Can You Connect Bluetooth Headphones to a Switch?

Yes. The Nintendo Switch supports Bluetooth audio natively, under System Settings, Bluetooth Audio, Pair Device. Two limitations are worth knowing before you rely on it: you cannot use Bluetooth audio and more than two wireless controllers at the same time, and voice chat does not work through a Bluetooth headset’s microphone.

Both apply to the original Switch, the OLED model and the Switch 2. The feature arrived in a 2021 system update, so a console that has never been updated will not have it.

Pairing

1. Put the headphones into pairing mode, which is usually holding the power or Bluetooth button until the light flashes.
2. On the Switch, open System Settings from the home screen.
3. Scroll down to Bluetooth Audio and select it.
4. Choose Pair Device. The Switch searches and lists what it finds.
5. Select your headphones and wait for the confirmation.

The Switch stores up to ten paired devices and connects to one at a time. To switch, go back into Bluetooth Audio and select a different entry from the list.

Once paired it reconnects automatically when the headphones are on and in range, provided the controller limit below is not being hit.

The two controller limit

This is the constraint that catches people out and it is a hardware limitation rather than a setting.

When Bluetooth audio is active, the Switch allows a maximum of two wireless controllers. Connect a third and the audio disconnects.

For single player with one Joy-Con pair or one Pro Controller, that is fine. For four player local multiplayer, Bluetooth audio is not available and there is no workaround.

Docked play with wired controllers avoids the limit, since wired controllers do not count against it.

Voice chat does not work

The Switch does not support the Bluetooth microphone profile, so a headset’s microphone is unavailable for voice chat.

Nintendo’s own voice chat runs through the smartphone app for most games rather than through the console, which is why this rarely comes up. Where a game supports in game voice, it needs a wired headset in the 3.5 mm jack.

The practical arrangement many people use is Bluetooth headphones for game audio and the phone app on speaker or a separate earbud for chat, which is clumsy and is what is available.

Latency

Bluetooth adds delay, and the Switch does not support the low latency codecs that reduce it.

Expect 100 to 200 milliseconds depending on the headphones. For most single player games that is tolerable and quickly stops being noticeable. For rhythm games it is unusable, and for anything requiring precise audio timing it is a genuine handicap.

There is no audio delay compensation setting on the Switch, so if the lag bothers you the options are a wired headset or a low latency USB transmitter.

A USB-C Bluetooth transmitter supporting aptX Low Latency, plugged into the dock or the console’s port, brings the delay under about 40 milliseconds and costs USD 25 to 60. That is the proper fix for anyone who plays rhythm or competitive games.

When it will not connect

The system needs updating. Bluetooth audio arrived in a system update, so check System Settings, System, System Update first on a console that has been offline.

Too many controllers. Disconnect down to two wireless controllers and try again.

Another device has the headphones. Turn Bluetooth off on your phone, since it will claim them the moment they power on.

Not in pairing mode. Hold longer and confirm the light is flashing rather than solid.

The stored list is full. The Switch holds ten devices and behaves oddly when full. Delete unused entries from the Bluetooth Audio list.

Unsupported profile. A small number of headsets designed purely for calls will not present a stereo audio profile the Switch accepts. Standard headphones are fine.

The alternatives

Wired into the 3.5 mm jack on the console. Zero latency, works with any headphones, and supports a headset microphone for the games that use it. The obvious answer in handheld mode.

A USB dongle headset, the kind sold for PC and PlayStation, plugged into the dock. These use a dedicated 2.4 GHz link at under 20 milliseconds and many support microphone use, which Bluetooth on the Switch does not. Our roundup of wireless gaming headphones covers them.

A low latency Bluetooth transmitter in the USB-C port, which keeps your existing Bluetooth headphones and fixes the delay.

For handheld play the built in Bluetooth is genuinely convenient and the wired jack remains the better option for anything timing sensitive.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Nintendo Switch support Bluetooth headphones?

Yes, natively, under System Settings, Bluetooth Audio, Pair Device. The feature arrived in a 2021 system update, so a console that has never been updated will not have it. It works on the original Switch, the OLED model and the Switch 2, and the console stores up to ten paired devices while connecting to one at a time.

Why does my Switch audio disconnect when I add a controller?

Because Bluetooth audio and more than two wireless controllers cannot run at the same time. This is a hardware limitation rather than a setting, so connecting a third controller drops the audio. Wired controllers do not count toward the limit, which is the only workaround for four player local multiplayer with Bluetooth headphones.

Can I use a Bluetooth headset microphone on the Switch?

No. The Switch does not support the Bluetooth microphone profile, so a headset microphone is unavailable for voice chat. Games with in game voice need a wired headset in the 3.5 mm jack, and Nintendo’s own voice chat runs through the smartphone app for most titles rather than through the console.

Is there audio delay with Bluetooth on the Switch?

Yes, typically 100 to 200 milliseconds, since the Switch does not support low latency codecs and offers no delay compensation setting. Most single player games remain playable and rhythm games do not. A USB-C Bluetooth transmitter supporting a low latency codec brings it under about 40 milliseconds for USD 25 to 60, or use the 3.5 mm jack.