How to remap Nintendo Switch joycon controller buttons

Andrew Amos

Nintendo Switch users rejoice ⁠— you can now customize your joycon controller settings to remap any button you wish. Want to know how? We’ve got everything you need to know right here.

Certain Nintendo Switch games, like Smash Ultimate, allow you to remap your controller buttons. They can help make playing the game more comfortable, or even slightly easier without having to reach across the controller to get certain combos.

However, now there’s an option to completely remap your Switch controllers ⁠— system-wide. An April 13 patch pushed to all Nintendo Switch devices added the new controller button remap feature, and we’ve broken down how you can use it.

How to remap Nintendo Switch controllers

Remapping your Nintendo Switch controllers is super easy. Below you can find step-by-step instructions on how to do it.

  1. First, you have to make sure they are paired to your switch, and powered on. This is self-explanatory, but we have to list it in case you haven’t already.
  2. Then, you’ll have to navigate through your System Settings (not your controller menu) to the Controllers and Sensors section. Second from the top, there’ll be a setting called “Change Button Mapping.”
  3. In that menu, you’ll be able to select what controller you want to remap, and what to remap it to. You’ll have a choice of around a dozen different buttons, or disabling it completely.
  4. Then, it’s as simple as saving, and playing on.
You can now remap your Nintendo Switch controllers system-wide.

If for whatever reason you are unhappy with what you remapped your controller to, it’s easy to revert. Just hit the reset button in the mapping menu, and it’ll be reverted to factory settings.

Should you have multiple people who use the same controller, you can save presets so everyone can load up their preferred controls. Select the “Save as a Preset” option on the mapping menu, name it, and you’ll be able to chop and choose whenever you need.

You can remap certain controllers, like singular joycons, joycon pairs, and pro controllers. However, Gamecube controllers cannot be changed from their default settings.

Every button is customizable on most controllers.

The April 13 Nintendo Switch patch also included options to transfer software data between system memory and SD cards, bookmarks to News, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons profile icons.

However, the controller remap settings will arguably be the most useful of the lot. It’ll allow players with disabilities to change their controllers for accessibility purposes, and give more competitive players the chance to disable buttons they don’t really need.

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