Nintendo Switch Lite Left Joystick Replacement

Written By: Craig Lloyd

Comments: 58

Nintendo Switch Lite Left Joystick Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

30 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

Follow this guide to replace the left joystick in your Nintendo Switch Lite. Replacing the joystick will fix the notorious “Joy-Con drift” issue. (Follow this guide to replace the right joystick in your Nintendo Switch Lite).

The Switch Lite uses JIS screws, but you can use a Phillips screwdriver in a pinch. Be very careful not to strip the screws. iFixit's Phillips bits are designed to be cross-compatible with JIS-style screws.

Note: This procedure requires disconnecting the battery for safety. In order to do this, the shield plate must be removed. The shield plate is bonded to the heat sink with thermal paste, which will need to be cleaned off and reapplied before reinstalling the shield plate.

Tools

Parts

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con/Switch Lite Joystick

Step 1

Before beginning this repair, make sure that the device is completely turned off.
Use a Y00 screwdriver to remove the four 6.3 mm-long screws securing the back panel.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.

All my screws got stripped any ideas on how to remove?

Almost A Mammal -

A Y0 screwdriver seemed to work better for me.

Tommy Morrill -

What type of screw driver do I use to un screw the screws and which way

Luca Capito -

Y 0.6 was all I had but it seemed to fit perfectly

Trevor -

Step 2

Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the following screws securing the back panel:
Two 3.6 mm-long screws on the top of the device
Two 3.6 mm-long screws on the bottom of the device
To prevent these tight screws from stripping, apply firm downward force, work slowly and try a different screwdriver if the screws won't come out.

Step 3

Insert an opening tool into the left speaker grille on the bottom of the device.
Twist the opening tool to release the clips securing the back panel.
Avoid inserting the opening tool further than required to prevent damage to the speaker module.

Step 4

Slide the opening tool around the bottom-left corner to release the clips on the left side of the device.

Step 5

Insert an opening tool into the right speaker grille on the bottom of the device.
Twist the opening tool to release the clips.
Avoid inserting the opening tool further than required to prevent damage to the speaker module.

Step 6

Slide and pry the opening tool around the bottom-right corner to release the clips on the right side of the device.

Step 7

Continue sliding and prying the opening tool along the gap on the top of the device to release the clips.

Step 8

Lift the bottom edge of the back panel, opening it like a book.
Remove the back panel.

Step 9

Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the following four screws:
Three 3.1 mm screws
One 4.5 mm screw

There are four screws instead of three mentioned

Khurram Chaudry -

it doesnt mention 3 anywhere, and it labels all four

Ezi -

With how easy it seems to be to do serious damage with the next few steps, I figured I'd say that realistically you can skip steps 9-13 when doing this repair. While they provide a bit of extra security by disconnecting the battery, the left stick is completely accessible and replaceable without touching the heat shield or anything underneath (And steps 17 and 18 disconnect power from the daughter board regardless).

Nate -

Step 10

Use a spudger or your fingers to lift the shield plate up and out of the device.
You may feel a bit of resistance. This is normal, since the shield plate is slightly bonded to the heat sink with thermal paste.
Remove the shield plate.
Clean off the old thermal paste from the shield plate and heat sink using isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber cloth. Apply new thermal paste to the heat sink before reassembly.

You may need to replace the thermal paste on the heat sink.

ahoz28 -

Step 11

Use an opening tool or your fingernail to flip up the small, hinged locking flap on the motherboard interconnect cable's ZIF connector.

The clip broke off when trying to remove this cable. Audio only works through headphones and the display now won’t turn on after the clip broke. Does anyone know where I could get a clip or how I could fix it without it?

Alexz Zepeda -

Step 12

Use a pair of tweezers to slide the interconnect cable out of its connector on the motherboard.

I turned the unit off beforehand, I used tweezers just like the instructions said (ifixit branded) , my device sparked and now it won’t turn back on

User Service -

The flap came off is it important or is there a way t fix it?

Jose Cruz R Rangel Cordero -

We're you able to get it working without the white flap? My screen is not working after putting it back together and i noticed this white flap was falling off

Jimmy “Ghost” Trost -

Did you get it working without the white flap? Everything on the switch works fine except for audio going through headphones and the display not turning on.

Alexz Zepeda -

Step 13

Use the point of a spudger to pry the battery connector straight up and out of its socket on the motherboard.

Caution the connector may not be properly soldered onto the motherboard. For me it snapped off the pins and now have to find a place to get that fixed if even possible. may have bricked it.

Craig Osman - 30/01/21

Yup, broke the connector right off the motherboard. Thanks, ifixit -_-

Justin Kerr - 14/04/21

I backed out when I reached this point. I couldn't risk damaging it. Do u just need to pull it up? Did you mean that it might have been soldered shut below?

Jannalyzer -

You should just need to pull straight up, but make sure you’re pulling on the wires or the gray plug—do not pull on the black socket or it can snap off of the motherboard.

