It might’ve taken five years, but Nintendo finally added support for folders in the Switch v14.0.0 update. The feature, called Groups, allows you to organize related games however you see fit.

Find out how to use groups to effectively manage your Nintendo Switch game library.

What Are Groups?

Groups are, essentially, the folders that some Switch gamers demanded for years. But they’re actually closer to tags than traditional folders since you can place a game in more than one group.

Be prepared: as with many Nintendo updates, groups aren’t necessarily everything you’d expect. For one, you can’t display them on your Home screen; they only appear on the All Software page. In fact, although you can customize your Switch to some extent, groups are another case of Nintendo providing the most minimal functionality possible.

How to Create a Group on Your Nintendo Switch

It's very quick and easy to create a group on your Nintendo Switch and assign games to it. Simply follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, open the All Software page. Either press Left from the leftmost icon, or scroll all the way to the right, then press A.
  2. Press L to open the Groups screen.
    The Groups Screen on a Nintendo Switch with a 'Create Group' button highlighted
  3. Press Create Group if this is your first, or + to create a new group.
  4. Select the games you want to add by toggling them with A. You can choose as many or as few (even zero) as you want at this stage. You can add more later.
    The Nintendo Switch 'Select Software to Add' screen, which lets you add games to a group.
  5. Press + to continue, then enter a name for your group and press + again.
  6. Your new group will now appear on the main Groups page.

Now you can start organizing—and thus easily locate—all your various Switch games!

How to Manage Groups

The Groups screen displays your groups from left-to-right, top-to-bottom in a grid layout. Although you cannot change this arrangement, you can change the order in which your groups appear:

  1. Go to the Groups screen and press Y.
  2. Select a group you want to move with A. Move it with the D-pad / left joystick and press A again to confirm the new location.
    A Nintendo Switch showing two groups with one highlighted

To change the set of games in a group:

  1. Select a group from the Groups screen then press R to edit it.
  2. Select Add/Remove Software with A.
  3. Toggle games using A to add them to, or remove them from, the group.

To choose a new name for one of your groups:

  1. Select a group from the Groups screen then press R to edit it.
  2. Select Rename Group with A.
    A Nintendo Switch screen showing the Edit Group menu with Rename Group highlighted
  3. Enter the new name for your group and confirm it with +.

Soon, you'll be tweaking and editing your groups like it's second nature.

What Kinds of Switch Groups Should You Create?

The groups you create are totally up to you. What works best will vary depending on how many games you have and what mental model you have of them. Here are some ideas for how to organize your game library:

  • Game status: played, unplayed, completed.
  • Genre: platformers, RPGs, fighters.
  • Format: physical, digital.
  • Play type: single, couch co-op, online multiplayer.

This isn't a definitive list, so feel free to get creative with your Switch groups!

Use Groups to Keep a Big Switch Library Organized

Groups are the kind of feature that might seem insignificant, but mean a lot if you really need them. Gamers with large digital collections, in particular, will be grateful for their arrival.

If you haven’t done so already, make sure to update your Switch to benefit from this feature.