Skip to main content

How to use Pokémon Bank to transfer old Pokémon to ‘Sun’ and ‘Moon’

how to transfer old pokemon sun moon bank
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Pokémon Bank is a downloadable 3DS app that lets you store your Pokémon in an online server, rather than in a specific game, and transfer them between games. It’s useful for sending Pokémon from old games into newer ones, like last year’s Pokémon Sun and Moon, or if you want to get rid of a game (say, by trading in the cartridge) but want to save all your Pokémon somewhere for the future.

With the recent Pokémon Bank update, the app is finally compatible with Pokémon Sun and Moon, something fans have been waiting for since the games launched in 2016. Many players will be logging into Bank for the first time, but it’s not the most intuitive app. Use this guide to learn exactly how to use Pokémon Bank.

Michael Rougeau/Digital Trends Image used with permission by copyright holder

Download or update the app(s)

First off you need to download Pokémon Bank and/or Poké Transporter (if you want to transfer Pokémon from games older than Pokémon X and Y). Head to the eShop from the 3DS’s main menu and use the search field to find them.

If you already have the apps and just need the updates, it’s a bit of a process. To update Pokémon Bank simply open the app while connected to the internet and you’ll receive a prompt. To update Poké  Transporter you may have to follow these steps: Open the eShop, tap the menu button in the upper left, scroll down to “Settings/other,” scroll to updates, and go down the list until you find it.

Michael Rougeau/Digital Trends Image used with permission by copyright holder

Get to know Pokémon Bank

The main app itself has four main menu options. Select “Use Pokémon Bank” to get started right away. “Learn about Pokémon Bank” imparts some useful information, like the fact that if you try to deposit Pokémon holding items, the items will be transferred to your bag automatically.

From the menu you can also view your support ID number, which you’ll use if you need to contact customer support, and go directly to download Poké Transporter if you haven’t already.

Pay the subscription fee

Lastly the main menu will show how many days you have remaining in your subscription, which costs $5 for a year of Pokémon Bank access. If your subscription runs out while you have Pokémon in the Bank, you can still withdraw them, but only for a set period of time before they’re erased forever. Kind of terrifying, isn’t it?

Michael Rougeau/Digital Trends Image used with permission by copyright holder

Use Pokémon Bank

The first thing you’ll do after selecting “Use Pokémon Bank” is select which game’s Pokémon you want to access. This will include the Pokémon game in your system’s cartridge slot as well as any downloadable versions of X, Y, Omega Ruby, or Alpha Sapphire that are present.

Select the game you want and you’ll head to the transfer screen. On the top 3DS screen are your Pokémon Bank boxes, while the bottom shows the PC boxes in whatever game you selected.

Weirdly, Pokémon Bank doesn’t use the system’s touchscreen, so you have to move the cursor manually to select a Pokémon, select “move,” and drag the Pokémon up to the top screen to deposit it in the Bank. Press X to save and quit when you’re done.

Pokémon Bank can hold up to 3,000 Pokémon in its 100 boxes, so it’s unlikely you’ll run out of room any time soon. There’s one additional box, the Transport Box, that we’ll explain shortly.

Michael Rougeau/Digital Trends Image used with permission by copyright holder

Search for the Pokémon you want

There are two other handy features you should know about. By pressing the “Y” button while using Pokémon Bank and opening the menu, you can view all the current game’s Pokémon in a list format.

From here you can move the cursor up and down to select Pokémon, or left and right to select a specific column, from gender, type, nature and marking all the way to shiny, Pokérus and Dex No. You can tap “A” on any of these columns to move the cursor down to the bottom screen, where you can then sort by that trait, search for specific Pokémon, or view the box in which a specific Pokémon is located.

The other option you can access from the menu is the Pokémon Bank Pokedex, which will update itself every time you open it to include all the Pokémon you’ve seen and caught in every Pokémon game you use with the Bank.

Michael Rougeau/Digital Trends Image used with permission by copyright holder

Using Poké Transporter

The separate Poké Transporter app is good for one thing: Transferring Pokémon out of Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow, Black/White, and Black 2/White 2 into the Pokémon Bank. Why this function needed to be in a totally separate app is anyone’s guess, but that’s how it works.

To transfer Pokémon from either the Black/White/Black 2/White 2 cartridges or the downloadable versions of Red/Blue/Yellow you’ll need to first open those games and move any Pokémon you want to transfer to box 1 of the PC in any Pokémon Center.

Next, open Pokémon Bank and select the game you’re transferring from. Confirm the transfer and all the Pokémon in box 1 of that game’s PC will be permanently transferred to the Bank’s Transport Box. From there you can move them to other Bank boxes and to newer Pokémon games (note that Red, Blue and Yellow Pokémon can only be moved to Sun and Moon, not to X/Y/Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire).

Michael Rougeau/Digital Trends Image used with permission by copyright holder

Transferring Pokémon from older games to Sun and Moon

There are ways to get Pokémon from even older games, all the way back to Ruby/Sapphire and Fire Red/Leaf Green on the Game Boy Advance, into the current generation games. These methods are generally pretty convoluted, but it is possible.

For example to get Pokémon from the GBA games into Sun/Moon, you need to first transfer them from the old rectangular cartridges into one of the first two generations of original DS Pokémon games: Diamond/Pearl/Platinum and HeartGold/SoulSilver. That requires an original DS system that had the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot, which later models of the handheld lacked.

Once they’re in any of those DS games you can transfer them to the later DS games, Black and White, which requires two DS systems and a trip to a special in-game location called the Poké Transfer Lab. From Black or White, you can use the Poké Transporter app to send them to Pokémon Bank, and then to Sun/Moon.

If you’re still confused, this graphic… probably won’t help you

Game Freak and The Pokémon Company released this handy and totally not illegible infographic to help you keep track of exactly where and how Pokémon can be moved around using the Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter. Still, if you’re a visual learner, you might want to take a look.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

As you can see, it’s a lot of work, but some people really care about their Pokémon.

Editors' Recommendations

Michael Rougeau
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…
PlayStation Plus’ most notable free April offerings come from Microsoft
Four players stand together in the 4v4 PvP mode of Minecraft Legends.

Sony outlined all the new offerings PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers can expect in April; surprisingly, Microsoft is the company behind two of this month's four offerings, Minecraft Legends, and the Overwatch 2 Mega Bundle.

On April 2, PS Plus can get those two things free of charge in addition to Immortals of Aveum and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Immortals of Aveum is a single-player shooter where players use magic instead of weapons. Although the thing it's most notable for is flopping upon its release, Immortals of Aveum is still a solid shooter that you might have missed out on, and you should give it a shot now that you can get it through PS Plus. Meanwhile, Skul: The Hero Slayer is a tough 2D platformer roguelike that should entertain fans of that genre for quite some time.

Read more
These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone
Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed down a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 due to its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read our post on how we review desktops.

Read more
Mecha Break’s robot customization shakes up the battle royale formula
Mecha Break robot head with glowing blue eyes

Mecha Break isn't the kind of multiplayer game you can master right away.

You might equip a lance that you barely know how to use because it seemed like a good idea, and spend the rest of a round attempting to bash yourself into enemies to help your teammates. It incorporates action that's more similar to that of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon than it is to the shooter-focused gameplay in Gundam Evolution, Bandai Namco's multiplayer mecha shooter that shut down last year. Overwatch does come to mind, but in a way where mechs are still the focus rather than the pilots within them.

Read more