My Nintendo Switch has been making a lot of noise lately, especially when I play heavier games. I think it's dust buildup in the fan. Does anyone know how to do this at home or is it better to take it to a technician?
The most important thing is to completely power off your Switch and let it cool down before you open it up. You can try opening the console with a pentalobe screwdriver (most online tutorials show pretty well how to do it), run a cotton swab or soft brush soaked in isopropyl alcohol over the fan blades, and clean out the accumulated dust - but honestly, if you're not confident about it, it's better to take it to a technician because the Switch has some sensitive components and it's easy to accidentally damage something without meaning to. I've done simple cleanings on family members' Switches before, but always with the worry that I'd make things worse.
If you'd rather not open up the console, something that works really well is using a vacuum with a thin tube or one of those air compressors - blow compressed air through the Switch's vents, especially near the fan, while it's off and cooled down. You don't need to take anything apart and it clears out the accumulated dust. If the noise keeps going after that, then it might be worth taking it to a technician, because it could be the fan starting to fail, but in a lot of cases it's just dust and this fixes it.
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