The simplest setup of any console, and the one where a forgotten PIN causes the most trouble. Four steps, and the PIN arrives by email whether you notice it or not.

Nintendo puts the controls in a phone app and pairs it to the console with a six-digit code. Because the pairing is per console rather than per account, one important consequence follows: if several children share the machine, the restrictions have to suit the youngest of them.

Before you start

You need the console, your own Nintendo Account (the role is restricted to users eighteen or over), the app on your phone, and an internet connection on both. The pairing takes about two minutes once all four are ready.

The 4 steps

Install the app and sign in

Install the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app and sign in with your own Nintendo Account. The account has to belong to an adult (Nintendo restricts this role to users eighteen or over), and you will need the console and an internet connection to hand.

Enter the registration code on the console

The app shows a six-digit registration code. Enter it on the console and press OK. The parent or guardian Nintendo Account is then displayed; if it is the right one, select Register. That completes the pairing.

Set the play-time limit and restriction level

Follow the in-app instructions to set the Play Time Limit and the Restriction Level. If more than one child uses the console, set the restrictions for the youngest, since the pairing covers the machine, not an individual player.

Note the PIN before you need it

The PIN is set automatically when registration completes and is emailed to the address on the parent account. It is four to eight digits, and you can check it later under Settings → PIN in the app. Six wrong attempts within thirty minutes locks further tries for thirty minutes, so it is worth knowing where the email is.

Per console, not per child

Every other system on this list attaches restrictions to a person. The Switch attaches them to the console, which is simpler to set up and blunter in practice: a nine-year-old and a fifteen-year-old sharing one machine get the same rules.

In a household like that, either set the restrictions for the younger child and accept the friction, or use the app to lift the limit deliberately for an evening. What does not work is setting them for the older child and hoping.

The PIN is the whole lock, and it gets lost

There is no separate parent profile on the console to hide behind; the PIN is what stands between a child and the settings. Two failure modes are common: the PIN was typed in front of the child, and the confirmation email was deleted.

Check the PIN in the app under Settings → PIN before you need it, and treat the lockout timer as a feature, not an obstacle. It is what makes a four-digit code hold up.

What to set, by age

Under eight: restriction level at the youngest band, play-time limit set with the alarm instead of a hard stop, and communication features off.

Eight to twelve: restriction level at their age, a school-night and weekend split, and screenshot or post sharing off. This is the band where the play-time alarm does most of the work.

Thirteen and up: loosen the restriction level deliberately, and shift attention to the eShop and to who they play with online. The console-wide design makes this awkward in a mixed-age household, which is worth knowing before you promise anything.

Chat inside individual games runs outside the console's own settings, which is why the chat and messaging guidance is worth reading alongside this.

When the menu on your screen does not match

The console side of this barely changes; the app side does. If the registration screen looks different, update the app on your phone first; the six-digit code flow has been stable for years.

If the code will not register, confirm the console is online and that the account signed into the app is the adult one, because a child account cannot hold this role.
If the PIN is refused repeatedly, wait out the thirty-minute lockout instead of trying variations; the email on the parent account carries the real value.

Questions about Nintendo Switch parental controls

Can I set different rules for two children on one console?

Not directly, because the pairing covers the console rather than the player. Set the restrictions for the younger child and lift them from the app when the older one plays, or accept that a shared machine means shared rules.

Does the play-time limit switch the console off?

It can, or it can simply show an alarm and let play continue. The alarm setting causes fewer arguments and still marks the boundary, which for most households is the better of the two.

What if my child knows the PIN?

Then there is no lock, and changing it in the app takes under a minute. Set the new one where the screen is not visible, and remember the email on the parent account is the recovery route.

Does this control online play and chat?

The restriction level covers whether the child can post or communicate through the console’s own features. Chat inside individual games often runs through a separate app or service, which the console setting does not reach; that is worth checking game by game.

Can my child spend money in the eShop?

Only with the funds or card attached to the account being used. Using a prepaid balance instead of a stored card is the simplest way to make spending self-limiting.

Does unpairing the app remove the limits?

Unlinking removes the restrictions, and it requires the PIN. Keeping the PIN private is therefore the whole of the security model here.

Sources

Nintendo Switch Support: registering with Nintendo Switch Parental Controls · checked 2026-09-02
Nintendo Switch Support: confirming your Parental Controls PIN · checked 2026-09-02

Nintendo Switch parental controls: the app, the code and the PIN