I have a Switch with eight controllers paired to it, but unfortunately I’ve lost my right Joycon. To unpair controllers so I can pair more, I need to push X on the right Joycon.
Is there any way around this problem?
How to unpair a Switch controller if you do not have a right Joycon
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Related Solutions
Yes you can!
Firstly, you might need to install the Xbox 360 Controller software for Windows first. According to a few reports this has solved a few people's issues, however, this was not the case for me.
The problem is that the device is reporting itself as an 'Afterglow Gamepad for Xbox 360', instead of a regular 'Xbox 360 Controller', meaning that Windows isn't automatically picking up the correct driver. Luckily, we can select it manually.
- Hit 'Start', type 'Device Manager' and Enter
- Expand the 'Other Devices' dropdown and find your Afterglow controller
- Right-Click it and select 'Update Driver Software...'
- In the Window that appears, click 'Browse my computer for driver software'
- Select 'Let me pick from a list of drivers on this computer'
- Find the option 'Microsoft Common Controller for Windows class'
- As your Afterglow controller is wired, select the 'Xbox 360 Controller for Windows' option. You want the one with the latest date.
- You will receive a warning about the driver potentially being incompatible, because Microsoft can't verify that it will work for your device. You have to select 'Yes' at this point.
- Success! The driver was installed.
Now if you go back to Device Manager, you will note that your Afterglow device is now under the 'Common Controller for Windows' heading instead of the 'Other devices' heading.
The controller should now appear in 'Game Controllers' and can be calibrated & used normally:
As mentioned in the comments, a short press of the Sync button instantly turns off a Joycon or Pro controller. There are no other shortcuts for this.
Games which behave nicely will update the number of controllers that they support, automatically turning unused ones off for you anyway.
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Best Answer
Go to the home menu and click on the controller settings, then go to "Change Grip/Order". From here, you should be able to disconnect the left controller from the console and press both side triggers (SL and SR) to connect it as its own controller, which should let you use it normally. Not entirely sure if this will be your solution, but it worked for me.