Recover Data from Nintendo Switch SD Card on Mac [NS Recovery]

How to recover data from Nintendo Switch SD card? Applying a data recovery program is the most direct way. You can also recover lost data with NS cloud backups or local Time Machine backups. If you don't have any backups, you should re-download the game from eShop.

Nintendo Switch SD Card Data Loss

Nintendo Switch has limited internal storage, and it can be set to store game data, videos, and screenshots on an SD card. Many Nintendo game fans don't want to lose data of Super Mario series games, Zelda, and Splatoon on Nintendo Switch. But SD cards may encounter issues, your NS may face emergencies, and the game data may lose accidentally. Why do you lose data from your Nintendo Switch SD card?

• Delete game data to free up Nintendo Switch SD card space.
• Accidentally formatted the SD card on Nintendo Switch.
• Faulty operations on Nintendo Switch cause data loss.
• Incorrect ejection of SD card on Mac causes data loss.
• Nintendo Switch SD card corrupted or damaged.

We have four available solutions to recover data from a Nintendo Switch SD card, and you can retrieve data on NS or Mac device.

Method 1. Recover Data from Nintendo Switch SD Card on Mac

When you put screenshots and game videos on an NS SD card, the SD card may be erased or formatted by mistake. It is hard to recover lost photos and videos on Nintendo Switch, and it is possible to recover formatted SD cards on Mac.

Why does EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac stand out with so many functional SD card recovery Mac programs?

Step 1. Select the SD card

• Correctly connect your memory card to your Mac. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.
• Go to "SD Card Recovery", find your Canon/Nikon/Go Pro/DJI/Sony SD card, and click "Search for lost files".

Note: Before data recovery, you'd better click "Disk Backup" from the left sidebar to create a backup of your SD card to avoid further data loss. After backing up the SD card, the software can recover data from your SD card backup, and you can remove the SD card and use it again.

Step 2. Filter lost SD card data

After the scan, all files will be presented in the left panel in the scan results. Find wanted photos, videos, and other files.

Step 3. Preview and recover data

Preview the SD card data and select the wanted files. Then, click the "Recover" button. Don't save the recoverable files to the SD card itself in case of data overwriting.

Method 2. Restore Data from NS SD Card from Cloud Backup

Nintendo Switch Online users can back up game data to cloud service automatically. To join the online membership, you can pay 19.99 USD a year as an individual user or 34.99 USD for a whole family.

We will show you two ways to restore game data from Nintendo Switch SD card from cloud backup.

Download Game Data from Game Menu:

Step 1. Unlock your Nintendo Switch and choose a game you want to restore data from.

Step 2. Press the -/+ buttons to open the game settings and details.

Step 3. Use the Joy-Con to select "Save Data Cloud".

Step 4. Select a user.

Step 4. Then, you can see the specific time and backup size on the right side. Select "Download Save Data".

Download Cloud Backup from System Settings:

Step 1. Choose the gear icon from the Nintendo Switch's Home menu.

Step 2. Scroll down to select "Data Management" and "Save Data Cloud".

Step 3. You will be asked to choose a user account that has joined Nintendo Online Membership.

Step 4. Choose a game you want to restore data from, and select "Download Save Data".

Method 3. Re-download Data from eShop on Nintendo Switch

If you accidentally deleted the whole game on Nintendo Switch without local backups, you can try re-download this game by logging in eShop on Nintendo Switch. That also helps you recover data from a Nintendo Switch SD card.

Step 1. Choose a user account that can download the target game and log in eShop.

Step 2. Open "Account Information" in eShop, and choose "Re-download".

Step 3. The game will be re-downloaded after pressing the cloud download icon.

Method 4. Retrieve Game Data from NS SD Card with Time Machine

If you have connected your Nintendo Switch SD card to the Mac, Mac Time Machine may back up your SD card automatically, and you can recover lost game data or media files from Mac Time Machine backup.

Step 1. Connect the NS SD card to the local Mac.

Step 2. Launch Time Machine backup on the Mac and select a previous backup to restore.

Step 3. Click "Restore" and make sure the destination is the NS SD card.

Step 4. Insert the target SD card into Nintendo Switch and restart it.

Bottom Line

Don't be frustrated when you encounter a data loss on the Nintendo Switch SD card, and the above four tested ways can help you easily recover data from the Nintendo Switch SD card on Mac or NS.

Downloading a handy tool called EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will be a wise choice to avoid SD card data loss. Click the following button to free download the Trail version of this recovery software.

Recover Data from Nintendo Switch SD Card FAQs

After learning how to recover data from Nintendo Switch SD card in four ways, we find the answers to some frequently asked questions to help you learn more:

1. Any possible ways to recover game data from a Nintendo Switch SD card?

The following four ways are available to recover game data from a Nintendo Switch SD card:

1. 1. Recover Data from Nintendo Switch SD Card on Mac with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.
2. 2. Restore Game Data from Nintendo Switch SD Card from Cloud Backup.
3. 3. Re-download Data from eShop on Nintendo Switch.
4. 4. Retrieve Data from Nintendo Switch SD Card with Time Machine.

2. What is the best Nintendo Switch SD card recovery software?

The following five software is the best SD card recovery software for Mac:

1. 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
2. 2. Stellar Data Recovery for Mac
3. 3. PhotoRec
4. 4. CardRescue Mac
5. 5. Data Rescue 6

3. How do I access files from the SD card on NS?

You cannot use the NS system to control the files on your SD Card, nor can you see any files that the program you are running does not support. The files that are saved on your SD Card must be managed on a computer.

4. How to recover Nintendo Switch screenshots from an SD card on Mac?

The best way to recover Nintendo Switch screenshots from an SD card on Mac is by applying for an SD card recovery program – EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac:

1. 1. Remove the SD card from the Nintendo Switch SD card, and connect it to a Mac device.
2. 2. Scan the SD card with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to find screenshots.
3. 3. You can find the lost game screenshots quickly with the Filter option.
4. 4. Choose a destination and recover your lost game screenshots on Mac.