How to Transfer Animal Crossing: New Horizons Save Data

Animal Crossing: New Horizons allows you and up to seven others on your Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch console to live on one shared island. The save data for the island or for the individual residents of the island can be transferred to another console after updating the game software to the latest version. The island save data can also be backed up in case you lose access to your console and can be restored on a replacement console.

What would you like to do?

• Transfer the entire island

  This feature is helpful if you are replacing your Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch console with another one and all players who have played Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be using the replacement console. It is also the only way to transfer your island resident representative.

  What is transferred:

  • The island and resident representative
  • All progress, customizations, and items
  • All animal residents
  • All player residents
  • Any Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise save data
    • The DLC must be downloaded on your replacement console before the content can be accessed in-game.
  • Any Slumber Islands created by players on the island

  You must have access to both the original console and the replacement console to use this feature.

  To proceed, follow our steps on How to Transfer an Island to Another Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch System (Animal Crossing: New Horizons).

  Important: If you are transferring your island from a Nintendo Switch console to a Nintendo Switch 2 console, please see Continuing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch 2 After System Transfer via Local Communication.

• Move a single resident (single player transfer)

  This feature is helpful when just one player wants to continue playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on a separate Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch console, or when multiple residents other than the island resident representative will be using the other console.

  What is transferred:

  • The individual resident
  • The resident's home
  • Most items held or stored by the resident
  • Any Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise save data the resident has
    • The DLC must be downloaded on the other console before the content can be accessed in-game.
  • Any Slumber Islands created by the resident

  The original island and animal residents will remain on the original console, and the island resident representative cannot be transferred.

  You must have access to both the original console and the target console to use this feature.

  To proceed, follow our steps on How to Transfer an Individual Resident to a New Island (Animal Crossing: New Horizons).

• Back up or restore my island data

  Important: When data is restored on a replacement console, your island will no longer be fully accessible on the original console. If you still have the original console and you want to move the data to a replacement console, follow our steps to transfer the island instead.

  Use the island backup feature to ensure your island save data can be recovered in a situation where you lose access to your Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch console. You must have already enabled island backup on the original console in order to restore it on a replacement console.

  What is backed up:

  • The last saved version of your island, including all progress, customizations, and items
  • All animal residents
  • All player residents, including the island respresentative
  • Any Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise save data
    • The DLC must be downloaded on your replacement console before the content can be accessed in-game.
  • Any Slumber Islands created by players on the island

  To proceed, follow our steps on How to Back Up and Restore Island Save Data (Animal Crossing: New Horizons).