The Nintendo Switch comes with two Joy-Con controllers. This guide will show you how to replace the joystick of the right Joy-Con. The procedure for repairing the left Joy-Con is different, so be sure to follow the correct set of instructions for your controller.
Please note that this repair does not have the same steps as the left Joy-Con.If you are looking to replace the left Joystick, please follow my other guide with the specific details.
Insert an opening pick under the lower side of the back panel (opposite the R and ZR buttons).
Slide the flat edge of an opening pick up the side of the Joy-Con.
Be careful not to slide the opening pick too far inside the Joy-Con. This may damage the inner components. The back panel has shallow interference-fit tabs on the side opposite the charging rail. These loosen fairly easily, so not much pressure is needed.
The following two steps show the removal of the battery and the coaxial antenna cable from the midframe. These two steps make for a less cluttered repair, but are not essential. If you want, you can leave the battery and the grey coax cable in place here and proceed to step 7.
Insert an opening pick between the battery and the Joy-Con housing. Gently pry out the battery, which is lightly taped in place.
Be careful not to deform or puncture the battery—it can catch fire or explode if damaged.
Pry up with the pointy end of a spudger to disconnect the antenna cable's coaxial connector from the motherboard.
Remove the grey antenna cable.
During reassembly, reconnect the antenna cable, then make sure it is routed through the battery cavity in the midframe as it was before you took it out.
The ZR button cable is locked in place by a small ZIF connector on the motherboard. Use tweezers or a spudger to flip up the ZIF connector lock.
Use tweezers to gently pull the ZR button flex cable out of the ZIF connector socket. The midframe is now disconnected and can be removed.
The ZR button cable in this Joy-Con is short and can be tricky to reconnect. If you are worried about not being able to reconnect it, you can skip this step and leave it connected.
If you choose to leave the cable connected, be careful. Work slowly and do your best to keep the midframe from moving around as you perform the last few steps to avoid damaging the cable.
The joystick cable is also locked into place by a ZIF connector. Use tweezers or a spudger to flip the ZIF lock upward and carefully disconnect the cable.
There is a thin black gasket around the hole where the joystick pokes through the Joy-Con. Do your best not to disturb this gasket as you remove the joystick!
Once the Joy-Con is fully reassembled, connect it to your Nintendo Switch and calibrate the new joystick.