Nintendo Switch OLED Model Shield Plate Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 23 Steps
Use this guide to swap out the shield plate and both Wi-Fi antennas in your Nintendo Switch OLED. The Switch OLED uses JIS screws, but you can use a Phillips screwdriver in a pinch. Be careful not to strip the screws. Our Phillips bits are cross-compatible with JIS-style screws. Note: When you remove the shield plate, you’ll need to replace the thermal compound between the plate and the heatsink. Normal thermal paste isn’t designed for large gaps, so K5 Pro viscous thermal paste is the closest replacement.
Step 1
Before diving into this repair adventure, ensure your device is fully powered down and ready for action.
– Give that little round button on the back of your Joy Con controller a good press and hold. You’re doing great!
– While you keep holding that button tight, gently slide the controller up. Almost there!
Step 2
Now give the other Joy Con the same TLC and repeat this process.
– Keep pushing that Joy Con upward until it pops off the console like a champ!
Step 3
To keep those pesky screws from getting stripped, press down firmly, take your time, and if they’re being stubborn, give a different JIS or Phillips driver a shot!
– Grab your trusty Phillips or JIS driver and unscrew the 2mm-long screw that’s holding the top of the rear case to the frame. Easy peasy!
Step 4
– Grab your trusty Phillips screwdriver and pop out the two 2 mm-long screws holding the bottom of the rear case to the frame. Easy peasy!
Step 5
To keep those pesky screws from getting stripped, give a solid push down, take your time, and if they’re still being stubborn, try out another JIS 000 or PH 000 driver. You’ve got this!
– Grab your Phillips driver and confidently unscrew the 3.8 mm screw holding the right Joy-Con sensor rail to the back case. You got this!
Step 6
– Grab your trusty Phillips driver and let’s get to work! Carefully unscrew that 3.8 mm screw that’s holding the left Joy-Con sensor rail snugly to the rear case. You’ve got this!
Step 7
Got a microSD card chilling in the slot? Time to evict it before diving into the next step!
– Give that kickstand a gentle nudge with your finger and watch it pop up from the back of your device!
Step 8
– Grab your trusty Y00 screwdriver and pop out those two 4.3 mm screws holding the rear case snugly to the frame. Easy peasy!
Step 9
If you’re having a tough time getting that case off, grab an opening pick and gently nudge those pesky plastic clips up!
– Gently lift the rear case from the top of your device and set it aside.
Step 10
– Gently slide the flat end of a spudger under a corner of the tape to peel it away from the shield plate.
Tools Used
Step 11
– Grab some tweezers or your trusty fingers, and gently peel away the tape. Careful not to tear it!
– Keep the tape in a safe, clean spot so you can easily stick it back in place when it’s time for reinstallation.
Tools Used
Step 12
– Grab your trusty tweezers or just use your fingers to gently lift and disconnect the primary Wi-Fi antenna’s coaxial cable. You’ve got this!
– When it’s time to put everything back together, reconnecting these can be a bit of a puzzle. Take it slow—hold each connector right above its socket and give it a gentle press down with the flat end of a spudger. You’ll hear a satisfying snap when it clicks into place!
Step 13
– Time to get that antenna cable out of its cozy slots in the shield plate! Use tweezers or your fingers to gently reroute the primary antenna’s coaxial cable – it’s an easy step, and you’ve got this!
Tools Used
Step 14
– Grab that Phillips driver and pop out the two 4.4 mm screws holding the primary Wi-Fi antenna to the shield plate. You’ve got this!
Step 15
– Slide an opening pick in between the main Wi-Fi antenna and the shield plate.
– Gently pry upwards with the pick to detach the primary Wi-Fi antenna from the shield plate.
Step 16
– Let’s get that primary Wi-Fi antenna out of there!
Step 17
– Gently grab those tweezers or just use your fingers to lift up and disconnect the coaxial cable of the secondary Wi-Fi antenna. You’ve got this!
Tools Used
Step 18
– Grab your trusty spudger and carefully guide the secondary Wi-Fi antenna’s coaxial cable out of its little slot in the frame. Take your time—you’re doing great!
Tools Used
Step 19
– Grab your trusty Phillips driver and unscrew the 4.4 mm screw that’s holding down the secondary Wi-Fi antenna to the shield plate. Easy peasy!
Step 20
Hold up on yanking the antenna completely, because its coaxial cable is still snaking through the frame.
– Gently slide an opening pick between the secondary Wi-Fi antenna and the shield plate.
– Carefully pry upwards with the pick to separate the secondary Wi-Fi antenna from the shield plate.
Step 21
– Grab your trusty spudger and use its pointy end to gently guide the secondary Wi-Fi antenna’s coaxial cable out of its cozy little slot in the frame. Take your time—no rush!
– Carefully lift out the secondary Wi-Fi antenna and set it aside. Nice work!
Tools Used
Step 22
– Grab your trusty Phillips driver and let’s tackle those six 4.4 mm screws holding the shield plate snugly to the frame. You’ve got this!
Step 23
You might encounter a little pushback here, and that’s totally cool! The shield plate is just a bit snug against the heat sink thanks to some thermal paste bonding them together.
– Time to put your device back together! Just follow these steps in reverse and you’ll be golden.
– Before you dive in, give your new replacement part a good look compared to the original. You might need to swap over some bits or peel off those pesky adhesive backings before you get it all set.
– If things didn’t go quite as you hoped, don’t sweat it! A little troubleshooting can work wonders, or feel free to reach out to our Nintendo Switch OLED Answers community for some extra support.
– And remember, if you find yourself in a pickle, you can always schedule a repair.
