Introduction
Use this guide to replace the right Joy-Con sensor rail in your Nintendo Switch OLED.
For your safety, discharge the battery below 25% before disassembling your Switch. This reduces the risk of fire if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair. If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.
The Switch OLED 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: When you remove the shield plate, you’ll need to replace the thermal compound between the plate and the heatsink. Since normal thermal paste isn’t designed to bridge large gaps, the closest replacement is K5 Pro viscous thermal paste.
What you need
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Press and hold down the small round button on the back of the Joy Con controller.
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While you hold down the button, slide the controller upward.
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Continue sliding the Joy Con upward until it's completely removed from the console.
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Use a Phillips driver, or a JIS driver, to remove the 2 mm-long screw securing the top of the rear case to the frame.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the two 2 mm-long screws securing the bottom of the rear case to the frame.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the 3.8 mm screw securing the right Joy-Con sensor rail to the rear case.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the 3.8 mm screw securing the left Joy-Con sensor rail to the rear case.
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Use a Y00 screwdriver to remove the two 4.3 mm screws securing the rear case to the frame.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to separate a corner of the tape from the shield plate.
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to pull up and disconnect the primary Wi-Fi antenna's coaxial cable.
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to reroute the primary antenna's coaxial cable out of its slots in the shield plate.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the two 4.4 mm screws securing the primary Wi-Fi antenna to the shield plate.
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Insert an opening pick between the primary Wi-Fi antenna and the shield plate.
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Pry up with the pick to separate the primary Wi-Fi antenna from the shield plate.
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to pull up and disconnect the secondary Wi-Fi antenna's coaxial cable.
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Use the point of a spudger to reroute the secondary Wi-Fi antenna's coaxial cable from its slot in the frame.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the 4.4 mm screw securing the secondary Wi-Fi antenna to the shield plate.
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Insert an opening pick between the secondary Wi-Fi antenna and the shield plate.
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Pry up with the pick to separate the secondary Wi-Fi antenna from the shield plate.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the six 4.4 mm screws securing the shield plate to the frame.
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Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery.
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Use tweezers, or your fingers, to remove the piece of tape obscuring the daughterboard's screw.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the 4 mm screw securing the daughterboard to the frame.
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Insert a spudger between the edge of the daughterboard and the motherboard.
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Pry up with the spudger to disconnect the press connector and separate the daughterboard from the frame.
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Remove the daughterboard.
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Use an opening tool, spudger, or your fingernail to flip up the small, hinged locking flap on the right Joy-Con sensor rail's ZIF connector.
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Use a Phillips driver to remove the two 3.8 mm screws securing the left Joy-Con sensor rail to the frame.
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To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before you install it.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Nintendo Switch OLED Answers community for help.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.
Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before you install it.
Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Nintendo Switch OLED Answers community for help.
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