There are various reasons why gamers would want to connect a Switch to your Windows 10 or 11 PC and unlike meanings to what "connecting" these two devices means in the first place.

If y'all've got a notion to combine your Switch with your PC somehow, we'll walk y'all through the unlike options and possibilities that are out at that place.

Connect Your Switch to a Monitor

If all y'all want is to play your Nintendo Switch games on your computer's monitor, y'all don't demand to connect information technology to your PC. Most modern monitors have HDMI connectors and are probable to have more than one. So all you need to practice is plug your Switch dock into your monitor using an HDMI cable.

You'll demand to switch inputs to the port you've plugged the Switch Dock to on your monitor. If the monitor has built-in speakers, you can become audio directly from the screen. Even if it doesn't have speakers, many monitors accept a headphone output to which y'all can connect speakers or headphones.

Remember that the Switch now supports Bluetooth audio every bit long every bit you've updated to the right firmware version. You tin as well use the headphone output on the Switch itself when plugged into a PC monitor.

Use a Capture Carte du jour

Suppose y'all want to see your Switch'south video and sound output on your figurer's screen, such every bit a laptop. In that case, you can use a USB video capture device such as the Elgato HD60 S+, which replaces the Elgato Game Capture HD60 S and offers several substantial upgrades over the old model.

This capture card is well-suited to pass your Switch's sound and video to your computer. Even if y'all likewise want to capture footage from your Switch, equally long as your computer meets the carte's requirements, you'll experience no lag. The capture card'southward software works best on Microsoft Windows systems, simply Macs are officially supported.

If you own a Playstation 4 or 5, Xbox One, or Xbox Series console, you can as well connect them to the capture device and play while recording your gameplay without any lag. It does have a few clicks to get it all set up up and switch to full screen mode in the Elgato software, only it's worth information technology for the effect.

A Note on the Switch Low-cal

The Switch Low-cal lacks the hardware to output a video indicate, and so any solution that depends on the HDMI output in the Switch dock won't work with the Switch Low-cal. There are specialist hardware modifications to add this feature to a Switch Calorie-free, but it's cheaper to buy a 2nd regular Switch. Otherwise, you lot're stuck with the Switch screen.

Utilise a USB Cable to Transfer Photos and Videos

As of Switch System Software 11.0.0, you can connect the Switch to your computer using a USB-C cable connected to your PC'southward USB port. The Switch will simply testify upwardly on your computer every bit a USB drive. Just head to:

Arrangement Settings > Information Management > Manage Screenshots and Videos > Copy to a Calculator via USB Connection

If you meet a "Connected to the Computer" message, you tin can open the Switch drive in your operating system. When done, remember to select Disconnect.

Utilize Smart Device Transfer for Photos and Videos

Y'all can speedily transfer videos and photos from your Switch to your PC using the Smart Device transfer role. One time these media are on your smart device, yous can sync them to the cloud or otherwise transfer them to your PC the way you'd move any other file on your smartphone to a computer. The merely limitation is that y'all tin can only share x photos (and one video) at once.

This method works by temporarily turning your Switch into a web server. Here'southward how to utilise the characteristic:

  1. From the Switch Home screen, choose the Anthology icon.
  1. Select the photo or video yous want to transfer.
  1. Select Posting and Editing, and then choose Send to Smart Device.
  1. Yous can send items individually or as a grouping. Select the selection that suits your needs.
  1. When prompted, the Switch will display a QR lawmaking, browse it with your smartphone photographic camera, and connect to the Wi-Fi hotspot.
  1. One time continued, the Switch will display a new QR code. Scan this code, and it will open a web folio with your content.
  1. Salve them to your smart device using your browser.

This is an ingenious solution on Nintendo's function, but information technology doesn't always piece of work for everyone. The practiced news is that y'all can access the information more directly from the SD card.

Use an SD Card Reader

If y'all desire to copy all of your content to your PC from your Switch, you tin can simply remove the SD card from its slot and use a USB SD card adapter or integrated SD card slot to view the bill of fare's contents.

