Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to Scan QR Codes and Share Your Designs

QR codes can be used to add custom designs from older Animal Crossing games into Animal Crossing New Horizons. Here's how to download custom designs using QR codes.

Guide by Jake Green, Guides Editor

Updated on 24 March 2020

QR codes can be used to transfer patterns and designs between games and devices in Animal Crossing New Horizons. This allows you to share your designs, and download those that others have made, though the method can be a little tricky. We've put together a guide on sharing, downloading and scanning the QR codes of other designs, so that you can get started.

On this page:

How to Scan QR Codes Into Animal Crossing New Horizons
How to Turn a Design Into a QR Code
How to Convert Your Own Images into QR Codes
How to Get Your Download Code For an Item and Share it
How to Download NookLink
How to Search For Designs

How to Scan QR Codes Into Animal Crossing New Horizons

To scan QR codes in Animal Crossing New Horizons, you will need to do the following:

Download the Nintendo Switch Online app for your mobile device
Link your Nintendo account
From the 'Game-Specific Services' section, select Animal Crossing New Horizons
Select 'Designs'
Scan QR Code

Here's how to use the NookLink App | *Jake Green/USG*

How to Turn a Design Into a QR Code

To turn a design into a QR code, you'll need to be playing Animal Crossing New Leaf or Happy Home Designer. These are the only games that can produce QR codes in this way, so QR codes are primarily for moving designs from these older games forward to New Horizons.

How to Convert Your Own Images into QR Codes

Via a third party tool, it's actually possible to make your own designs and then generate a QR code. To do so, you can either use the pattern editor on this site, or click 'convert'. This will give you the option to upload your own images, and place them in game.

How to Get Your Download Code For an Item and Share it

If you'd like to share something you've made in Animal Crossing New Horizons you will need to generate a code for it. To do so, head to The Able Sisters shop (here's how to unlock it if you haven't yet) and interact with the pink terminal at the farside of the shop. Here, you can upload designs, which will generate a code. Anyone you share that code with can then download your designs.

How to Download NookLink

To download NookLink, you'll need to download the Nintendo Switch Online app. This is available via the App Store and Google Play store. The NookLink app is within this app, just select New Horizons when starting it up.

You can search by creator code or design ID | *Jake Green/USG*

How to Search For Designs

To search for a design in Animal Crossing New Horizons, you can either search for someone's creator code and see all of their posts, or search a design ID to look for a specific item. You will need this info before searching.

There's plenty more Animal Crossing goodness to be found right here on USG. Why not read Caty's article on how villagers will sing songs on your island? Head here to read our full review of the game.