How to Transfer an Island to Another Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch System (Animal Crossing: New Horizons) (2025)

Follow these steps to move your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island from one Nintendo Switch system to another.

Note

• The island will no longer be available to visit on the source system after transferring.
• Any Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise DLC save data is also transferred with this process. The DLC must be downloaded on the target system before the included content can be accessed.

Before you start

• You must have both the source and target systems available to transfer an island. Airplane Mode must be turned off or be set with Wi-Fi enabled on both Nintendo Switch2 or Nintendo Switch systems.
• If there is already save data for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the target system, it must be deleted from that Nintendo Switch2 or Nintendo Switch system in order to complete a transfer.

Complete these steps

Will the target system be completely replacing the source system in your household?

• Only 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.
• Both systems will be used

  Follow these steps if you will continue to use the source system. The process is the same regardless of whether you transfer the island between two Nintendo Switch2 systems, two Nintendo Switch systems, or from one system to the other.

  1. Make sure that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is updated to the latest software version on both systems.
     • How to update game software
       1. Ensure the console is connected to the Internet.
       2. From the HOME Menu, select (but do not start) the icon for the software you wish to update.
       3. Press the + Button or – Button on your controller, then select Software Update followed by Via the Internet.

       For more details, see How to Update Software on Nintendo Switch2 or How to Update Software on Nintendo Switch.

  2. Download the Island Transfer Tool for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on both the source and target consoles, if you haven’t already.
  3. Open the Island Transfer Tool on each system.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions and select Continue, then Let’s Begin.
  5. On the source system, select Source.
  6. Select Yes when the name of your island or your console nickname is displayed.
  7. On the target system, select Target.
  8. On the source system, select Continue. On the target system, select Proceed.
  9. When the target system is detected, select Transfer data on the source system.
  10. When the source system is detected, select Proceed on the target system. The transfer will begin.
  11. When the transfer is complete, a message will appear on both systems. The save data is now deleted on the source system and present on the target system.
  12. Start Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the target system using the user account you will be using for your resident.
  13. When asked if you would like to play using existing resident data, select Existing data.
  14. If there are multiple residents with existing unlinked data, select your resident name.
      • You will be unable to change which resident data is linked to your user account later, so be sure to select the correct resident name.
  15. When prompted, select Yes to confirm and start playing again as your resident.
  16. Repeat steps 12-15 for any other user accounts and residents that will be playing the game.

Additional information

Island backup settings are not transferred to the target system. You will need to re-enable island backup on your new system after completing the transfer.