Adam O'Camb -

I pulled straight up from the south side on under 2 or three wires and held down the device as I pulled and the gray connector disconnected from the black connector on the Switch. Just be careful at this part.

Jon -

With how easy it seems to be to do serious damage at this point, I figured I'd say that realistically you can skip steps 9-13 when doing this repair. While they provide a bit of extra security by disconnecting the battery, the left stick is completely accessible and replaceable without touching the heat shield or anything underneath (And steps 17 and 18 disconnect power from the daughter board regardless).

Nate -

Step 14

Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to pull the left speaker cable straight up and out of its socket on the daughterboard.
Do not pull from the wires, or else you risk ripping the wires off the connector.

pulled from the connector, not the wires, and ended up ripping them off the connector anyways since it encountered tension from the other end (the gray chamber on the left)

consider doing step 15 before pulling the wire, just in case.

Phillipe Legenda - 01/02/21

Why even disconnect this cable. Not worth the risk leave it connected to daughter board.

Michael McNally -

while doing this I ripped the pad on the circuit board off. Should i risk trying to repair it or should i just try to go without the speaker???

sarah.carney203 -

I also accidentally ripped off the connector, disabling the left speaker. However, that will not break any functionality of the switch. The right speaker works just fine on its own (just remember to turn the audio to mono in system settings) and I was successfully able to replace the joystick. Although the audio quality is a little bit depleted, you barely notice it if you turn up the volume a little, and I think being able to actually MOVE FORWARD in my games is a better plus than having louder, stereo, audio.

Jonathan Maye -

Went to pull the speaker connector and it pulled right off the motherboard. Would not come loose.

putnamjerome4 -

I'm gonna echo what others said here and suggest that you skip this step. After you complete Step 15, you can just move the speakers enough with your fingers to complete Step 26, which involves a screw half underneath it.

Regarding the ribbon cable in Step 17 & Step 18, you can honestly use your fingers if they're small enough. The ribbon cable is wide enough for you to press down on it a little and slide it out bit by bit.

Overall, this makes the disassembly and eventual reassembly process easier and lets you avoid running the risk of damaging or completely tearing out the wires, like I almost did.

ThatDerpGuy -

Step 15

Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the 4.5 mm screw securing the left speaker module.

Step 16

Use your fingers to lift the speaker module up and out of its recess to remove it.
Part of the speaker module sits underneath a delicate ribbon cable. Take care not to snag the speaker module on the cable as you remove it.

Pulling the lower screw on the speaker assembly gave me a little more wiggle room to get it out without damaging the flat cable.

Spacer - 18/02/21

Step 17

Use an opening tool or your fingernail to flip up the small, hinged locking flap on the motherboard interconnect cable's ZIF connector.

Step 18

Use a pair of tweezers to slide the motherboard interconnect cable out of its connector on the daughterboard.

Step 19

Use an opening tool or your fingernail to flip up the small, hinged locking flaps on the two ribbon cable ZIF connectors.

Step 20

Use a pair of tweezers to slide the daughterboard screen cable out of its connector on the motherboard.
Repeat this procedure for the volume buttons cable.

Step 21

Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the volume buttons.

Step 22

Use an opening tool or your fingernail to flip up the small, hinged locking flap on the left joystick cable's ZIF connector.

Step 23

Use a pair of tweezers to slide the left joystick cable out of its connector on the daughterboard.

The connector for my left joystick broke. Is there a way to fix it?

Christopher Shackelford - 11/05/21

How badly did it broke?

Daniele Carminati - 11/05/21

Step 24

Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the two 4.5 mm screws securing the left trigger button assembly.

Step 25

Remove the left trigger button assembly.

Step 26

Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the following four screws:
Two 4.5 mm screws
Two 6 mm screws

The two 4.5 mm screws were very difficult to remove here and ended up getting stripped. I CANNOT remove them, help!

Sara Rouse- Barker -

Step 27

Use your fingers to lift the daughterboard up and out of its recess to remove it.

Stop here if repairing Switch Lite for joycon drift. After removing daughter card you can see the bottom of the joystick. This thin metal actually bends during use causing bad connection of joystick. If you cut out a business card the same size as the joycon and put it on the bottom of the joystick it gives the metal enough backing to fix the issue. I used two layers with just a small bit of glue stick to adhere it. Put it all back together and you will find your issue is fixed.

Michael McNally -

Step 28

Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the two 3.5 mm screws securing the left joystick.

Step 29

Use the flat end of a spudger to lift the joystick up and out of its recess.
Use your fingers to remove the joystick.
There is a thin black gasket around the hole where the joystick pokes through the frame. Try not to disturb this gasket as you remove the joystick.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Nintendo Switch Lite Answers community for help.

Author

Craig Lloyd

Member since: 10/02/16

31573 Reputation

28 comments

Really appreciate the detailed pictures.

