How to Transfer Games, Saves, and Accounts to a New PS5, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch

Overview

Before you begin, decide whether you are replacing the old console, keeping both systems, or setting up a second console in the same household. The safest approach differs slightly between those situations. A replacement normally calls for a complete transfer followed by a careful check before the old console is reset. A second console may require downloads, cloud synchronization, and account or primary-console settings rather than a full migration.

Make a short inventory of what you need to keep:

• Console user profiles and sign-in details.
• Digital purchases and subscriptions connected to the correct account.
• Installed games, updates, add-ons, and physical discs or cartridges.
• Save data, including saves that may not be covered by cloud storage.
• Screenshots, video clips, captures, and locally stored settings.
• External drives, microSD cards, controllers, headsets, and other accessories.

Do not treat an installed game as a backup. Game files can usually be downloaded or copied again, while save data and captures may exist only on the old console. Keep the old system powered on and connected until you have tested the new one.

Checklist by scenario

Transferring data to a new PS5

1. Update both consoles if an update is available, then sign in to the same PlayStation account on the new PS5.
2. Connect both consoles to the same home network. A wired connection can be useful when supported by your setup, particularly for a large transfer.
3. Start the PS5’s built-in data-transfer process during setup or from the relevant system settings. Keep both consoles powered on while the transfer runs.
4. Select the users, games, applications, and saved data you want to move. Review the estimate before starting because a large game library can take considerable time.
5. Check cloud saves separately if you use PlayStation’s online storage. A cloud copy should be treated as an additional safeguard, not a reason to erase the old console before testing local saves.
6. After the transfer, open several recently played games and confirm that the expected profiles and saves appear. Digital games may still need updates or license verification.

If the old PS5 is unavailable, sign in on the replacement and reinstall purchased games from your library. Restore compatible saves from online storage if they were uploaded, and check captures separately because screenshots and clips may not follow the same backup path as saved games.

Moving Xbox games and saves

1. Sign in on the new Xbox with the Microsoft account used for purchases and game progress. Add other household profiles individually rather than sharing one login.
2. Connect the console to the internet and allow your profile and available save data to synchronize. For a game with important progress, wait for synchronization to finish before launching or closing it repeatedly.
3. Use the console’s network-transfer option when both Xbox systems are on the same network. This can copy compatible installed games and apps locally, reducing the need to download everything again.
4. Alternatively, connect a compatible external drive and move or copy installed games through the storage settings. Check whether a title must be moved to internal storage before it can run.
5. Reinstall missing games from your library and check add-ons, owned expansions, and game-specific accounts. An installed file does not always confirm that every add-on is installed.
6. Open a few games and verify recent saves, achievements, controller profiles, and captures before preparing the old console for sale or recycling.

Xbox save synchronization is tied to the account and the game’s supported data behavior, so avoid assuming that an external drive is a complete save backup. If a title has unusual offline or local-save behavior, check its in-game guidance before removing the old system.

Transferring a Nintendo Switch user and save data

1. Charge both Switch systems and connect them to the internet. Confirm which Nintendo Account is linked to each user profile.
2. For a replacement, use the Switch system’s user-transfer process and follow the on-screen instructions on both consoles. Read each confirmation carefully because a user transfer can change or remove that profile’s data from the source system.
3. For supported games, review cloud-save settings through the Nintendo Switch Online features. Do not assume every title uses cloud saves or that every type of local data is included.
4. Move a compatible microSD card only as instructed by the system. Downloaded software may need to be redownloaded or managed again, and screenshots or videos may require a separate copy process.
5. Insert physical game cards and test the user profile that owns the progress. Check downloadable content and account links inside games where relevant.
6. Before resetting the old Switch, confirm that the new system has the intended users, saves, captures, and parental-control settings.

Switch ownership is especially worth checking when several family members use one console. A transferred user, a linked Nintendo Account, a console-level setting, and a game’s own account may all be separate things.

What to double-check

• Account access: Confirm passwords, two-step verification methods, recovery options, and the exact account used for purchases.
• Save coverage: Identify games with local-only, unsupported, or otherwise unusual save behavior. Launch a recently played title instead of relying only on a settings screen.
• Digital licenses: Make sure the new console is online and signed in before troubleshooting a game that appears locked. Console-sharing or primary-device settings may affect access, so review the platform’s current wording.
• Storage: Check free internal space before transferring a large library. Move older games to compatible external storage or plan downloads in stages.
• Captures: Screenshots and video clips often need their own export, cloud, USB, or microSD workflow. Copy a sample and open it on another device before deleting the original.
• Family settings: Recheck child profiles, spending limits, communication controls, play-time rules, and content restrictions. For a full setup walkthrough, see our guide to parental controls on PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
• Display and accessories: Pair controllers again if necessary and confirm TV, HDR, VRR, headset, and audio settings. Our TV settings guide for PS5, Xbox, and Switch covers the main checks.

Common mistakes

The most damaging mistake is resetting or selling the old console too soon. Keep it until you have verified at least one recent save from each important player and copied any captures that matter.

Other avoidable problems include using the wrong account, assuming a game disc contains save data, removing an external drive during a transfer, and starting a game before synchronization finishes. Do not interrupt a system transfer because the progress appears slow. If it fails, note the error, restart both consoles, check network and storage space, and use the platform’s alternative download or cloud-restore method.

Also avoid transferring every game automatically when storage is limited. Move active games first, keep the old console available for less-used titles, and make a written list of games that still need updates, add-ons, or account sign-ins.

When to revisit

Return to this checklist whenever you replace a console, add a second system, recover from a factory reset, change household users, or move to a different storage device. Recheck it before seasonal buying periods if a new console bundle or storage upgrade changes your setup; related planning guidance is available in our console bundle checklist and console storage upgrade guide.

Platform menus, cloud-storage requirements, transfer limits, and supported features can change after firmware updates or new hardware releases. Before acting, check the current instructions on the console itself and confirm any account-specific notices. The practical final sequence is simple: sync, transfer or copy, test saves and captures, confirm accounts and restrictions, then reset the old console only after everything important is visible on the new one.