Nintendo Switch Dock Isn’t Working (No/Blinking Green Light)

The Nintendo Switch Dock is an amazing innovation to help you get an immersive gaming experience when you have the setup available.

Most of the time the issue with the green light happens because you didn’t plug all the cables into your Nintendo in the correct order. Disconnect all of them, then plug the power cable in, the HDMI cable next, and finally insert your Nintendo into the Dock. If that didn’t work, power cycle your Nintendo Switch and your TV.

Unfortunately, users have complained about issues where their dock isn’t working, and this guide should help you figure out how to fix it. Check out the list of the best streaming devices on Amazon now!

What Does the Green Light Mean on the Nintendo Switch Dock?

The green TV light on the Nintendo Switch Dock lights up when the console is successfully sending output to a connected TV. It is not related to the charge of the console in any way and will not turn off when the console is completely charged.

The green light will only come on when the Dock is successfully giving some output to a connected screen.

Why Does Switch Dock Flash Green Once?

When a power adapter is first plugged into the Switch dock, the green LED on the front of the dock will flash for half a second and shut off. This is normal.

However, once the console is docked and the video is being displayed on the screen, the TV output LED will remain solid green.

Reasons

Here is a list of the most probable causes as to why your Nintendo Switch Dock won’t light up:

  • The Switch Dock is in the Error state: Like all other devices, the Nintendo Switch Dock might run into an error where it fails to recognize or connect with your Nintendo Switch, or your TV. In such a case, power cycling usually solves the problem.
  • Cables in the wrong order: The order of cables plugged in controls how the Dock runs. This at first looks like an unintentional bug/mistake done by the engineers at Nintendo but is still present in all devices to this day. Plugging in the cables correctly usually does the trick. Check the first solution ahead to see how to do this.
  • Faulty Dock: Your Nintendo Dock might have developed a fault. Electronic gadgets are known to run into issues even when they are new. Here there is nothing to be done except take your device to the Nintendo service center (or mail it to them) and get it checked. If both of the solutions below don’t work, you probably have a faulty Dock.
  • Cable not able to provide enough power: Since the Nintendo Dock is primarily used to charge your Nintendo Switch, it is a very good possibility that it is not working as expected because the power cable being used is not providing enough power to the dock. Check if the power adapter you have is supported by Nintendo (if you’ve recently got a new one) or check the length of the wire for any cuts or frays.
  • Wrong configurations: If there are bad configurations stored on your Switch, the Dock will not work properly with the Switch. You can either reset the configurations or perform a complete hard reset.

How To Fix

Now it is time to discuss how to fix your Nintendo when there is either no or blinking green light disrupting its functionality.

1. Reconnect The Wiring

This doesn’t make sense, but even Nintendo admits that there is a particular bug or issue where the Switch Dock only works if the specific order in which the cables are inserted is followed. This includes the power cable, the HDMI, and the Switch console itself.

Disclaimer: Before going ahead, we recommend disconnecting the Nintendo Switch console from the dock and ensuring it has the latest system update installed.

We recommend that you follow the steps listed below in the exact order they are listed.

  • Unplug all the cables from the Nintendo Dock, including the Power, HDMI, and the Switch itself.
  • Plug the power cable first into your Dock. Make sure that power is coming into the device by looking at the power LED. It should flash for a second and then turn off.
  • Next, plug in the HDMI cable (make sure the HDMI cable is already connected to your TV/monitor and the HDMI input is selected on it).
  • Now, insert the Nintendo Switch into the Dock. If everything goes right, the green light should come on, and you should get HDMI output.

Now try running the Dock and Switch device and see if the issue is resolved for good.

2. Power Cycle the Entire Setup

If your Switch Dock is still flashing the green light, back up your unsaved data on the Switch and power cycle your entire setup with the following steps.

  • Unplug the power cable and the HDMI cable from the Nintendo Switch dock.
  • Press and hold the power button of your Switch for 15-20 seconds to turn it off.
  • Wait for 1 minute. During that time, power cycle your TV or screen as well.
  • Finally, plug the HDMI and power cable back to the Dock and the TV and see if the setup is working now or not.

Note: In this step, we mention power cycling your TV. In case you don’t know how to do that, here are the steps:

  1. Unplug the TV’s power cable from the power outlet.
  2. Wait for at least 60 seconds.
  3. Plug the TV back in.

3. Check if your Dock is Faulty

To check if you have a faulty Dock for certain, you can borrow a Dock from someone you know and then try plugging your Switch and TV into it. Make sure you connect the wiring correctly, as listed in solution 1.

If the friend’s Dock also fails to work properly with your Nintendo Switch and TV, it probably means there is a problem with the setup such as the cables or TV. If it does work, it confirms the case of you having a faulty dock.

Related Post: Nintendo Switch Won’t Connect To TV: 5 Best Solutions

Conclusion

Hopefully, these steps should solve your problem, but in case you do find you have a faulty dock, you can either visit a customer service center of Nintendo or mail it to them.

If you are under warranty, they should cover the cost of a repair or replacement. However, in case you don’t, you might need to buy a replacement yourself. We recommend contacting the support website and talking with the officials there if possible, for you.