How to connect a wireless controller to your Nintendo Switch

To connect a Switch Pro controller or third-party controller to your Nintendo Switch, use the “Sync” button or the USB-C charging cable. To connect Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch, use the “Sync” buttons or slide them to the sides of your Nintendo Switch.

There are several ways to connect a wireless controller to your Nintendo Switch. Regardless of whether you’re using Joy-Cons, a Switch Pro Controller, or a third-party controller, connecting your controller is simple.

How to Connect a Switch Pro Controller to Your Nintendo Switch

There are two ways to connect a Switch Pro Controller to your Nintendo Switch: wirelessly with the “Sync” button and with a USB-C cable.

However, for some third-party controllers that mimic the Switch Pro controller, you may only have one option: use the “Sync” button or the unique equivalent of that third-party controller.

How to connect a Switch Pro controller wirelessly

To wirelessly connect your Switch Pro controller to your Nintendo Switch, go to the Controllers menu at the bottom of your Nintendo Switch screen (the icon has a picture of a Joy-Con controller). Then select “Change grip/order”.

At this point, you need to hold (long press) the “Sync” button to connect your Switch Pro Controller to your Nintendo Switch. The “Sync” button is located at the top of your controller; next to the USB-C port.

After releasing the “Sync” button, you will see the icon of your Switch Pro Controller appear on the screen. Press the A button to confirm the connection and you’re done. This method also works with Nintendo Switch Lite.

How to connect a Switch Pro controller with a USB-C cable

If you want to connect a wireless controller to your Nintendo Switch without the “Sync” button, all you need to do is connect your Switch Pro Controller and your Nintendo Switch with the USB-C cable that came with your Switch Pro Controller.

First, plug the USB-C end of the cable into the USB-C slot at the top of your Switch Pro Controller. Then, plug the USB-A (also known as just USB) end of your cable into one of the USB-A ports on the bottom of your Nintendo Switch.

Once you do this, your Switch Pro Controller automatically connects with your Nintendo Switch. The USB-A ports (there are two) are on the lower left side of the base of your Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch (the tablet part) must be in the dock for this charging cable connection method to work.

How to connect a third-party controller to your Nintendo Switch

Many third-party controllers act in the same way as Switch Pro controllers when it comes to connecting them to your Nintendo Switch wirelessly. However, sometimes third-party controllers have different buttons.

For example, the “Sync” button and the “Home” button can be combined into a single dedicated button for that third-party controller. As such, you can use the wireless connection method mentioned above to get the same results as a Switch Pro Controller for your third-party controller, as long as your third-party controller has some sort of “Sync” button.

That said, some third-party controllers can’t use a USB-C charging cable to connect to your Nintendo Switch. We tested the Sefitopher Wireless Pro Controller (pictured above) and it couldn’t connect to our Nintendo Switch with a USB-C charging cable, despite charging the controller’s battery.

How to connect Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch

Just like with the Switch Pro Controller, there are a number of ways to connect your Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch. However, the Joy-Cons have even more options!

You can use the “Sync” buttons, slide them into a Joy-Con grip and press any button, or plug them directly into your Nintendo Switch.

How to connect Joy-Cons wirelessly

To wirelessly connect your Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch, start by going to the Controllers menu. Then select Change grip/order.

After this, hold (long press) the “Sync” button on both Joy-Cons. The “Sync” buttons for the Joy-Cons are located on their respective flat sides between the SL and SR buttons. Now, release the “Sync” buttons.

Subsequently, you must press the L button of the left Joy-Con (the one with the “-” symbol on the top) and the R button of the right Joy-Con (the one with the “+” symbol on the top).

Alternatively, you can use the ZL and ZR buttons at this point. Lastly, press the A button on the right Joy-Con to confirm the connection. This sets up your two Joy-Con controllers to work together as if they were a single controller.

How to connect Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch with Joy-Con Grip

This process works a bit differently if you’ve inserted your Joy-Cons into a Joy-Con grip. Instead of pressing the “Pair” buttons on each Joy-Con, you can press any button on any of the Joy-Cons to make them connect with your Nintendo Switch.

After this, you still need to press the L and R buttons or the ZL and ZR buttons. Lastly, as before, press the A button on the right Joy-Con to complete the connection.

How to connect Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch separately

You can also connect each Joy-Con separately, allowing you to use a pair of Joy-Con as two controllers instead of one. To do this, go to the Controllers menu and then select Change Grip/Order.

Then press and hold the “Sync” button on one of your Joy-Cons. After releasing the “Sync” button, press the SL and SR buttons on only the flat side of that Joy-Con.

This results in one Joy-Con connecting only to your Nintendo Switch. Do the same with your other Joy-Con, and you’ll have two separate controllers connected to your Nintendo Switch.

This is a great way to play locally with another person without having to buy additional drivers. You can also connect your Joy-Cons to your PC, but the method of doing so requires the use of Bluetooth.

How to connect Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch

If you want to connect your Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch non-wirelessly, you need to place the Joy-Cons on either side of your Nintendo Switch.

Take your Nintendo Switch (the tablet part) and look at its left and right sides. You will see grooves on both sides. Hold the left Joy-Con so that its flat side is facing the left side of your Nintendo Switch.

Using a downward motion, gently slide the left Joy-Con into the top of your Nintendo Switch’s left slot. When it is fully in place, you will hear a small click.

Do the same with the right Joy-Con in the slot on the right side of your Nintendo Switch and voila! Now that your Joy-Cons are attached to the body of your Nintendo Switch, you can use it as a handheld console.

How many controllers can be connected to a Nintendo switch?

You can connect up to eight controllers to your Nintendo Switch. This includes Switch Pro controllers, Joy-Cons, Gamecube controllers, and third-party controllers. This is true both when your Nintendo Switch is connected to a TV and when it’s not.

That being said, each Joy-Con counts as its own controller, even when combined. While you can connect a total of eight Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch, if you pair them all, only four players can play together. However, if you connect eight Joy-Cons separately, you can have up to eight players playing together.

You can also mix and match controllers. For example, you can connect two Joy-Cons as one controller, and then connect six Switch Pro controllers to one Nintendo Switch. Note that this example results in a maximum of seven players being able to play together on one console (one player using a pair of Joy-Cons and the other six using Switch Pro Controllers).

For more examples of multi-controller setups for your Nintendo Switch, check out Nintendo’s official support page on this topic.