Zelda Notes Guide: All 9 Features, Setup and Whether to Use It

Zelda Notes is the feature that turned the Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom into more than a resolution bump. It lives in the Nintendo Switch App on your phone, not in the game menu, which is why so many players ask how to open it. This guide covers setup, all nine features as Nintendo names them, and the first-playthrough question.

What do I need to use Zelda Notes?

You need four things: the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of either game, the free Nintendo Switch App on a compatible smart device, a Nintendo Account, and an internet connection while you play. Nintendo is explicit that a Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required. Zelda Notes does not work with the original Switch versions — if you have not upgraded yet, see what the Switch 2 Edition changes.

What are the nine Zelda Notes features?

Nintendo’s official page lists them in this order. Names in the Hong Kong Chinese version are given where Nintendo published them.

How does Navigation work?

Navigation is the feature people mean when they say Zelda Notes “solves” the game. Pick a target type — Korok seeds or shrines — and the app gives voice directions relative to your position, while showing completion rates for every category of collectible. It is built for the endgame: if you are stuck at 151 of 152 shrines, this is the fastest way to find the last one. Pair it with our shrine location list when you want to know what a shrine contains before you go, and with the Korok seed guide for the puzzle types.

How do Autobuild Sharing and Item Sharing work?

Both use QR codes generated by the app. For Autobuild, you send a design from Tears of the Kingdom to Zelda Notes, which produces a code; anyone who scans it imports the design. This is Tears of the Kingdom only. Item Sharing works in both games; Nintendo notes that certain Tears of the Kingdom items are converted into different items when received in Breath of the Wild.

How does the amiibo feature work?

Zelda Notes lets you use amiibo through the app once a day. After you have scanned five times through Zelda Notes, you are granted one additional scan for that day. The Sage amiibo (Sidon, Tulin, Yunobo, Riju) were added in Ver. 1.4.0, and Mineru’s Construct arrives on September 17, 2026.

Should I use Zelda Notes on a first playthrough?

It depends on which feature. Voice Memories, the Daily Bonus, Photo Studio and amiibo change nothing about exploration. Navigation does: it removes the “where is the last shrine” search that is a large part of the game’s structure. The most common advice on r/TOTK and r/zelda is to play the first run without Navigation and switch it on for the 100% cleanup. Players who bought the upgrade pack only for Zelda Notes generally say it was worth the price on its own.

What Nintendo has not published

• The total number of Voice Memories (third-party counts range from 150 to 237).
• Chinese names for My Play Data, Global Play Data and Daily Bonus (the Hong Kong page shows them as images).
• Any update roadmap. There has been no Zelda Notes announcement since launch.

We will fill these in from official sources as they appear.