Initializing Console

Your console sometimes displays online content, such as when it is linked with your Nintendo Account, when posting screenshots/videos on social media networks, etc.
Resetting cache will delete any data saved when that happens, such as IDs, passwords, cookies, history, cache, etc.

Steps (to reset cache)

From the HOME Menu, select "System Settings" → "System" → "Formatting Options" → "Reset Cache".
Select the user whose cached data you'd like to remove, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Your console remembers text entered via the keyboard in order to offer words and phrases you've previously used as predictive text options.
You can reset this keyboard-related data on a per-user basis.

Steps (to reset keyboard)

From the HOME Menu, select "System Settings" → "System" → "Formatting Options" → "Reset Keyboard".
Select the user whose keyboard data you'd like to remove, then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

This deletes all personal data in your console's internal memory, including game data, save data, screenshots/videos and user information.
You should carry out this process if you give your old console to someone else, discard it or otherwise part with it.

*You will also no longer be able to use game data saved on your microSD card.

Steps (to initialize console)

From the HOME Menu, select "System Settings" → "System" → "Formatting Options" → "Initialize Console".

*The process may take up to five minutes to complete.

Instead of performing a full factory reset, where all data is deleted, you can also choose to restore your system in a way that preserves save data, etc. If you'd like to reset your console to its state at the time of purchase in order to fix a problem, please try this method first.

Initializing console in this way will preserve the following data stored in your console's internal memory, but deletes all other data.

Preserved data

• Game data
• Save data
• Screenshots and videos
• User information
• Links to Nintendo Accounts

Steps (to initialize console without deleting save data)

Unlike the other restore procedures, this method requires that the console is in Maintenance Mode.

1. 1

   Turn your system off.

   *You will need to turn your console completely off, not just put it into Sleep Mode.

   How to turn off the console completely

2. 2

   While holding both the + and - volume buttons down, press the POWER Button. When the "Maintenance Mode" screen appears, release both volume buttons.

   

3. 3

   Select "Initialize Console Without Deleting Save Data", and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.