Introduction
Follow this guide to replace a faulty or damaged fan in the 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 removing the shield plate and heat sink. The thermal paste will need to be cleaned off of both components—as well as the CPU—and reapplied before reinstalling the shield plate and heat sink.
What you need
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Tool used on this step:Magnetic Project Mat$19.95
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Use a Y00 screwdriver to remove the four 6.3 mm-long screws securing the back panel.
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Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the following screws securing the back panel:
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Two 3.6 mm-long screws on the top of the device
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Two 3.6 mm-long screws on the bottom of the device
I accidentally stripped the back screw and now I can't open it. I removed all the other screws. What should I do?
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Insert an opening tool into the left speaker grille on the bottom of the device.
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Twist the opening tool to release the clips securing the back panel.
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Slide the opening tool around the bottom-left corner to release the clips on the left side of the device.
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Insert an opening tool into the right speaker grille on the bottom of the device.
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Twist the opening tool to release the clips.
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Slide and pry the opening tool around the bottom-right corner to release the clips on the right side of the device.
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Lift the bottom edge of the back panel, opening it like a book.
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Remove the back panel.
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Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the following four screws:
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Three 3.1 mm screws
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One 4.5 mm screw
There are four screws instead of three mentioned
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).
i stripped a &&^&^$^ screw
Well I actually removed the screw right next to the 4.5 screw. I did not realize it till my son showed me why the plate wouldn't release. Ha ha, it's funny now but yeah not a big deal. I could have bent it badly assuming I took all screws out though. For anyone reading this before going in. 👍
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Use a spudger or your fingers to lift the shield plate up and out of the device.
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Remove the shield plate.
What type of Thermal Paste would you guys recommend? I clicked on the picture but nothing.
Personnaly i use some Mx-6 from Artic, really good quality/price, never have to complain.
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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?
Mi è successa la stessa cosa è non so come ripararla! Chissà se c’è un modo!
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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
The flap came off is it important or is there a way t fix it?
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
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.
do not use metal sharp pointed tweezers! you will rip your ribbon cable. Use the inside of a Bic type pen or something else dull and plastic to pull the cable away by putting the pen part where the first bend is.
Maybe tape the Tweezers or smear some hot glue on them to insulate them to save you time and money.
Maybe put all the Warnings at the start of the guide as well. We fix it geeks tend to get excited when fixing things 😁
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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.
Yup, broke the connector right off the motherboard. Thanks, ifixit -_-
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?
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.
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).
just broke my connector... ifixit PLEASE put a warning on how fragile the solder on this connector is.
Note for this step, you do not need to apply a lot of force. I used two tools here: small screwdriver to hold down the black base, and one side of fine-tipped tweezers to get under all 3 wires. Gently, push down on the tweezers to push the wires upwards, which should force the gray connector up and off the base. It did not take a lot of force. Take your time and it will be fine. Again, like others have said, do NOT pull or pry up the black base.
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Use the flat end of a spudger or your fingers to carefully peel up the foam that's lightly adhered to the fan.
When reassembling, the foam may fold down between the fan and heatsink, blocking airflow. Gently lift the foam back up on top of the fan. The adhesive film should hold the foam together.
Is removing the heat sink absolutely necessary?
It’s not necessary, but it makes it much easier to remove and replace the game card reader, since the heat sink partially covers the connector.
Not really…….. I never remove it. It slides out quite easily once disconnected.
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Use a JIS 000 driver or an official iFixit PH 000 driver to remove the three 3 mm screws securing the heat sink to the motherboard.
Non le tre ventole ma le tre viti
Grazie per avercelo segnalato! Ho apportato la modifica. iFixit è una wiki, quindi ogni utente può modificare le pagine: se trovi altri errori in futuro, sentiti libero di fare la modifica tu stesso!
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Use a spudger or your fingers to lift the heatsink up and off of the motherboard to remove it.
16.5 remove cartridge / headphones jack……….
My kit did not come with thermal paste..
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Use an opening tool or your fingernail to flip up the small, hinged locking flap on the fan cable's ZIF connector.
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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.
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.
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7 other people completed this guide.
2 Comments
I used this guide to put my new fan in and let me just say THANK YOU!!! All I could find was ones for regular Switches on YouTube and not the Lite. The only problem I had was I'm not sure which side of the cable on the fan should be facing up. I looked on your website and the fan listen on here has one side with a gold part at the end where you insert it into the connector. Is that the side that goes up?
Many thanks for this guide it helped me so much it was pretty straight forward to do but attaching the fan ribbon/power cord and trying not to strip the tiny screws heads was probably the hardest bits really
All my screws got stripped any ideas on how to remove?
Almost A Mammal - Reply
A Y0 screwdriver seemed to work better for me.
Tommy Morrill - Reply
What type of screw driver do I use to un screw the screws and which way
Luca Capito - Reply
Y 0.6 was all I had but it seemed to fit perfectly
Trevor - Reply
Like really snug? I've gotten away with using Drivers either bigger or smaller but I hate doing it. But if 0.6 is the exact size I need, then I'll get that. I don't wanna strip my client's Switch Lite's screws.
Vincent Valodze -