The honest answer first
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream does not include the global QR code sharing system from the 3DS original. There is no in-game scanner that takes any community-made QR code and drops the Mii onto your island.
This was one of the bigger disappointments at launch and a recurring critic complaint. That said, sharing isn't impossible — it just works through different channels now.
What still works on Switch
Method 1: Local wireless
If two Switch consoles are physically near each other, both players can open the in-game local wireless menu and exchange Miis directly, along with items and creations from the Palette House workshop. This is the closest thing to the old QR experience and it's reliable.
Best for: Friends, family, and anyone you can sit next to.
Method 2: Miitopia transfer (the long-distance trick)
This is the workaround the community has rallied around. Miitopia (2021) supports cloud Mii sharing through Access Keys, which are short codes that anyone with Nintendo Switch Online can use to download a Mii.
- Build the Mii in Miitopia's Mii Maker, or import an existing one.
- Generate an Access Key (requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription).
- Share the Access Key text — through Discord, Reddit, a website, or anywhere.
- The recipient enters the key in Miitopia, downloads the Mii, then imports it into Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream via the Mii Maker's import option.
Important caveat: Custom wigs and makeup created in Miitopia do not transfer over to Living the Dream. If your Mii relies on those, you'll need to recreate that part using Living the Dream's much-improved Mii Maker and the new face paint system.
Method 3: Parameter guides (community workaround)
Because direct sharing has friction, a lot of fan creators publish detailed "build sheets": screenshots of the Mii plus a step-by-step list of which hairstyle, eye preset, nose shape, and face paint settings to choose. You rebuild the Mii yourself in your Mii Maker. It takes 5–10 minutes per Mii but works for anyone, no online subscription required.
What about the 3DS QR codes?
The original Tomodachi Life on Nintendo 3DS had a beautiful, simple system: anyone could generate a QR code for any Mii, post it anywhere, and any other 3DS owner could scan it directly into their game. Thousands of community-made QR codes — Mario, Pikachu, anime characters, celebrities, original creations — were uploaded to Reddit and fan sites between 2014 and 2020.
If you still own a 3DS and the original Tomodachi Life cartridge or eShop copy:
- Open the Mii in your game, hit the QR code option, and the system camera handles the rest.
- Old QR codes from r/tomodachilife, MiiCharacters.com, and similar archives still work on 3DS hardware.
- QR codes from the 3DS game also work in Miitomo (mobile, discontinued) and can route through Miitopia, which is how some 3DS Miis eventually reach Living the Dream.
Stay safe with QR codes
A genuine Mii QR code encodes binary character data — not a web URL. If a "Tomodachi Life QR code" you find online redirects you to a website when scanned with a phone, treat it as a red flag.
Stick to known community sources: the official Tomodachi Life subreddits, established fan archives, and creators with a track record. Phishing QR codes disguised as game content do exist.
Will online QR sharing come back?
Nintendo has not commented on adding online sharing post-launch. Given strong fan demand, it's possible — but there's no announced roadmap as of May 2026. For now, the realistic options are local wireless, the Miitopia route, and parameter-based community guides.