Choose the Games that You Want to Trade Between
To begin, choose the game to trade from, OR use the form below.
This page explains how to trade from Pokémon Black to Pokémon Sword.
What You Need
To send pokémon from Pokémon Black to Pokémon Sword, you need a Nintendo 3DS with Pokémon Bank installed, and a Nintendo Switch with Pokémon Home installed, and an active Pokémon Home Premium Plan subscription.
In-Game Requirements
Before you can trade from Pokémon Black to Pokémon Sword:
- In Pokémon Black, you need to defeat the Elite Four and enter the Hall of Fame, then go to the PokéTransfer Lab on Route 15.
- In Pokémon Sword, you need to have the Pokédex.
How to Trade
Make sure that your Nintendo 3DS has wireless turned on and can connect to the Internet.
Get your Pokémon Ready to Transfer
If your copy of Pokémon Black is on a cartridge, put the cartridge into your Nintendo 3DS. Open the game, choose the pokémon that you want to transfer, then move them to Box 1 in your PC Box. If there are any pokémon in PC Box 1 that you do not want to transfer, move them to a different box in your PC Box. Save the game, then go back to the 3DS home screen.
Use Pokémon Bank
If you already have Pokémon Bank, you can proceed with the trade. If you downloaded it in the past, you can redownload it from the eShop Settings menu if needed. It is no longer possible to get Pokémon Bank from the 3DS shop, so if you have not downloaded it in the past, it will not be possible for you to transfer your pokémon from Pokémon Black to Pokémon Sword.
If this is the first time that you have used Pokémon Bank, Brigette will introduce herself. She explains that you can't store held items in the Pokémon Bank, so they will be sent back to the Bag if you store pokémon in the Bank. But if the Bag is full, the item will disappear.
Use Poké Transporter
If you already have Pokémon Transporter, you can proceed with the trade. If you downloaded it in the past, you may be able to redownload it from within Pokémon Bank if needed. It is no longer possible to get Pokémon Transporter, so if you have not downloaded it in the past, it will not be possible for you to transfer your pokémon from Pokémon Black to Pokémon Sword.
Go to the home screen and open Poké Transporter. If this is the first time that you have used it, it will explain that if the pokémon in Pokémon Black are holding any items, those items will go back to your bag in Pokémon Black.
After you have read all the messages, you will see the pokémon in Box 1 of your Pokémon Black game. If you want to transfer ALL the pokémon from your PC Box 1 in Pokémon Black to the Pokémon Bank, choose Yes. If there are some pokémon that you do not want to transfer, you will need to open Pokémon Black and move those pokémon from PC Box 1 to a different PC Box, then repeat this step.
Move Pokémon Out of the Transport Box
Go to the home screen and close Poké Transporter. Open Pokémon Bank. If you are prompted for your password, enter it and sign in. Choose "Use Pokémon Bank" in the Pokémon Bank menu. Use the cursor to choose any of the games in the top screen, then choose "Use this game".
If a message says that your Pokémon Link is full, you will be asked if you still want to use Pokémon Bank. You won't lose your gifts if you say Yes. You can get your gifts by opening the game that you selected and choosing Pokémon Link in the game select menu to receive your gifts from Pokémon Bank.
Back in Pokémon Bank, after you select a game and choose "Use this Game", use the control pad or circle pad (the stylus cannot be used in Pokémon Bank) to move the cursor to the first box in the top screen. Press left to go to the Transport Box. Pokémon need to be moved out of the Transport Box before they can be moved to Pokémon Home, so use the cursor to move the pokémon from the Transport Box to any of the other boxes in Pokémon Bank. Make sure that the pokémon that you want to move to Home are not in the same boxes with pokémon that you do not want to move. You can press START to switch between a red cursor, which shows you several options when you select a pokémon with it; a blue cursor, which picks up one pokémon at a time without showing any options; and a green cursor, which allows you to select multiple pokémon at a time.
When you are done moving your pokémon to other boxes, press the X button to save your changes and return to the title screen.
Download Pokémon Home for Nintendo Switch
If you haven't already, go to the Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo Switch and search for Pokémon Home, then download it.
Purchase the Premium Plan
To move pokémon from Pokémon Bank to Pokémon Home, you will need to pay for the Premium Plan. In Pokémon Home on the Nintendo Switch, choose the 3DS icon. If you haven't purchased the Premium Plan, it will say that it requires a subscription. Choose the "Nintendo eShop" button in the corner. It will ask how long you want to subscribe for (1, 3, or 12 months). The 12 month option gives you the lowest cost per month. When the Premium Plan expires, you will only have access to the 30 most recent pokémon in Pokémon Home, and the rest of the pokémon will be stored for an unknown amount of time before they are permanently deleted.
Get Pokémon Bank Ready
After you have subscribed to the Pokémon Home Premium Plan, go to Pokémon Bank on the 3DS. From the Pokémon Bank title screen, go to the main menu and choose "Move Pokémon to Pokémon HOME". After you read the information and scroll down, select "Begin" to proceed. The boxes from Pokémon Bank will be displayed. Use the cursor to select all of the boxes that you want to move to Pokémon Home. THIS IS A ONE-WAY TRANSFER! POKÉMON SENT FROM POKÉMON BANK TO POKÉMON HOME CANNOT BE SENT BACK TO POKÉMON BANK! You can press R or use the cursor to select the "All" button to select all boxes, and you can press X or use the cursor to select the "Reset" button to unselect all boxes. If you are ready, press Y or use the cursor to select the "Done" button. You will be asked for the Moving Key.
Get the Moving Key
In Pokémon Home, if you have a Premium Plan subscription (see above), choose the 3DS icon and choose Begin Move. read the information on the screen, then if you are ready, choose "Ready!" Read the information, then choose "Display". The moving key will be displayed, along with a countdown showing when the moving key will expire.
Enter the Moving Key
In Pokémon Bank, enter the Moving Key that is displayed on the Nintendo Switch then tap OK or use the cursor to select OK. Make sure to tap OK again, and Brigette will tell you that the pokémon will be moved. If Pokémon HOME is showing the title screen, press Start, and watch the Nintendo Switch for messages about the progress of the transfer.
Transfer the Pokémon to Pokémon Home
Pokémon Home will notify you how many pokémon can be transferred. You have the option to move all pokémon as they are, or one pokemon at a time, or organize boxes.
Move Pokémon from Pokémon Home to Pokémon Sword
From the main menu of Pokémon Home on the Nintendo Switch, choose the Pokémon button, then choose Pokémon Sword from the list of games, and choose Yes to confirm.
You can then move pokémon from the Pokémon Home box to your boxes in Pokémon Sword.