ALLEN COLLINS - 22/05/21

Great guide! Circling the screws really helped as went backwards for the reassembly. Not a bad repair just very delicate components. Best of all no adhesive removal required!

lee -

This was great, I love how every step was so simply broken down and had pictures. Thank you, my son is very happy to have his switch back in action.

Louise Perkins -

I followed this guide, bought the tools and replacement part, after successfully doing the replacement, my switch light now won’t power on at all, how can I fix this? any help please…

lczleal -

Hi Iczleal I had the same issue when I first did it and then I went back step by step. Turns out I didn’t plug the battery back in correctly, I recommend just repeating the steps and checking to see if everything is connected properly. Hope this helps :)

Moon Poppy -

Thank you to both. Had the same problem and you helped me solve it.

Paulette Taylor -

It is not called a daughter board it is called a mother board

Caden Anderson -

It’s called a daughter board because it is not the main device board and it can only work if it is connected to the main (mother) board, thus making it the daughter board. For the normal joy-cons, those boards are considered motherboards because those are separate from the Switches mother board and can operate with their own battery pack. Hope this makes sense :D

Simao Monteiro Ramos -

Appreciate the detail. Now it's fixed and my character doesn't wander off anymore.

Paulette Taylor -

That was easy to follow. The procedure went really smoothly! Thanks for the guide! <3

Simao Monteiro Ramos -

Is it mandatory to replace the thermal paste or can I just place the heat shield back without any consequence?

E. Serrano -

Thanks for this guide! The thumbstick on my son's Switch Lite stopped moving up and down. I already had the iFixit tools so I bought the part and followed the iFixit guide and repaired almost like new.

Glad I had some thermal paste on hand from a previous laptop repair.

Robert Blois -

Hi- I did this step for step and now my screen doesn’t work. It turns on and I can hear it clicks when I press buttons but the screen is black. Any ideas?

Carina -

This guide is magic! Battery connector does need a bit of a push to re-fit though. Thanks from my daughter and me.

uk.robski@googlemail.com -

Just so you don't loose it, I'd recommend removing the left shoulder button as well at step 25.

It is kind of hard to put back in because of the spring but it really likes to fall out on its own.

Jesse Russell -

Hi! I attempted this repair years ago when I was less careful, and ended up awfully stripping the left 4.5mm screw on the daughterboard in step 26, making it impossible to access the stick. Since then the drifting has gotten to the point to where the console is unusable and I want to attempt this repair again. Does anyone have any tips as to how I could get that screw out? I'm not really concerned with salvaging the screw at this point, just the console.

Aidan Tramontana -

Put a rubber band in between the screw and screwdriver, then firmly, but slowly, unscrew it. Otherwise, if you don't mind ruining your bit, put a tiny bit of super glue on the screw, press your screwdriver on the screw, then wait until it's dry and slowly turn. Hope that helps! And good luck :)

Chris Worthington - 17/10/22

We replaced both joysticks on my son's Switch Lite, but it will not turn back on now. I went back step by step to confirm everything was connected correctly & put it on the charger, but it will not power on at all. Any suggestions on what I can do?

Wendy Bradley -

Before i found ifixit's repair guide I already got a repair kit featuring a a Philips 2.0 x 40mm should this be sufficient for the repair and if not how does it differ from the the Philips drivers you suggest

Ian (SaltySorrin) -

Be weary of this process; some of the screws were impossible to remove which caused some damage. I would say invest in going to Geek Squad or having it professionally repaired before you take your entire switch apart!

Sara Rouse- Barker -

Did the replacement but now my switch makes noise and is responsive, but the screen is completely blank. How can I fix this? Any help much appreciated

Aidan wheeler -

What would happen if I don’t remove the batterie and the screen? I see to access those you need to remove the back plate heatsink and I will need tk replace the thermal paste but I dknt have that. And I also see that j can acces everything I need tk replace the joystick without removing the backplate. Will there be any risks if I dknt?

ermhs Gpro -

I've watched some videos on this and you can definitely leave the backplate in place if you're just replacing the left joycon

David Schoonover -

Amazing detailed guide. Reall helpful that there are lots of pictures in the guide. Made the repair of my switch really easy.

Nicolas Ely -

super easy repair, did both sticks while working (I work from home) took about 3 hours to do both sides.

Lonnie Brown -

The new joystick works based on the sound but similar to some of the other reviews the screen no longer illuminates. I tried several times removing and replacing the screen cable multiple times to no avail. Was anyone able to overcome this or at least have any fresh ideas to try?

Kevin Stradinger -

I followed this guide step by step and the replacement went perfectly. The detailed pictures and guide were great and very helpful. Thank you iFixit!

PanicnAnakin -

This guide is very clear and made the whole process a lot simpler.

Thank you for the detailed explanations!

Orestis Tranganidas -