Joy-Con Control Sticks Are Not Responding or Respond Incorrectly

The information in this article can help you when the control sticks on the Joy-Con controller do not respond correctly.

Important:

• These steps may fix your issue. If your problem isn’t resolved, you can set up a repair for your Joy-Con.

• Prior to troubleshooting a controller, we strongly recommend you verify that the control stick configuration is set to the standard inputs.

• You can tell that a controller's stick inputs have been remapped because throughout different menus, a wrench icon will be displayed beside the in-use controller at the bottom-left corner of the console screen.

Button Mapping: Joy-Con controllers attached to the system showing a wrench icon

Button Mapping: Joy-Con controllers detached from the system showing a wrench icon

• If you don’t know or remember the custom configuration for your controller, you can set the console to sleep mode. Upon waking up the console, you’ll have the option to reset the controller inputs.

• If the control sticks on Nintendo Switch Lite are not responding correctly, see Control Sticks Are Not Responding on Nintendo Switch Lite.

• If the control sticks on a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller are not responding correctly, see Control Sticks Are Not Responding Correctly on Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

Note: The Joy-Con cannot be attached to Nintendo Switch Lite. However, they can be used as wireless controllers with Nintendo Switch Lite.

What to do

1. With the Joy-Con attached to the console, verify that they register correctly as attached within the Controllers screen, accessible from the HOME Menu.

   • If the Joy-Con are not registering correctly on the console, please read Joy-Con Not Recognized or Not Registering While Attached to the Console.

2. Ensure your console has the latest system update.

3. Ensure the Joy-Con controllers have the latest controller firmware installed.

4. Remove any skins or covers from the problematic Joy-Con, if any, and calibrate the control sticks.

5. If the issue is occurring with a specific game or application, try the following:

   • Check for any available software updates for that game.

   • Check the electronic manual for that game. Some game, such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, support in-game tilt controls. If these are activated, it may seem as if the control sticks are not responding correctly. If this is the case, the in-game tilt controls may need to be deactivated.

Situation not resolved

• If the control sticks cannot be calibrated, the non-working Joy-Con controller may need to be inspected. Do not send in the console.

• If the Joy-Con registers correctly as being attached to the console but the control sticks are not responding correctly, the non-working Joy-Con controller may need to be inspected. Do not send in the console.

If the issue persists with the Joy-Con control sticks, the Nintendo Switch console may need to be inspected. Please click here to contact us for further support.