How to Add a Password to Nintendo Switch

Unfortunately, there’s currently no official way to provide password protection for the Nintendo Switch. This is a problem, especially for people who want to keep their consoles safe from unauthorized use. There are ways to get around this limitation though. An unofficial, but still useful method can be used to protect your Switch.

In this article, we’ll explain how this method works and show you how to add a password to your Nintendo Switch.

The Switch Parental Controls

The unofficial method on giving your Switch a password relies on the Mobile Switch Parental Controls app. Although the parental control options are available on the console itself, the password options there can easily be bypassed by using a Master Key. Anyone can get a Master Key by going to the Nintendo Parental Controls PIN Reset website.

You can get the Parental Controls app by downloading it from the Apple IOS store, or the Google Play Store. To install and setup the app, you can do the following:

1. Download the app on your mobile and click Install.
2. On the HOME menu on the Switch, choose System Settings.
3. On the menu, scroll down to Parental Controls and select it.
4. Choose Use Your Smart Device.
5. Choose Yes.
6. You’ll be prompted to enter the registration code that is provided by your app. You can get this by opening the Mobile app and clicking next.
7. Enter the code on your Switch.
8. Click on Register.
9. Click Continue Setup on Smart Device.

This is the part where you can set the options on the app to technically set a password on your Nintendo Switch.

1. Go to Select Restriction Level
2. Choose the highest restriction level. This restriction varies by country, just be sure to choose the youngest age.
3. On the Posting to Social Media tab choose Restrict.
4. On the Communicate with others tab choose Restrict.
5. Complete setup by clicking Next.

Your Switch will now see a large orange icon on the top portion of the switch that indicates that your Switch has had its activity locked. This restricts the ability to use the console itself. Choosing any game will show a notification that it’s restricted by Parental Controls.

This is now your unofficial Switch password. As long as they don’t input the PIN then they can’t use your Switch. This is how you protect your console from unauthorized use. Unless they know your PIN code, they can’t use your console. Choosing the lowest settings will also prevent the Switch from connecting to any Wi-Fi network that you haven’t connected to yourself. Manual connection won’t work without lifting the restrictions.

This also prevents unauthorized users from initializing or resetting the console. Not even going to maintenance mode will allow them to bypass entering the PIN.

To unlock your console, click on the orange icon and enter the Parental Controls PIN.

To change the PIN, go to your Mobile app, Select Console Settings, then choose PIN. Do remember that if you want to change your PIN code, your Switch must be online or the change will not register.

Parental Controls eShop

The Parental Control app can’t limit access to the Nintendo eShop unless the current account of the console is set to a Supervised Account. This requires setting up a Family Group and registering one user as a parent/guardian. There’s currently no way to limit a non-supervised account from accessing the eShop. If your family has more than one account though, and you wish to limit your children’s access to the eShop, you can create a Family Group by doing the following:

1. Go to the Nintendo website and open your account.
2. Choose Nintendo Account on the upper left.
3. Choose Family Group.
4. Choose Add Member.

If they have an existing Nintendo Account then choose it. If not, make them one. Accounts that are owned by children 12 years or younger, they’re automatically set as a Supervised account. If not, this has to be done manually. Follow these steps to do so:

1. Choose Family Group from the account menu.
2. Select the account and choose Set as Supervised Account.
3. Click OK.
4. The supervised account will be sent a verification email. Click the verification link.
5. Log in the Supervised Account.
6. Click Accept.

The Guardian account can now set restrictions on what the Supervised account can access on the eShop.

Removing Parental Controls

If you wish to remove the setup entirely, this can easily be done through the mobile app. On the main page choose Console Settings, find the name of your console, then click the info button on the right-hand side. This will show you the console’s about page. Choose Unregister to wipe all the settings for that particular console. Note that you’ll need to have your console connected online to do this on mobile.

You can do this offline on the console itself by doing the following:

1. On the HOME menu choose System Settings.
2. Select Parental Controls from the menu.
3. Choose Unregister App.
4. Input your PIN code.
5. All parental settings will now be wiped.

An Effective Security Method

Although an official way to secure it has yet to be released, knowing how to add a password to the Nintendo Switch can provide peace of mind. Even if the method is unofficial, it still proves effective to prevent unauthorized people from using your treasured console. Until such time that Nintendo themselves release a security patch, the provided method will protect your device.

Do you know of any other methods to protect your Switch? Do you have any additional tips to share? Visit the comments section and let the community know.