Exist certain to plow your Switch off before removing the SD menu. You shouldn't modify whatever SD card's contents unless you know exactly what you are doing. You can also back up the SD card contents if anything goes wrong with the card yous currently have, but you tin't employ that content on a dissimilar console.

If y'all want to upgrade to a larger SD card, you can apply your PC to copy the contents over, and information technology will piece of work without event.

Play The PC Version of the Switch Game Instead

Many tertiary-party Switch games are bachelor as PC ports. So if you lot want to play the aforementioned game on your PC, you often have the option of buying the game on the PC. Unfortunately, this means purchasing the game twice, but you'll find that the PC version is cheaper than the Switch and other consoles.

Of form, this doesn't help if you desire to continue using the same save files present on your Switch. Sadly, few games on the Switch offering cloud syncing with their PC versions, but a few primal titles do allow this. For example, Diablo II Resurrected (cantankerous-progression is planned), The Witcher 3, and Divinity Original Sin 2 offer cantankerous-progression features.

If you desire universal cantankerous-progression with your PC and handheld, consider buying a Steam Deck or similar handheld PC running Steam or whatever other PC gaming clients that back up cloud-sync.

Employ A Switch Emulator

Some other way to get a Switch game running on your PC is to use a Switch emulator. This software simulates the Switches' hardware, allowing you to run those games on your computer. If your computer is fast enough, you lot can fifty-fifty run those Switch games at better resolutions and frame rates than the Switch is capable of.

In that location are even ways of moving your save files to and from your Switch and emulator. However, this isn't a polished, user-friendly feel. The master trouble with the emulator selection is that information technology may be illegal where you live.

Y'all need to ain a legal copy of the game you want to play, just ever be sure to cheque your local laws and whether emulating software you bought is legal in your part of the world!

Connect Joy-Cons or the Switch Pro Controller to Your PC

You may be trying to connect your Joy-Cons or Pro Controller to your PC rather than your entire Switch. While you lot're better off using an Xbox controller or even a Playstation controller with PC games, if all you have is a Nintendo controller (or y'all're emulating Nintendo titles), they are easy to hook up to your computer.

If you lot're using Joy-Con controllers, your PC will see each controller as a carve up device. This is fine if yous want to play some retro games in two-histrion way on your PC, but modern games aren't going to piece of work at all. One option is to manually map controls in the game to each individual Joy-Con, only almost titles won't support this.

Yous tin can use the BetterJoy app to let your Joy-Cons work equally a single controller, compatible with whatsoever game that works with an Xbox controller. BetterJoy also makes the Pro controller compatible in the same style.

If your figurer doesn't have Bluetooth, you'll demand to buy a Bluetooth adapter before connecting the Joy-Cons. Later on all, they don't have any ports to connect a USB cable.

You have to hold down the sync push button on each Joy-Con (or the Pro controller) until the lights start flashing.

So wait for the controller under Bluetooth devices on your PC.

In the case of the Pro Controller, you lot tin simply plug it into your computer using a USB wired connection, and information technology will piece of work with no further effort.

Alternative Option: Apply a Portable Monitor

If you just want a large screen to connect your Switch to, simply want the portability of a laptop, and so some other choice is to use a portable monitor. These tin run off USB ability, have congenital-in speakers, and accept HDMI input ports. Yous tin utilise the USB-C cable arranged with the Switch Pro Controller.

These screens are thin enough to fit in the same laptop bag if you travel with your laptop. Not only that, when you aren't using the portable monitor for your Switch, you tin can use it as a second screen for your laptop or desktop PC. And so really, it's a justified expense!

A Rocky Human relationship

As you can tell from the various workarounds, there isn't a truthful way to connect Nintendo Switch consoles to a PC that lets the devices operate. At best, you can make your PC human activity as a glorified TV, but if your main goal is to capture game footage, and so that'south exactly what you want to do!

If you just want to play your Super Mario or Pokemon on a PC screen, nosotros hope the alternatives here give you a more affordable path than buying a capture card. And by now, you're enjoying mid-sized Switch fun away from your Tv set screens.