How to Turn Off Motion Control on Nintendo Switch

This article explains how to turn off the motion controls on Nintendo Switch.

Can You Turn Off Motion Sensor On Switch?

There is no way to turn off the motion sensors on a Nintendo Switch, but most games that support the motion sensors give you the option to turn off the motion controls. That means you can’t turn off motion controls system-wide in Nintendo Switch settings, and you can’t disable motion controls for every game at once, but you can typically disable motion controls from an in-game settings menu after you’ve started playing a game.

If you want to permanently disable motion controls for every game you play on your Switch, the best way is to play with a controller that doesn’t support motion controls. There are a lot of third party controllers that don’t have motion sensors. If you use a controller like that, you won’t need to worry about disabling motion controls. If you want to use the Joy-Cons or the official Pro controller, and you don’t want to use motion controls, you’ll need to turn the motion controls off for each game you play.

How to Turn Off Motion Controls on Switch

The exact process for turning off motion controls on Switch varies from game to game, but you can usually open the settings menu once you’ve started a game, look for a motion controls option, and disable it. Some games also give you the choice of traditional or motion controls when you start playing.

Here’s an example of how to turn off motion controls on Switch using Mario Golf Super Rush:

1. Open the game.

2. Open the options menu.

   Your game may have an options menu, a settings menu, a gear icon, or you may be able to push the - button on your controller.

3. Locate the motion control option.

   Some games have multiple motion control options.

4. Set the motion control option to Off.

5. Start a game mode which supports motion controls.

6. Select Button controls.

   Not all games give this option. You may see Button controls, Standard controls, an option to disable motion controls, or there may be no option to disable motion controls when starting a game depending on the game.

7. Your game will launch with motion controls disabled.

Is the Nintendo Switch Motion Controlled?

The Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, the Pro Controller, and some third party controllers include built-in motion sensors, and some game support motion controls. The Switch itself isn’t motion controlled, as you can’t use motion controls to navigate system menus, and motion controls aren’t implemented on a system-wide level. There is no way to turn motion controls on or off for the entire Switch and every game you play.

The Switch Lite has a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, but it doesn't have an IR sensor, so it doesn't fully support Nintendo's motion controls. If you connect Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller to a Switch Lite and play a game that supports motion controls, the motion controls will work. If you don’t, you can still use limited motion controls in games that don't require the IR sensor.