What To Do When Nintendo Switch Won’t Connect to WiFi [After Update]

Stuck with Nintendo Switch won’t connect to Wifi issue! You can’t download games, play multiplayer, or chat with your friends when Switch won’t connect to WiFi. This problem may occur when you try to update Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, or Nintendo Switch (OLED model).

Sometimes Switch fails to connect to Wifi at initial setup or may lose connection later. The user also reports that when connecting Nintendo Switch it won’t find a wireless network. In case, the wireless network is searched, the network is not listed under “Networks Found.”

Most users can fix the switch not connecting to Wifi issue by accessing the internet settings within the console and pressing the Y Button to have the Nintendo Switch console search for networks. If the problem still persists then follow the below-mentioned fixes.

Causes of Nintendo Switch Won’t Connect to Wifi, can’t Find the Network?

The most probable reasons to lose a switch’s connection, or fail to establish one are

  • Nintendo Switch Online or other services are down
  • Your Wi-Fi network is down
  • Your Switch is out of range of the router
  • Your network’s security key is incompatible
  • A firewall is preventing the Switch from accessing your network
  • Weak signal or interference.

How to Fix the Nintendo Switch that Won’t Connect to Wifi?

you can also take a look at the solutions to fix Nintendo Switch Keeps Lagging.

Fix 1. Check Nintendo Switch Online Service

Before going further you should check the Switch online service. Sometimes you won’t be able to connect to Wifi when there’s a local or global service outage. Visit this site to see the online status.

See if Nintendo Switch Online is down. A local or global outage will stop everyone’s Switches from accessing online services. Make sure the problem isn’t on Nintendo’s end before you try other fixes.

Fix 2. Move the Nintendo Switch console closer to the wireless router.

If you are using Switch Lite or any other console in portable mode then make sure that the console and router are within 2 to 5 meters (10 to 15 feet) range. To improve signal strength it’s important the router and console are placed near.

Fix 3. Restart the Nintendo Switch Console

Restart the Nintendo Switch console, it may resolve the issue. Here’s how you can do that:

Fix 4. Check your Network Status

if you have checked the Nintendo Service status and it is online then it could be your internet connectivity issue. Make sure that the other devices like phones, laptops, and tablets can connect to WiFi. If other devices can’t then take some steps to troubleshoot your network status.

Fix 5. Restart Switch

If the switch still won’t connect to Wifi then try restarting the hardware. to do that:

Fix 6. Restart your Modem and Router

If your router and modem are separate unplug them for about a minute. Plug your modem back in, wait about 30 seconds and then restore power to your router.

If your router/modem is combined then unplug it, wait for about a minute, and then plug it back. Try the connection again, once it’s completely started up.

Fix 7. Try a Wired Connection

The switch can’t use a wired connection when you first buy them. So you need to purchase a LAN adapter. (The Nintendo switch OLED model comes with a dock with a wired LAN port). Switch Lite also needs a USB stand to create a port for the adapter to plug into.

Fix 8. Try Using the 5 GHz Band

Nintendo Switch consoles can work with other bands too but try using 5 GHz to mitigate this issue. Usually, wireless devices are connected to 2.4 GHz by default so there might be signal interference in this band. So you need to use the 5 GHz band for your Nintendo may help to resolve this issue

Fix 8. Change DNS Server

If you are using a different DNS server on your console, then you should switch back to the default DNS server of your ISP. By default, the DNS server is set to auto so you can change it manually to see if that will work

Fix 9. Re-create Network Connection

If you set your home router to hide the SSID for added security, you should manually re-adding your Nintendo Switch as a troubleshooting step. When you manually create an internet connection in your console you only need to update the SSID setting.

To update the SSID, you need to use the Manual Setup option under System Settings>Internet>Internet Settings>Networks Found.

Fix 10. Check your Firewall Settings

A network firewall may prevent the switch from accessing the services. You need to put it into the DMZ to separate it from the rest of the devices and bypass the firewall. The Nintendo support site contains instructions for setting up a DMZ for your switch.

Fix 11. Contact Nintendo

If none of the above fixes works in your luck then your system may need to repair or service. Use Nintendo’s online portal to message or call for more details.

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