How to set up Nintendo 2FA on your Switch account

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Use two-factor authentication to protect your Nintendo account

Nintendo Switch
(Image credit: Future)

It's always a good idea to set up Nintendo 2FA on your Switch account. It'll give you an extra layer of protection for your account that will make it harder for hackers to steal it. Considering Nintendo suffered from a data breach  in 2020 two factor authentication definitely something you want to look into. 

So to help secure all your stuff, here's how to set up Nintendo Switch 2FA, so we've got a complete guide on how to do it.

How to set up Nintendo 2FA

Nintendo 2FA

(Image credit: Future)

To set up two factor authentication on your Nintendo Switch you'll need to access your NIntendo account online and download Google Authenticator. Let's take a look at all the steps involved: 

  1. Firstly, you'll want to go and log in to your Nintendo account online.
  2. Click on Sign-In and Security Settings.
  3. Look for Two-Step Verification at the bottom and if it says "Not enabled", click Edit, followed by Enable two-step verification.
  4. Click Submit and you'll receive an email to the address associated with your Nintendo account.
  5. Copy the verification code in the email and paste it into the box on the Nintendo website, then click Submit.
  6. Now you'll be faced with some steps on the Nintendo website. The first of these is to download Google Authenticator from either the App Store or the Google Play Store, depending on which model of cell phone you have.
  7. Open Google Authenticator on your phone and scan the QR code presented to you on the Nintendo site.
  8. Now you should have another six digit code on the app. Enter that below the QR code on the site and click Submit.
  9. Nintendo 2FA should now be enabled. Make sure you copy and save the ten backup codes displayed on the final page in case you lose access to your Google Authenticator for one reason or another. Once you've done that, check the box that says "Backup codes saved" and you'll be done.

Whenever you try to log on to your Nintendo account next, you'll simply need to authenticate it with the code from Google Authenticator. If you get a request to log on that you don't recognise, potentially from a hacking attempt, then thanks to 2FA they won't be able to access your account.

Ford James
Ford James

Give me a game and I will write every "how to" I possibly can or die trying. When I'm not knee-deep in a game to write guides on, you'll find me hurtling round the track in F1, flinging balls on my phone in Pokemon Go, pretending to know what I'm doing in Football Manager, or clicking on heads in Valorant.

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