Follow these steps if you will no longer be using the source system. These steps ensure that all your users and user data will be transferred to the target system.

1. Make sure that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is updated to the latest software version on your source system.
2. Download the Island Transfer Tool for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on your source system, if you haven’t already.
3. Transfer the User Data for your user account to the target Nintendo Switch system. This will transfer all user information and save data except for Animal Crossing: New Horizons save data to the target system.
   • Repeat this step for each user account. If you are transferring all user accounts, a default account named “User” will remain on the source system.
   • If you already transferred your user and save data to a new system, please note that island save data will remain on the original (source) system. To complete the transfer, please re-link your Nintendo Account to a User on the source system and continue the process below.
4. On the target system, update Animal Crossing: New Horizons to the latest software version.
5. On the target system, download the Island Transfer Tool for Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
6. Open the Island Transfer Tool on each system.
   • If the same Nintendo Account was used to download the Island Transfer Tool on both systems, use an alternate user to open the Island Transfer Tool on the primary console of the Nintendo Account.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions and select Continue, then Let’s Begin.
8. On the source system, select Source.
9. Select Yes to confirm when the name of your island on the source system is displayed.
   • If Animal Crossing: New Horizons has not been updated to the latest software version, your console nickname will be displayed instead of your island name.
10. On the target system, select Target.
11. On the source system, select Continue. On the target system, select Proceed.
12. When the target system is detected, select Transfer data on the source system.
13. When the source system is detected, select Proceed on the target system. The transfer will begin.
14. When the transfer is complete, a message will appear on both systems. The save data is now deleted on the source system and present on the target system.
15. Launch Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the target system to continue playing on your island.
16. If you previously set up island backup, follow our steps to set up island backup again to ensure that it is re-enabled on your new system.

Follow these steps if you will continue to use the source system. Note that your island will be completely transferred to the target system, so you will no longer be able to play on the island on your source system.

1. Make sure that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is updated to the latest software version on both systems.
2. Download the Island Transfer Tool for Animal Crossing: New Horizons on both systems, if you haven’t already.
3. Open the Island Transfer Tool on each system.
   • If the same Nintendo Account was used to download the Island Transfer Tool on both systems, use an alternate user to open the Island Transfer Tool on the primary console of the Nintendo Account.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions and select Continue, then Let’s Begin.
5. On the source system, select Source.
6. Select Yes to confirm when the name of your island on the source system is displayed.
   • If Animal Crossing: New Horizons has not been updated to the latest software version, your console nickname will be displayed instead of your island name.
7. On the target system, select Target.
8. On the source system, select Continue. On the target system, select Proceed.
9. When the target system is detected, select Transfer data on the source system.
10. When the source system is detected, select Proceed on the target system. The transfer will begin.
11. When the transfer is complete, a message will appear on both systems. The save data is now deleted on the source system and present on the target system.
12. Launch Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the target system using the user account you will be using for your resident.
13. When asked if you would like to play using existing resident data, select Existing data.
14. If there are multiple residents with existing unlinked data, select your resident name.
    • You will be unable to change which resident data is linked to your user account later, so be sure you select the correct resident name.
15. When prompted, select Yes to confirm and start playing again as your resident.
16. Repeat steps 12-15 for any other user accounts and residents that will be playing the game.
17. If you previously set up island backup, follow our steps to set up island backup again to ensure that it is re-enabled on your new system.