How to Transfer Pokémon to Pokémon HOME on Your Nintendo Switch

If you want to keep your favorite Pokémon with you at all times, you might want to transfer them to Pokémon HOME. Here we'll show you how.

If you're starting out as a Pokémon fan, you're probably not that familiar with Pokémon HOME, The Pokemon Company's storage system where you can store all your favorite Pokémon.

Pokémon HOME is the perfect way to keep your Pokémon safe and close to you at all times. Using this app couldn't be any easier, and here we'll show you how to transfer any Pokémon from your games on the Nintendo Switch to Pokémon HOME.

What You Need Before You Transfer Pokémon to Pokémon HOME

Before you start transferring your favorite Pokémon to Pokémon HOME, you'll need to get a few items first.

The Pokémon HOME App

First, you'll need to install the Pokémon HOME app on your Nintendo Switch. Fortunately, this is just as easy as installing and using the Pokémon TV app on your Nintendo Switch. To install Pokémon HOME, go to the Nintendo eShop and search for Pokémon Home. Once you find it, tap it and then select Free Download.

It's worth noting that Pokémon HOME is free to download and use, but if you want to transfer several Pokémon at once—as well as enable other features— you'll need to buy a subscription.

Pokémon's Premium Plan costs $2.99/month, $4.99 every three months, or $15.99/year. It's also worth mentioning that if you can't or don't want to pay for your subscription, your Pokémon won't be deleted. Instead, you'll just lose access to some of them.

The Right Pokémon Game

You'll obviously need a Pokémon game for the Nintendo Switch. Unfortunately, for some of us, Pokémon HOME only supports the main games, meaning you can't transfer your Pokémon from games like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon or Pokémon Unite.

At the time of this writing, these are the Pokémon games supported by Pokémon HOME:

• Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu!
• Pokémon Let's Go Eevee!
• Pokémon Sword.
• Pokémon Shield.
• Pokémon Brilliant Diamond.
• Pokémon Shining Pearl.
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

It's also safe to assume that Pokémon HOME will continue to add support to future games on the Nintendo Switch.

It doesn't matter if these games are physical or digital copies, but you will need to have the saved file stored on your Nintendo Switch. Plus, you'll also need to have the Pokémon you want to transfer stored in your in-game boxes.

How to Transfer Pokémon to Pokémon HOME on the Nintendo Switch

Now onto the fun part. Transferring your Pokémon to Pokémon HOME on the Nintendo Switch is just as easy as transferring your Pokémon from Pokémon Go to Pokémon HOME, and it'll only take a few moments, too.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Open the Pokémon HOME app on your Nintendo Switch.
2. Choose the profile you want to use if you need to.
3. Press any button or tap the screen to open Pokémon HOME.
4. Select Pokémon.
5. If you've played the same Pokémon game with different profiles, select your username near the top of the screen to switch profiles and use the one with the saved file you want.
6. Choose the Pokémon game you want to use. You don't need to have a physical cartridge in your Nintendo Switch as long as the save file is available.
7. Select the Pokémon you want to transfer to Pokémon HOME and move it to the Pokémon HOME boxes with the Joy-Cons.
8. Once you're done, press the plus button on your Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons and choose Save changes and exit.

And that's it. You've successfully transferred your Pokémon to Pokémon HOME. Remember that you can always send the Pokémon back to the same game without any issues.

If your try sending a Pokémon to another game, some moves, and even its Pokeball, may change if the other game doesn't support them. Plus, you won't be able to transfer Pokémon to a Pokémon game if that Pokémon isn't available in that game's Pokedex.

Gotta Transfer 'Em All

Pokémon HOME is one of the best companion apps you can have on your Nintendo Switch or smartphone if you're a Pokémon fan. And now that you know how to transfer Pokémon to Pokémon HOME on your Nintendo Switch, nothing stops you from saving all your favorite Pokémon in the cloud.

Remember that, even if you don't have a Pokémon HOME subscription, you'll still be able to use the service, but you'll only be able to store 30 Pokémon instead of 6,000.