How to Turn Off Parental Controls on Nintendo Switch

Temporarily disable them for the day, or permanently remove all restrictions

By
Jeremy Laukkonen
Jeremy Laukkonen
Jeremy Laukkonen
Writer
  • Shoreline Community College
Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles .
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Updated on April 17, 2022
Reviewed by
Chris Selph
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Reviewed by Chris Selph
Chris Selph is a CompTIA-certified technology and vocational IT teacher. He also serves as network & server administrator and performs computer maintenance and repair for numerous clients.
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What to Know

  • Temporarily disable: Select the parental control timer on the home screen, and enter your PIN. 
  • Disable the timer remotely: Select Console Settings in the parental control app > tap Disable Alarms for Today. 
  • Disable permanently: Go to home > System Settings > Parental Controls > Unregister App, and enter your PIN.

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

How to Temporarily Disable Parental Controls on Switch

When you set up parental controls for your Switch, the app automatically generates a four digit PIN. You can use that PIN on your switch to temporarily disable parental controls.

Here’s how to temporarily disable parental controls on Switch:

  1. Navigate to the home screen, and select the Parental Control timer.

    The parental control timer highlighted on a Switch.

  2. Select OK.

    OK highlighted on Switch.

  3. Enter your PIN.

    The parental control PIN entry screen on Switch.

  4. Select OK.

    OK highlighted on a Switch.

  5. Parental controls will remain off until the console enters Sleep Mode.

How to Temporarily Remove the Parental Control Timer on Switch

If you don’t want to limit your child’s play time for the day, but you do want parental controls to remain in place, you can temporarily remove the timer. This is accomplished through the parental control app on your phone, so you don’t need to have the Switch with you to make the change.

Here’s how to temporarily remove the gameplay timer in Switch parental controls:

  1. Open the Switch parental control app on your phone.

  2. Tap Console Settings.

  3. Tap the Disable Alarms for Today toggle.

  4. Tap Disable.

    Steps to take to disable time limit on Nintendo Switch parental control mobile app.

  5. Wait for the change to occur.

    Your phone and the Switch both need to be connected to the internet for the change to occur.

  6. Playtime alarms will remain disabled for the rest of the day, while the rest of the parental controls remain in place.

    Final screens in the Nintendo Switch parental mobile app to temporarily disable time limit.

How Do You Remove Nintendo Switch Parental Controls?

If you’re completely done with parental controls on your Switch, you can disable the feature permanently. When you disable parental controls, accounts on that switch will be able to play any game for any amount of time without restrictions.

Here’s how to remove Nintendo Switch parental controls permanently:

  1. Navigate to the home screen of your Switch, and select System Settings.

    System System Settings (sun icon) highlighted on Nintendo Switch.

  2. Select Parental Controls.

    Parental Controls highlighted on Nintendo Switch.

  3. Select Unregister App.

    Unregister App highlighted on Nintendo Switch.

  4. Enter your PIN.

    The PIN entry screen on Switch.

  5. Select Unregister.

    Unregister highlighted in Switch parental control settings.

  6. Select OK.

    OK highlighted on Nintendo Switch.
FAQ
  • Can you turn off Nintendo Switch parental controls?


    Once you’ve set up Nintendo Switch parental controls, you can temporarily disable them at any time or remove them altogether. If you don’t want parental controls on your Switch anymore at all, then you need to disconnect the Switch from the parental controls app.

  • How do I bypass parental controls on the Switch?

    The Switch's parental controls aren't easy to bypass; you need the PIN that you used to set the restrictions immediately. Otherwise, you need to contact Nintendo for a Master Key, if you've forgotten the PIN.

  • What do Nintendo Switch parental controls restrict?

    After you set up parental controls for the Nintendo Switch, you can use them to restrict a variety of things. Some examples are the ESRB ratings of games that your Switch will play, social settings like posting to Twitter, communication, and both when and for how long users can be on the console.

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