Cap Switch

Cap Switches are switches that appear in Super Mario 64. They are dome-shaped and color-coded, much like the switches found in the Switch Palaces in Super Mario World. When activated, they solidify Cap Blocks of the same color, allowing Mario to break them open to receive the corresponding cap ability. The Wing Cap Switch is found on the Tower of the Wing Cap, the Metal Cap Switch is found in the Cavern of the Metal Cap, and the Vanish Cap Switch is found in Vanish Cap Under the Moat.

In Super Mario 64 DS, due to the cap items getting overhauled as a result of the playable characters and the main power-ups being replaced by the Power Flower, the Cap Switches were changed as well. As the Power Flower's effect depends on the current playable character, the number of switches was reduced from three to one, and it is equivalent to the red Wing Cap Switch. Instead of a ! Switch, it is now a ? Switch, and it is simply referred to as such.

A yellow variant of the Cap Switch was originally going to appear in Super Mario 64 but went unused. Remnants in Super Mario 64 DS also suggest that the green and blue switches were planned for Super Mario 64 DS but were deleted.