How to fix stick drift on Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons

Many of Nintendo’s controllers seem to have been plagued by stick drift on the analog controllers since the era of the N64’s weird-shaped trident controller. Back in those days, plastic gears grinding against each other caused minute amounts of debris to settle on the sensors and render the thing unusable unless you were prepared to get your hands dirty and open it up for a good clean. It was a design fault and it should never have passed QC.

That we are a quarter of the way through the 21st century and still having to deal with stick drift on the Nintendo Switch is frankly ridiculous. It’s safe to assume you are here because you are out of warranty and your Joy-Cons are now borked. If you aren’t and there is still the possibility of returning your console to Nintendo to get it sorted please do that first. It is the best all-round solution.

A Nintendo N64 controller — The N64’s controller was also notorious for stick drift

What is stick drift?

If you’ve owned a Nintendo Switch for a while, chances are you’ve come across the infamous Joy-Con drift by now. It can be incredibly frustrating when your character starts moving by itself without you touching the controller and can make games where you need precision almost impossible to play.

It’s certainly not confined to Nintendo’s hardware however, I have had numerous Xbox controllers, even Elite ones which eventually succumb to this quality control issue and it is annoying, but there are certainly things you can try to help mitigate the issue. We have also covered how to fix the problem on the PlayStation DualSense controller.

How to fix stick drift on Joy-Cons

The first thing we need to rule out is the simplest and quickest. Chances are the stick drift issue is beyond this because, well, we are rarely that lucky and the problem is so widespread.. but, let’s give it a crack.

Recalibrating Joy-Cons

So, here we are going to try recalibrating the sticks. Head over to ‘System Settings’ on your Switch, scroll down to ‘Controllers and Sensors,’ and select ‘Calibrate Control Sticks.’ Follow the on-screen prompts to reset how your Joy-Cons behave. Once you have done this go into the game where you were noticing the stick drift the most – it’s really obvious on a game such as EAFC because your player should remain totally still and not start wandering off if you aren’t touching the controls. Still no joy? Then let’s move on.

Cleaning the Joy-Con

If recalibrating doesn’t solve the issue, the next step is to try cleaning the analog stick area. Dust and grime can accumulate under the stick, sort of like in the N64 example from back in the day, causing it to act up.

Grab a can of compressed air and carefully spray it around the base of the analog stick. You can also use a cotton swab lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol to clean around the edges. Be gentle here—there’s no need to take anything apart, just focus on getting rid of any dirt that could be causing interference. Also before you start introducing liquids, even IPA, to your Switch it is best to have it turned off and have the battery drained if possible. Also there is zero reason for the Joy-Cons to be attached to the Switch at this stage.

Replacing the Joy-Cons

If a clean-up doesn’t make any difference at all you may need to consider replacing the analog stick entirely. Replacement kits are available online, and if you’re comfortable with small electronics, it’s a doable DIY job. There are plenty of video tutorials that guide you through the process step-by-step. Alternatively, you can send your Joy-Cons to Nintendo for repair, especially if they’re still under warranty. Nintendo has acknowledged Joy-Con drift as an issue and often offers repairs at no charge, so it’s worth checking if you qualify.