We have observed current‐controlled wavelength switching in narrow oxide stripe In0.17Ga0.83As‐GaAs‐Al0.20Ga0.80As strained‐layer single quantum well heterostructure lasers. Laser emission switches from the lowest (n=1) quantized state transition in the quantum well at low currents to the first excited state transition (n=2) at higher currents, with an energy difference of ≊50 meV. For currents near the switching point, we have also observed time‐dependent lasing behavior, with a switch in the laser emission from then=1 to then=2 transition. The order of this temporal switching (fromn=1 ton=2) is opposite that observed in narrow stripe gain‐guided GaAs‐AlGaAs quantum well lasers, due to strong antiguiding in InGaAs lasers, which negates the effect of a thermal guide.