• If your Nintendo Switch won’t turn on, its battery likely needs a long charge – leave it plugged in for an hour or more before trying to turn it on again.
  • If your Switch stopped turning on suddenly, it might also be frozen, which you can fix by performing a quick hard reset.
  • Performing a hard reset on your Nintendo Switch won’t delete any saved data.
  • Visit Business Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.

So your beloved Nintendo Switch isn’t turning on? Don’t panic, it’s probably a very small issue.

There are a few reasons why your Nintendo Switch might not turn on, and most of them aren’t serious. Here’s how to quickly troubleshoot a Nintendo Switch that won’t start.

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Nintendo Switch (From $299.99 at Best Buy)

How to fix a Nintendo Switch that won’t turn on

Let it charge

Most of the time, when a Switch refuses to turn on, you can chalk it up to a drained battery. This is especially true if it’s been a long time since its last charge – over time, it may have lost even its residual charge.

Place it into its dock or plug the charging cable in directly and wait at least an hour for it to charge back up. The Switch should soon be operational, and will be fully charged in about three hours.

NYCC 2018 Nintendo Switch

Foto: An unresponsive Nintendo Switch likely just needs some time to charge. Source: Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

For more info on how to charge your Nintendo Switch, check out our article, "How to charge a Nintendo Switch console in 2 ways, and keep playing while it charges."

Perform a hard reset

If your Switch remains unresponsive, even after a decent charging session, or if you can see a faint light coming from the blank screen, it's time to force a shutdown instead. Don't worry, your saved data won't be lost.

To shut the Switch off manually:

1. Hold down the little circular power button on top of the Switch for between 15 seconds.

Nintendo Switch power button

Foto: The power button on top of the Switch can be hard to see. Source: Steven John/Business Insider

2. Release it and wait a few more seconds.

3. Push the power button normally.

If it still won't turn on, you may have a deeper issue. Contact Nintendo support and see if they can help.

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