Best Products Games & Consoles 174 174 people found this article helpful How to Connect Nintendo Switch to Bluetooth Headphones Play without the wiring hassle by Daniel Nations Writer Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, The Spruce, and other publications. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Daniel Nations Updated on April 09, 2020 The Wireless Connection The Wireless Connection Introduction All About Wireless What Does Wireless Really Mean? 802.11 Standards Explained The Range Of A Wireless Network Dual-Band Wireless Networking Explained How Bluetooth Works With Wireless Measure It: Wi-Fi Signal Strength What Is A Wi-Fi Hotspot? The Best Wi-Fi Channels For Your Network Access Your Router As An Administrator 5 Tips for Securing A Wireless Network How Many Devices Can Connect To One Wireless Router? How To Connect At Home How to Name Your Wireless Network How to Change Your Wireless Router's Admin Password Change the Wi-Fi Channel Number to Avoid Interference Build a Wireless Home Network Use Wireless Speakers In Home Theater Connect Your Echo & Alexa To Wi-Fi Connect Google Home to Wi-Fi Wirelessly Connect An iPad To Your TV Use a Free Firewall Program How To Connect On The Go How to Find Free Wi-Fi Locations Get 4G or 3G on Your Laptop Connect To Wi-Fi in Your Car Get Wireless Internet Access in a Hotel Use Your Android As A Wi-Fi Hotspot Set Up Personal Hotspot On Your iPhone Connect Nintendo Switch To Bluetooth Headphones Connect To A Wireless Network With Windows Access Your Computer Remotely How to Troubleshoot Wireless Issues 7 Reasons Wi-Fi Connections Drop Disable Automatic Wireless Connections on Windows How to Hack-proof Your Wireless Router How to Fix OS X Bluetooth Wireless Problems What to Do When Google Home Won't Connect To Wi-Fi How to Hide Your Wireless Network Can't Connect To The Internet? Try This What to Do When There's No Internet Connection The Future of Wireless 5G Changes Everything How 4G And 5G Are Different Why 5G Really Is Faster All About 5G Cell Towers 5G Challenges: Why It Isn't Rolling Out Faster Is 5G The High-Speed Replacement for Cable? When 5G Is Coming to the US The 12 Best 5G Phones Coming in 2019 Tweet Share Email While the Nintendo Switch does not officially support wireless headphones, a post-launch update adds a quite workable workaround to the problem. The 4.0.0 update to the Nintendo Switch adds big features like video capture for select games, but it's a small, unannounced feature that may prove to be the most important. The support for audio over USB added in the patch allows certain wireless headsets to connect to the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch uses Bluetooth to communicate with the wireless controllers, and like other gaming consoles, it doesn't allow Bluetooth headphones to connect directly to the system. The workaround provided in the 4.0.0 patch allows wireless headsets that use a USB dongle to provide the wireless capability. Lifewire / Lisa Fasol The Switch will not work with all Bluetooth headsets. consult the verified list (see below) before buying a headset. Because this is not an officially supported feature, it's possible a future update will remove the ability to listen to audio over Bluetooth. How to Connect a Wireless Headset to the Nintendo Switch Nintendo The instructions for connecting a wireless headset to the Nintendo Switch vary based on whether you are using the Switch while docked or using it unplugged from the docking station. While it is docked, plug the USB dongle into one of the USB ports on the side of the dock. The Nintendo Switch should recognize the device and you will see a prompt on the upper-left corner of the screen showing a USB volume control. The Switch itself only has a single USB port, and it is a USB-C port at the bottom of the device. If you want to go completely wireless, you will need a USB-to-USB-C connector. Plug the USB-to-USB-C connector into the USB-C port on the bottom of the Nintendo Switch.Plug the USB dongle for your wireless headset into the connector. It may take a few seconds for audio to transmit whether docked or not docked. A List of Verified Headsets That Work With the Nintendo Switch Turtle Beach The key requirement is to use a Bluetooth headset that comes with a USB dongle designed to be plugged into a compute or gaming console. Not all wireless headsets that meet this requirement actually work. If you already own one of these headsets, you might as well try it out to see if it works. After all, you don't have anything to lose. But if you are planning on buying one to use with the Switch, make sure you purchase one on this list: Creative Sound Blaster Tactic3D RageCreative Wireless HS-1200Logitech G930Logitech G933Logitech H800LucidSound LS30 (with optical cable plugged into wireless dongle)LucidSound LS40 (Requires optical cable plugged into wireless dongle)PDP Legendary Sound of JusticePlantronics Audio 510PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo HeadsetPlayStation Platinum Wireless HeadsetPlayStation 3 Wireless HeadsetSkullcandy PLYR 1SteelSeries Arctis 7 (with 3.5 mm 3-pole cable)Steelseries Siberia 800Steelseries Siberia 840Turtle Beach Ear Force P11Turtle Beach Ear Force PX3Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 450Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 500PTurtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 700 In addition, these headset work with a slightly different setup: LucidSound LS30, LucidSound LS40. These headsets require an optical cable to be plugged into the dongle.SteelSeries Arctis 7. This headset needs a 3.5mm 3-pole cable that is not included with the headset. Pay close attention to both the name and model number when buying the headset. For example, while many Turtle Beach Stealth models work with the switch, the 420X does not. What If Your Headset Isn't Working? Nintendo If you have problems with audio, the first thing you should do is consult the list above and ensure that your headset is listed. If your headset is on the verified list and you have problems, try the following: First, ensure the headset is properly charged.If you have another device that works with the headset such as a compute or another gaming system, hook it up to that system. This step verifies the headset is in working condition.If you are using it in undocked mode, try using it with the Nintendo Switch docked. If this works, you may have a problem with the USB-to-USB-C connector.If the Switch is docked and the headset USB dongle inserted into one of the USB ports on the side, try switching ports. Not only are there two ports on the side, there is one hidden in back. To access this one, open the lid on the back of the dock. This is the area with the power and HDMI cables. Between these two ports is a third USB port.