How to Delete Games on Nintendo Switch (Archive & Delete): The Complete Guide

Has your Nintendo Switch run out of storage space? That dreaded "There is not enough free space" message always seems to pop up at the worst possible moment—right when you‘re excited to download a new game. With the standard Switch offering just 32GB of internal storage (and only about 25GB actually usable), space management becomes a crucial skill for any Switch owner.

But when it comes to freeing up space, you have two main options: archiving or deleting games. The difference between these two might seem minor, but choosing the wrong option could lead to frustration later on.

This guide will walk you through exactly how to free up space on your Nintendo Switch, the key differences between archiving and deleting, and how to make the best choice for your gaming habits.

The Technical Architecture of Nintendo Switch Storage

The Nintendo Switch‘s storage system involves several components working together, which explains why storage management is so important on this platform.

Internal Storage Specifications

The Switch uses eMMC (embedded MultiMediaCard) flash memory for its internal storage, which offers several advantages:

• Lower power consumption than traditional SSDs
• Physically smaller form factor suitable for portable devices
• Decent read/write speeds (though slower than modern SSDs)

However, the actual usable storage is less than advertised due to the operating system and required system files:

The system partition has grown over time with firmware updates. At launch in 2017, the system reserved only about 4GB, but as of the latest firmware (14.0.0), it now takes up more than 6GB.

Read/Write Speed Comparison

The internal storage of the Switch offers better performance than most microSD cards, which can affect load times for games:

These speed differences translate into real-world loading time variations:

Nintendo Switch Game Sizes: An In-Depth Analysis

Understanding game sizes is crucial for effective storage management. Here‘s a comprehensive breakdown by genre and publisher:

Average Game Size by Genre

Largest Switch Games (2023)

Smallest Full-Featured Games

Archiving vs. Deleting Games on Nintendo Switch: A Technical Comparison

The Nintendo Switch offers two ways to remove games from your system: archiving and deleting. While both free up storage space, they function quite differently at a technical level.

What Happens When You Archive a Game: The Technical Details

When you archive a game on your Nintendo Switch, the system performs these operations:

1. Game Code Removal: The executable game code and asset files are removed from your storage
2. Icon Metadata Retention: The system maintains a small database entry (typically <1MB) containing the icon and basic game information
3. Save Data Preservation: Save data remains untouched in the separate save data partition
4. Download Source Information: The system maintains a pointer to the specific eShop entry for faster redownloading
5. DLC & Update Status Tracking: Information about owned DLC and update requirements is preserved
6. Home Screen Database Update: The home screen database is updated to show the game as "archived" rather than "installed"

This process occupies approximately 0.1-0.3% of the space of the original game, making it highly efficient while maintaining quick access.

What Happens When You Delete a Game: The Technical Details

When you delete a game on your Nintendo Switch:

1. Complete Game Removal: All game data, metadata, and reference files are purged from the system
2. Icon Cache Clearing: The cached icon and associated details are removed from the system database
3. Update History Clearing: All record of installed updates is deleted
4. Save Data Isolation: The save data remains in a separate, protected partition untouched by this operation
5. eShop Association Maintenance: The purchase record in your Nintendo Account remains intact
6. Home Screen Database Update: All references to the game are removed from the home screen database

This provides a completely clean removal with zero remaining storage footprint from the game itself.

Space Savings: Archiving vs. Deleting

From a pure storage perspective, the difference is negligible:

As you can see, the storage difference between archiving and deleting is minimal—typically less than 0.3% of the original game size.

How to Archive Games on Nintendo Switch: Step-by-Step Guide

Archiving is often the preferred method for temporarily removing games you might want to play again later. Here‘s how to do it:

Method 1: Direct from Home Screen

1. Navigate to the game you want to archive on your home screen
2. Press the + button on your right Joy-Con
3. Select Manage Software from the menu
4. Choose Archive Software
5. Confirm by selecting Archive

Method 2: Through System Settings

1. From the home screen, select System Settings (the gear icon)
2. Scroll down and select Data Management
3. Choose Manage Software
4. Select the game you wish to archive
5. Choose Archive Software
6. Confirm your choice

Once archived, the game‘s icon will remain on your home screen but with a small cloud/download icon in the corner, indicating it needs to be downloaded again before playing.

Method 3: Batch Archiving (For Multiple Games)

If you need to archive several games at once:

1. Go to System Settings
2. Select Data Management
3. Choose Manage Software
4. Press the Y button to enable multiple selection
5. Select all the games you wish to archive using the A button
6. Press Archive Selected at the bottom of the screen
7. Confirm your choice

This batch method can save significant time when managing multiple games.

How to Delete Games on Nintendo Switch: Comprehensive Guide

If you want to completely remove a game from your system and home screen, deleting is the way to go. Here‘s how:

Method 1: Direct from Home Screen

1. On your home screen, navigate to the game you want to delete
2. Press the + button on your right Joy-Con
3. Select Manage Software
4. Choose Delete Software
5. Confirm by selecting Delete

Method 2: Through System Settings

1. From the home screen, select System Settings
2. Scroll down and select Data Management
3. Choose Manage Software
4. Select the game you wish to delete
5. Choose Delete Software
6. Confirm your selection

After deletion, the game will be completely removed from your home screen. To reinstall it, you‘ll need to visit the Nintendo eShop and download it again from your purchase history.

Method 3: Batch Deletion

For removing multiple games at once:

1. Navigate to System Settings
2. Select Data Management
3. Choose Manage Software
4. Press Y button to enable multiple selection
5. Select all games you wish to delete
6. Choose Delete Selected Software
7. Confirm the deletion

Save Data Management: The Critical Component

One of the most important aspects of Nintendo Switch storage management is understanding how save data works, as it‘s handled separately from game data.

Technical Structure of Save Data

Nintendo Switch save data is stored in a protected partition of the system memory with specific characteristics:

• Save data is always stored in internal memory, never on the microSD card
• Each user profile has its own save data section
• Save data is encrypted with console-specific keys
• Each game typically uses between 5MB-300MB for save data
• System total reserved for all save data: approximately 4GB

How to Delete Save Data on Nintendo Switch

Sometimes you might want to start a game fresh or completely remove all traces of a game from your system. In that case, you‘ll want to delete the save data as well.

Important note: Deleting save data is permanent and cannot be undone unless you have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription with cloud saves enabled (and even then, not all games support cloud saves).

Here‘s how to delete save data:

1. From the home screen, select System Settings
2. Scroll down and select Data Management
3. Choose Delete Save Data
4. Select the game for which you want to delete save data
5. Choose which user‘s save data you want to delete (or select Delete All Save Data for This Software)
6. Confirm by selecting Delete Save Data

Cloud Save Limitations and Solutions

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can back up their save data to the cloud, but there are important limitations:

For games that don‘t support cloud saves, the only option to back up save data is to perform a full system transfer to another Switch console.

Storage Expansion: A Data-Driven Approach

When the internal storage isn‘t enough, expanding with a microSD card becomes necessary. Here‘s a data-driven analysis to help you choose the right solution:

Compatibility Testing Results

I‘ve personally tested various microSD cards with the Nintendo Switch to measure real-world performance:

How Many Games Per Storage Capacity

Based on average game sizes across the Nintendo Switch library:

Installation Location Strategy

To maximize performance while balancing storage needs, consider this strategic approach:

1. Internal Storage Priority:
   • Fast-loading games