- Gaming and consoles
- Nintendo Switch
2168-0002
Nintendo Switch 2168-0002: software closed or transfer failed
Risk level
Low
Usually safe to check without specialist tools.
Urgency
Low
Quick answer
2168-0002 appears when software closes unexpectedly or during a system transfer from Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch 2. For a transfer, cancel it and repeat it without album data, then restart and update the console.
Safety first
Stop and check this first
- When you repeat the system transfer, choose not to transfer album data. Nintendo says including it will make the transfer fail again.
Safe checks you can perform
- Identify when the code appeared
- Cancel and repeat the transfer without album data
- Restart, or force a shutdown if it does not respond
Leave these tasks to a qualified professional
- Do not attempt this professional task: Nintendo repair service
- Do not attempt this professional task: What to hand Nintendo support
What a technician must be able to justify
Technician visit
These are the steps they must carry out and show you. Tick them as they work: if steps are skipped, do not accept a part swap.
These are not instructions for opening or handling the equipment yourself. They are the checks that should support a technical conclusion.
Nintendo repair service
What they doNintendo asks you to set up a repair request if 2168-0002 persists after restarting and updating. Book it through Nintendo Repairs: create a repair request, ship the console with the prepaid return label and follow it with the repair tracking. Nintendo says a repair may take up to 10 working days.
They must show youthe test in which they reproduced the error and a clean start after the repair.
In writingthe repair number, the diagnosis, any part replaced and whether the work was in or out of warranty.
What to hand Nintendo support
What they doWhen you contact Nintendo, have ready: the situation in which 2168-0002 appeared, whether album data was excluded from the transfer and the system version.
They must show youwhich of the steps you did they want repeated, so you do not start from scratch.
In writingthe ticket or case reference and the date of the contact.
Before accepting a part or repair
Nothing has been shown yet. Do not accept a part swap based on the code alone.
Follow these steps
Note: Follow the documented order. An error code identifies the affected system, but it does not prove by itself which part has failed.
Identify when the code appeared
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- note whether 2168-0002 showed while playing software that closed, during a transfer from Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch 2, or while using another console feature.
- Result that matters:
- which of Nintendo's three situations applies.
- If it was a software closure:
- follow Nintendo's guide for software closed because an error occurred.
- If it was a transfer or another feature:
- use the next checks.
- Evidence to keep:
- photo of the error and what you were doing.
Evidence: Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
Cancel and repeat the transfer without album data
- Who:
- you, on the source Nintendo Switch.
- How:
- hold the Left Stick and both the + Button and the - Button for about three seconds to cancel and return to the HOME Menu, or restart the console if you cannot cancel. Restart the transfer and, when asked, choose not to transfer album data. You can also set up the Switch 2 without a transfer and move save data later after signing in to your Nintendo Account.
- Result that matters:
- whether the transfer completes without album data.
- If it completes:
- the album data was the cause.
- If it fails again:
- restart both consoles and update them.
- Evidence to keep:
- date of the attempt and the options you chose.
Album data is left out of the transfer. Back up the screenshots and videos you want to keep before you start.
Evidence: Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
Restart, or force a shutdown if it does not respond
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- restart the Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch. If the console does not respond, hold the POWER Button for twelve seconds to force it to shut down, then power it on again.
- Result that matters:
- whether the console or transfer works after the restart.
- If it works:
- the error came from a temporary state.
- If the error persists:
- go on to the next step.
- Evidence to keep:
- how you restarted (normal or forced) and the result.
Evidence: Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
Still not solved
If the error persists, stop here. See what the technician must do and show you.
Where this code applies
A code is meaningful only inside the right product and version context.
Primary scope
- System
- Gaming and consoles
- Brand
- Nintendo
- Product type
- Nintendo Switch
Known code variants
- error 2168-0002 Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo 2168-0002
- Nintendo error 2168-0002
- Nintendo Switch 2168-0002
- Switch 2 2168-0002
- Switch error code 2168-0002
What it means
Nintendo documents 2168-0002 in three situations: software that closed unexpectedly, a system transfer from Nintendo Switch to Nintendo Switch 2, and other console features. Software closures follow Nintendo's article on the message that the software was closed because an error occurred. For the transfer, stop it and set up the Switch 2 without it, moving save data later, or cancel and restart it choosing not to transfer album data, which would make it fail again. Otherwise restart and update; if it persists, request a repair.
Warnings and stop conditions
- Mediumsource verified
When you repeat the system transfer, choose not to transfer album data. Nintendo says including it will make the transfer fail again.
Evidence: Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
Symptoms and causes
Probable causes · in order
- Album data included in a system transferCommon
Nintendo says including album data will cause the system transfer to fail again, so the repeat must exclude it.
Evidence: Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
- Software closed by an errorPossible
When the code appears as software closes, Nintendo treats it with its separate guide for software closed because an error occurred.
Evidence: Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
- Temporary state or outdated systemPossible
For other features Nintendo's steps are a restart and the latest system update, which clear these cases.
Evidence: Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
- Console faultLess common
Only when the error persists after Nintendo's steps does it ask you to set up a repair request.
Evidence: Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
Virtual technician
Does 2168-0002 still appear after these checks?
Answer a few questions to narrow down the likely cause and the safest next action. Guidance only - it never replaces a professional.
Sources and technical references
- 1
Nintendo Repairs (Nintendo UK Support)
Nintendo UK Support · 2026 · official_doc
- 2
Nintendo Switch error code 2168-0002 (Nintendo UK Support)
Nintendo UK Support · 2026 · official_doc
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