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Nintendo Switch offers two different ways to personalize a user icon: edit a character or Mii in the standard profile settings, or assemble an icon from collectible parts in Nintendo Switch Online’s Missions & Rewards. The first route lets you adjust a Mii’s expression and pose; the second combines eligible character, frame, and background elements, but requires an active paid membership and has collection rules.

What is the difference between the two icon options?

A standard profile icon is edited from your user’s profile settings. You choose a built-in character or Mii and can change the background; Nintendo Japan’s instructions also document changing a Mii’s expression and pose. Nintendo does not describe this editor as a way to upload a picture or make a freeform graphic. See Nintendo Support for the standard profile instructions and Nintendo Japan’s Mii icon instructions.

A Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) custom icon is assembled from reward elements in the Nintendo Switch Online app on the HOME Menu. It is a separate feature, with its own eligibility requirements and its own Icon Collection; it is not another option in the ordinary profile icon picker. Nintendo’s instructions cover Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. Menu labels may differ by regional localization.

What can you customize?

Feature Built-in character or Mii icon NSO custom icon
What you choose A built-in character or Mii, plus a background. Eligible character, frame, and background elements.
Extra Mii adjustments Nintendo Japan documents expression and pose changes for a Mii. Not applicable; this route combines reward elements.
Mixing options Not stated in Nintendo’s cited instructions. Elements generally need to come from the same game collection, unless using a generic frame or background. A character element that already includes a background may not accept a separate background.
Upload your own image Nintendo’s cited instructions do not describe image uploads. Nintendo describes choosing from eligible reward elements, not uploading an image.

The NSO collection can hold up to 100 created icons, according to Nintendo’s custom-icon instructions. The standard editor’s instructions do not state a corresponding icon limit.

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How to edit a built-in character or Mii icon

  1. Open your user page from the HOME Menu, or open System Settings and go to the profile settings for your user.
  2. Choose the option to change the user icon, then select a built-in character or Mii.
  3. Choose a background. If you selected a Mii, Nintendo Japan’s documented editor also offers expression and pose choices.
  4. Confirm your selection to apply it to the user profile.

Nintendo’s North American profile instructions explain the standard icon-selection route; the additional Mii expression and pose details are documented on Nintendo Japan’s support page. Those instructions do not describe arbitrary image imports.

How to make and use an NSO custom icon

Check eligibility and redeem elements

Nintendo’s documented process requires a Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch, internet access, and an active paid Nintendo Switch Online membership. In the Nintendo Switch Online section of the HOME Menu, select your user and open Missions & Rewards. Review the available elements and any conditions shown, then redeem elements with My Nintendo Platinum Points or meet the element-specific condition listed on screen.

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Assemble and select the icon

  1. Open Icon Collection in the Nintendo Switch Online app on the HOME Menu.
  2. Start creating from the Icons screen with the plus icon, or select an element from the Icon Elements screen.
  3. Choose compatible character, frame, and background elements. Follow the collection-matching rules shown by the feature.
  4. Save the finished icon, then select it from Icon Collection to use it.

Because assignment happens inside Nintendo Switch Online, do not look for an NSO-created icon in the standard System Settings or user-page icon picker.

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Availability, membership, and account limits

The reward catalog is not fixed: Nintendo says themes change monthly and available elements refresh weekly. Some rewards can carry extra conditions, such as a specified membership tier or recent play of a game. Check Missions & Rewards on your console for the current selection and requirements; a particular character or element is not guaranteed to be available now. Nintendo’s Missions & Rewards explainer, dated June 5, 2025, and its custom-icon instructions describe the program and workflow.

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Redeemed elements remain accessible if the paid membership later ends, but Nintendo says they cannot be shared with another Nintendo Account. Created icons are managed per Nintendo Account and appear on consoles linked to that account. This persistence applies to elements already redeemed; it does not remove the membership requirement for following the documented NSO creation process.

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Which route should you use?

  • Choose the standard profile editor if you want a quick built-in character or Mii icon, and especially if you want to adjust a Mii’s expression or pose.
  • Choose Missions & Rewards if you want to build an icon from eligible reward parts and have an active paid Nintendo Switch Online membership.
  • Check the console catalog first if you have a specific game theme in mind, since available elements and some eligibility conditions change.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.