Create a Port Forward for Nintendo Switch in your Router

You may need to forward ports in your router when you use Nintendo Switch. By forwarding ports you allow connection requests coming from the internet to be directed to Nintendo Switch.

Routers generally do not allow incoming connection requests from the internet. Forwarding ports can work around this limitation.

Make sure that you know these things before forwarding a port:

• The internal IP address of your router.
• The IP address of your computer.
• The list of the TCP and UDP ports that you need to forward.

Use a VPN Instead

Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

• Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
• Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
• Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
• Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
• Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

You can run our free Router Detector software to locate your router's IP address. Our Router Detector tool is free to use and is part of our Network Utilities software.

Otherwise, you can follow our guide Find Your Router IP Address.

You can use our Network Utilities software to automatically forward ports for you. Since Network Utilities allows you to both forward and un-forward ports easily you can keep your network security maximized, and then forward ports only when you need them.

Another option is to go through the process of forwarding ports one step at a time. The way to forward a port is:

• You can start by logging in to your router.
• Locate the section in your router that deals with port forwarding.
• Type your computer's IP address into the correct box in your router.
• Enter the TCP and UDP ports that you need to forward for Nintendo Switch in the corresponding boxes in your router.

You probably will need to reboot your router for the changes to take effect.

You can choose your router from our list to see exactly how to forward ports for Nintendo Switch:

List of Routers - Customized for Nintendo Switch

Here is a list of the ports that need to be forwarded for Nintendo Switch:

Nintendo Switch - Switch

• TCP: 6667, 12400, 28910, 29900, 29901, 29920
• UDP: 1024-65535

Those are the steps for forwarding ports in your router for Nintendo Switch.

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