What transferring means and why you'd do it

Transferring in Pokémon Go means sending a Pokémon you've caught to Professor Willow in exchange for candy. You get back one candy of that Pokémon's type — so transferring a Pidgeot gives you Pidgeot candy. The Pokémon itself disappears from your collection.

Most players transfer Pokémon to free up storage space or to gather candy for powering up or evolving a stronger version of that same species. If you catch ten Pidgeots but only want to keep the one with the best stats, you transfer the other nine and collect nine Pidgeot candies in the process.

Transferring is permanent — once you send a Pokémon to Professor Willow, you cannot get it back. The game does not ask you to confirm, so it pays to be deliberate about which ones you choose.

Key Takeaways

  • You transfer a Pokémon by opening its detail screen, scrolling to the bottom, and tapping the Transfer button.
  • Transferring gives you one candy of that Pokémon's type and removes the Pokémon from your collection permanently.
  • You cannot transfer a Pokémon that is set as your buddy or that is currently defending a gym.
  • Favorite Pokémon are protected from accidental transfer — you must unfavorite them first before the Transfer button appears.

The step-by-step process for transferring a single Pokémon

Open Pokémon Go and tap the Pokéball at the bottom center of the screen to open the main menu. Select Pokémon (the second icon from the left) to see your collection.

Scroll through your list and tap the Pokémon you want to transfer. This opens its detail screen, which shows its name, stats, moves, and other information. Scroll all the way to the bottom of this screen.

You will see a red Transfer button at the bottom. Tap it once. The game will ask you to confirm — tap Transfer again. The Pokémon vanishes from your collection, and you receive one candy of that type in your bag.

Why you cannot transfer certain Pokémon

If the Transfer button does not appear at the bottom of a Pokémon's detail screen, one of two things is blocking it. The most common reason is that the Pokémon is marked as a favorite. Favorites are protected from accidental transfer — you must remove the favorite status first.

To unfavorite a Pokémon, tap the star icon at the top of its detail screen. The star will turn from filled to empty. Now scroll back to the bottom and the Transfer button will appear.

The second reason is that the Pokémon is currently set as your buddy or is defending a gym. You cannot transfer a buddy Pokémon — you must switch to a different buddy first by tapping the buddy icon and selecting a new one. Similarly, if a Pokémon is defending a gym, it must return to you before you can transfer it.

Transferring multiple Pokémon at once

Pokémon Go does not have a built-in bulk transfer tool, so you must transfer Pokémon one at a time. However, you can speed up the process by sorting your collection before you start.

In the Pokémon list, tap the sort icon (three horizontal lines) at the top right. You can sort by recent, name, number, or favorite status. Sorting by recent shows the Pokémon you caught most recently at the top — this is useful if you want to transfer duplicates you just caught.

Once your list is sorted, go through and transfer the ones you do not want to keep. Unfavorite any that are protected, then tap each one and transfer it. The process takes a few seconds per Pokémon, but sorting first means you are not hunting through your entire collection for each one.

How to use candy from transfers to power up or evolve Pokémon

The candy you earn from transferring goes into your bag and is tied to that Pokémon's species. If you transfer five Pidgeots, you get five Pidgeot candy. You can then use that candy to power up a Pidgeot (which costs candy and stardust) or to evolve a Pidgeotto into a Pidgeot (which costs only candy).

To use the candy, open the Pokémon you want to improve and scroll down past its stats. You will see a Power Up button and an Evolve button (if that Pokémon can evolve). Tap either one, and the game will show you how much candy and stardust it costs. Confirm, and the candy is spent.

Transferring is the main way new players gather candy, especially for common Pokémon. As you progress, you will also earn candy by walking with a buddy Pokémon or by catching more of the same species.

What happens to Pokémon with special status

Some Pokémon have special tags or backgrounds that mark them as different from regular catches. Shiny Pokémon (which have alternate colors) and shadow Pokémon (which have a dark aura) can be transferred just like any other, but many players choose to keep them because they are rarer.

Pokémon you have traded with other players can also be transferred. There is no restriction on trading a traded Pokémon away — you can transfer it the same way you would transfer any other.

If you have a Pokémon that is part of a special research task or event, check the task details before transferring. Some tasks require you to catch or evolve a specific Pokémon, and transferring it might reset your progress on that task.

Managing your storage to avoid running out of space

Pokémon Go gives you a limited number of slots to hold Pokémon. The default is 250, but you can buy more storage space using PokéCoins (the in-game currency you can earn or purchase). Each storage upgrade costs PokéCoins and adds 50 slots.

If you hit your storage limit, you cannot catch new Pokémon until you transfer some or buy more space. Transferring duplicates and Pokémon with poor stats is the free way to make room. Many players transfer anything below a certain stat threshold or keep only one of each species.

Before you start transferring to make space, think about what you actually want to keep. Pokémon with high stats, rare species, shiny variants, and Pokémon you plan to use in battles are usually worth keeping. Everything else is a candidate for transfer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a transferred Pokémon back?

No. Once you transfer a Pokémon to Professor Willow, it is gone permanently. The game does not have an undo feature or a way to recover transferred Pokémon. This is why it is a good idea to favorite Pokémon you want to keep — the favorite status prevents accidental transfers.

Do I lose the moves a Pokémon knows when I transfer it?

Yes, but it does not matter because the Pokémon itself is gone. The moves are tied to that individual Pokémon. When you catch or evolve a new Pokémon of the same species, it will have its own moves, which may be different.

How much candy do I get for transferring?

You get one candy of that Pokémon's type for each transfer. A Pidgeot transfer gives you one Pidgeot candy. There is no bonus for transferring multiple Pokémon at once or for transferring rare species — it is always one candy per Pokémon.

What if I transfer a Pokémon by mistake?

Contact Pokémon Go support through the in-game help menu (tap the Pokéball, then Settings, then Help). Explain what happened and which Pokémon you transferred. Support can sometimes restore a recently transferred Pokémon, but this is not may provide and may take several days.

Can I transfer Pokémon that are in gyms?

No. A Pokémon defending a gym is locked from transfer until it returns to you. Once the gym is taken over or you recall the Pokémon, you can then transfer it if you choose.