Dropped your Nintendo Switch in water and don’t know what to do? Don’t panic, as we have the best solution to fix a water-damaged Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, it is common to face this problem as Nintendo Switch isn’t waterproof.
After taking the Switch out of the water, turn it off immediately, remove any wires, clean it using a dry cloth, and let it air dry for a few days. In the meantime, avoid shaking the device, and don’t turn it on. And if this doesn’t help, send the Switch for repair.
If your Switch falls in water or gets water spilled on it, turn it off immediately. Store it off for a few days, until totally dry. Storing in a room with a dehumidifier running can help. If it doesn’t work after that, contact Nintendo for a repair. The Switch warranty doesn’t include water damage.
If you want to know how to take care of a water-damaged Nintendo Switch to avoid any hardware damage, you are in the right place. So, let’s learn how to handle a water-damaged console now!
Things to do Immediately After Dropping Nintendo Switch into Water
Dropping a Nintendo Switch into the water can cause a lot of damage if you don’t handle it properly. Unfortunately, it isn’t a waterproof device, so you have to be really careful if you want to keep it for a long time.
If you drop it in water, you need to turn the console off immediately so that any working hardware doesn’t get damaged. What damages wet electronics is the electricity being allowed to travel along the water wherever it wants, instead of the wires and circuits that are designed for it. This is what causes actual damage, and why you want to keep the device off while you handle this problem.
Also, avoid moving your console to prevent the water from going to multiple places.
Is the Nintendo Repairable After Water Damage?
Whether your Nintendo is repairable after water damage or not depends upon the severity of the damage and how you handle it.
For example, if the water hasn’t gone inside the console, the damage would be repairable in most cases. But if you have completely drowned the console, then there might be a lot of internal damage, and the chances of a successful repair may get low.
To avoid this, keep a protective case on your Switch and the water might not get to the interior. This Protective Case for Switch (on Amazon) is a great option.
Steps to Fix a Water Damaged Nintendo
The best solution to fix a water-damaged Nintendo is to let it air dry. Please don’t use a dryer or a microwave oven to speed up the process as it can damage the hardware of your switch. Instead, follow the steps below for a successful repair!
Shut Down The Console
Turn off the console right after taking it out of the water; otherwise, there are chances of an electrical shock. The sooner you shut it down, the better it will be for your console.
Clean the Nintendo Switch
Take a dry cloth and wipe off water from the exterior of your console. Don’t move the console too much while cleaning it. Make sure you have taken off every drop of water/liquid from your console’s exterior.
If the situation is especially dire (the Switch was dropped in a pool, for instance, and is literally full of water) you might consider disassembling it and drying all the internal components, but this is a pretty advanced and dramatic tactic. Save it for the professionals unless you’re super comfortable with this type of work already.
Dry the Console
Air-dry the console by keeping it out in the open for a few days. And don’t put it in a drawer or pouch, as that can slow down the drying process.
If you really want to speed this up, put it in a small room with a dehumidifier running overnight, or longer. You can also try and clear out as much water as you can manually with canned air (on Amazon) if you have any on hand.
How to Get the Water Out of Nintendo Switch?
You can get the water out of the Nintendo Switch by air drying it for about two days. However, using means such as a dryer isn’t recommended as it can damage the console’s interior.
But you can go for silica gel packets and keep them in a box with your Nintendo Switch. They will soak up the moisture and dry up your Switch quicker.
And if drying the console for a few days doesn’t fix the problem, you might need to send it for repair.
Things to be Careful of When Repairing a Water Damaged Nintendo Switch
Keep these things in your mind while handling a water-damaged Nintendo Switch:
- Don’t move the Nintendo Switch around to prevent the water from traveling.
- Unplug all the wires or charging cables from your Nintendo Switch.
- Ensure that you dry up all the places with a dry cloth, such as the headphone jack, power buttons, control buttons, charging port, etc.
- Don’t dry the Nintendo Switch with a fan, dryer, or heater.
- Don’t press any buttons when the Switch is in its drying process.
Does Warranty Cover Water Damage?
It is stated on Nintendo’s official website that the warranty doesn’t cover water damage. So, if drying for a few days won’t work for your Switch, you will have to pay for a repair.
Even if there are any signs of humidity, liquid, or moisture in your Nintendo Switch’s interior, the company will declare it irreparable.
Therefore, you should keep it away from water or any liquid as much as possible. So don’t use your console near water, and use a protective case at all times.
Watch Out For Other Knock-On Issues
So let’s say you dunked your Switch in a fishtank or spilled a Rout-66 Big Gulp on it. If you’ve repaired it from the water damage and it’s up and running, you should know that the device is now more likely to fail in general, since water damage can cause unexpected damage to the device.
Even if you did clear the water damage fully, you may still run into operation issues with your Switch like freezing (see the guide for that on Switch Lite as well), unexpected crashes, or slow operation. If the physical buttons like the power key stop working, or if the device stops turning on at all or gets caught in an infinite update loop, be sure to hit up our related guides!