] Now, the recorded data appears your microSD card.

How to Record games on Nintendo Switch by using the capture card

The Switch allows its user to record the video by its default tool. However, the users cannot be recorded for more than 30 seconds. To record the full game or to record for more than 30 seconds of the game, you can use the video capture card to record the game for a better experience. To record the game using the capture card, follow the below-mentioned steps.

Connecting the Switch to capture card

[1] Connect your Nintendo Switch to your Dock.

[2] Now, connect the HDMI cable into the out part of the dock and then connect or plug in the other end of the HDMI cable to the input port of the capture card.

[3] After that, use another HDMI cable to connect your TV or the monitor.

[4] Now, take the other end of the HDMI cable and plug it into the output port of the capture device.

[5] If your capture card needs a USB for storage purposes, then connect the USB to save the game.

[6] Now, open the game which you want to record.

[7] After that, press the Capture button on the capture device to record the game or click the record button on the desktop if you are using the software.

[8] Now the capture device starts recording the game, and it can be moved to your computer.

With either way, capturing the game as a video or screenshot is useful if the gamer needs to guide other gamers on how to play a game or provide relevant information. In addition, recording the Switch screen is the best option to share the gaming scores and scoreboards with others. If you come across any issue using the gaming console, we recommend you to turn of the Switch as the first fix. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, restart the Nintendo Switch or you can even reset the Switch.

FAQ

How to record Nintendo Switch Lite gameplay for YouTube?

By using the default tool on the Nintendo Switch, you can record the video only for 30 seconds. The best alternative way is to use a capture card and share it on YouTube.

How to record on Nintendo Switch without a capture card?

You can record the games on Nintendo Switch without using a capture card by using the default tool, but you can record the videos for only 30 seconds.
[1] Turn ON your Nintendo Switch.
[2] Press and hold the capture button on your Switch left-hand Joy-Con.
[3] Now, your recording will be started.

How to record Nintendo Switch with a PC?

To do this, you need to rely on any third-party screen recorder software that can save the recordings in MP4, MOV, WMA, etc.