Joy-Con Drift

Joycon drift is the best known fault on the Nintendo Switch: a Joy-Con stick that moves your character, the camera or the menu cursor while you are not touching it. The fastest fix is to recalibrate the stick in System Settings, and the lasting fix is a repair, which Nintendo does free of charge for original Joy-Con in the UK, the EEA and Switzerland. To see how bad it is, pair the Joy-Con with a computer and run the stick drift tab in the joycon tester, which reads both Joy-Con and shows the resting offset and direction of each stick. Run it again after each fix below.

Quick checks

Nintendo's own troubleshooting starts with these checks:

• Remove skins, grips and stick covers. A cover that presses on the stick can hold it off center.
• Check for remapped buttons. A wrench icon next to the controller at the bottom left of the screen means its inputs are remapped. Set them back to standard while you test.
• Attach the Joy-Con to the console and check that it appears as attached on the Controllers screen of the HOME Menu.
• Turn off tilt controls in the game. Games such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart World can steer by motion, which looks like drift.
• Swap sides. Test the same game with the other Joy-Con or a Pro Controller. If both move, the game setting is the cause.

Why Joy-Con sticks drift

Each Joy-Con stick measures its position with small sensors in which metal contacts slide over a printed track. The contact pads are softer than the metal that presses on them, so they wear, and the wear is worst near the center, where the stick spends most of its time. Dust also gets in through the gap around the small stick. Once the worn or dirty spot sits under the contacts at rest, the Joy-Con reports a small push that never stops. Calibration and cleaning can hide this for a while. Only a new stick removes it.

Calibrate the control sticks

Calibration tells the Joy-Con where center is. It fixes drift caused by a calibration error, and it is what Nintendo asks you to try before any repair.

Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite:

1. Update the console first: System Settings > System > System Update.
2. From the HOME Menu, open System Settings > Controllers and Sensors.
3. Select Calibrate Control Sticks.
4. Tilt the stick you want to calibrate fully in one direction and hold it for a few seconds.
5. Follow the prompts on screen to check and calibrate the stick.

Nintendo Switch 2:

1. Update the system under System Settings > System > System Update.
2. Open System Settings > Controllers & Accessories > Calibrate Control Sticks.
3. Tilt the stick fully in one direction for a few seconds, then follow the prompts.

If the new calibration does not seem to apply, put the console to sleep and wake it with the POWER button, or press the small SYNC button on the Joy-Con once and then any other button to turn it back on. On a Joy-Con 2, the SYNC button sits beside the SL or SR button on the rail.

Update the controllers

Controller firmware updates install one Joy-Con at a time while they are paired and switched on:

• Switch: System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Update Controllers.
• Switch 2: System Settings > Controllers & Accessories > Update Controllers.

If an update stops partway, start it again from the same menu. Then calibrate once more.

Clean under the stick

Dust and grime under the rubber skirt around the stick are a common cause, and you can clear them without opening anything. Nintendo does not publish a cleaning method, so take care, and skip this step if you plan to claim a free repair and the controller is sealed.

1. Slide the Joy-Con off the console and switch it off by pressing SYNC once.
2. Lift the edge of the rubber skirt around the stick with a fingernail and blow short bursts of compressed air underneath. Turn the Joy-Con as you go, with the can held upright.
3. Put one or two drops of 99 percent isopropyl (isopropanol) under the skirt with a cotton swab or a dropper.
4. Roll the stick in full circles and click it in about 20 times.
5. Leave it to dry for at least 10 minutes, then calibrate and test again.

Use 90 percent isopropyl or stronger, or an electronics contact cleaner. Do not use water or oily sprays such as WD-40. If the drift returns within days, the sensor track is worn.

Get it repaired by Nintendo

If calibration fails, or the stick still drifts after it, Nintendo says the Joy-Con needs servicing. Send only the faulty Joy-Con, never the console.

Nintendo can refuse the free European repair if the Joy-Con was opened, modified or repaired by someone other than Nintendo or its partners, used commercially, accidentally damaged, or if its serial number was removed. That policy page covers the original Joy-Con. Nintendo's Joy-Con 2 pages send a drifting stick for repair without mentioning it. In 2019, Nintendo of America was reported to have started repairing drifting Joy-Con at no charge even outside the warranty. Wherever you live, and for either model, ask about the cost before you pay anything. Note the drift test results and describe the direction of the drift in your request.

On a Switch Lite, the sticks are part of the console. Calibrate it the same way, and if the drift stays, the whole console goes in for repair. Nintendo has a separate support article for Switch Lite sticks.

Replace the stick yourself

On an original Joy-Con the stick is a small module joined to the board by a ribbon cable, so it can be swapped without soldering. It is one of the easier controller repairs, but the parts are tiny.

1. Remove the four tri-wing screws on the back with a Y00 screwdriver and lift the back shell slowly. Thin cables still join the two halves, so open it like a book rather than pulling it apart.
2. Lift the battery gently out of its holder without pulling on its cable.
3. Undo the small Phillips screws that hold the frame, then lift it to reach the stick.
4. Open the locking flap on the stick's ribbon connector, slide the cable out and remove the two screws that hold the stick.
5. Fit the new stick, slide its cable fully into the connector and close the flap.
6. Reassemble, then calibrate the new stick before you play.

Replacement sticks cost roughly $5 to $15. Hall effect versions from third party makers measure the position with a magnet that never touches the sensor, so they do not wear the way the original carbon track does. A Joy-Con 2 stick also sits on two screws and a ribbon cable, but there are more parts to remove first, and iFixit puts the job at one to two hours, so check Nintendo's repair before you open one.

Safety

• The battery is a soft lithium pouch. Never puncture, bend or pry against it.
• The ribbon cables tear easily. Always open the connector flap before moving a cable.
• Keep the screws sorted by position. Some are different lengths.

When it is a hardware fault

If the stick still rests above 0.10 from center after calibration, an update and cleaning, or it jumps now and then, the sensor is worn and will get worse. In the UK, the EEA and Switzerland, send an original Joy-Con to Nintendo for the free repair. Elsewhere, compare the cost of Nintendo's service, a shop repair and a replacement stick. For a Pro Controller with the same problem, the switch pro controller tester reads its sticks the same way, though its sticks are soldered to the board and harder to replace. The general guide on how to fix stick drift compares the repair options across Switch, PlayStation and Xbox, and the controller drift tester explains each reading in detail.

Joy-Con drift questions