Learn more about sharing your office 365 home subscription

If you've purchased Microsoft 365 Family, you can share your subscription benefits with up to five other people. For details, see Share your Microsoft 365 Family subscription.

Common questions about sharing

Who can I share my Microsoft 365 Family subscription with?

You can share your subscription benefits with up to five other people, (total of 6 people using your subscription). These people can be inside or outside of your family group, and each person can install Office on all their devices and be signed in to Office on five devices at the same time.

What is the difference between a family group member and someone outside of my family group?

The family features are great for adults who want to create a safer online environment for kids. If you don't need these features though, you can easily share with other people without including them in your family group.

As an adult in a family group, you can:

• Create a shared family calendar

• Keep kids safe on the web

• Allow adults to check on the device health of others in the family

• Set screen time limits

• Make sure that kids only see age appropriate content in the Microsoft store online

For more about the benefits of creating a Microsoft family see the Microsoft family FAQ.

For information about setting up your Microsoft family, see Add members to your Microsoft family.

Why was Office automatically shared with my family?

On October 2, 2018, we made it easier to share the benefits of Microsoft 365 Family with your family group by automatically sharing it with them. Instead of sending an invite and waiting for people to accept, it'll all be done for you. You and your family members will get an email when your subscription has been shared. You can always manage sharing later from your Microsoft account, Sharing page.

If I'm sharing with people outside my family group, will Office be shared with my family group too?

If you have shared with people outside your family group and still have shares available, Office will be shared with your family too, starting with the people who have been in it the longest.

You can have up to twenty people in your family group, but your Microsoft 365 Family subscription can only be shared with up to five other people.

How do I start sharing Microsoft 365?

Sign in to your Microsoft account, Sharing page and select Start sharing. For more details, see Share your Microsoft 365 Family subscription.

Can people I share with see my files? Can I see their files?

No. Your files always remain private and so do theirs. This includes kids in a family group as well.

I bought Microsoft 365. Why didn't it get shared automatically with my family group?

If another person in your family group also has a Microsoft 365 Family subscription, it will not be shared with other family members. This enables the subscription owners to choose who will share their subscription and manage it.

Why do only some members of my family group have access to Microsoft 365?

Your Microsoft 365 Family subscription entitles you to share with up to five other people. If your family group includes more than five people, you'll have to pick and choose who to share your five with. Also, you will not be able to share with someone who has their own Microsoft 365 Family subscription.

How do I stop sharing Microsoft 365 with someone?

Whether you want to stop sharing with someone in your family group or outside of your family group, the process is the same.

Sign in to your Microsoft account, Sharing page and select Stop Sharing.

I am the Microsoft 365 Family subscription owner, what do I need to know?

Who can manage the subscription?

Only the person who owns the subscription can manage it. Management includes issuing invitations, sharing subscriptions, and revoking subscription sharing. Go to your Microsoft account, Sharing page to manage sharing.

What happens if I stop sharing my Microsoft 365 Family subscription with someone?

When you stop sharing your subscription with someone, they lose all their Microsoft 365 Family subscription benefits, including extra OneDrive storage and the ability to use Office. They can still view and print their Office files, but they can't edit them or create new ones. And they always have the option to continue using Microsoft 365 Family by purchasing their own subscription.

What happens if I leave my family group?

If you are the Microsoft 365 subscriber and leave your family group, everyone in the family you've shared Microsoft 365 Family with will lose access. You can always invite them to share as people outside of the family.

If Microsoft 365 has been shared with you and you leave your Microsoft family, then you'll lose access to this subscription. You can always be re-invited to share by the original subscriber if they have available licenses.

Someone is sharing Microsoft 365 Family with me, what do I need to know?

Can the person who's sharing with me see my files? Can I see their files?

No. Your files always remain private and so do theirs. This includes kids in a family group as well.

Why can't I access Microsoft 365 anymore?

It's possible that the person who shared their Microsoft 365 Family subscription stopped sharing it with you. Check with them to be sure.

What happens if someone stops sharing their Microsoft 365 Family subscription with me?

When someone stops sharing their subscription with you, you'll lose all your Microsoft 365 Family subscription benefits, including extra OneDrive storage and the ability to use Office. You can still view and print your Office files, but you can't edit them or create new ones. You always have the option to continue using Microsoft 365 Family by purchasing your own subscription.

See Also

Share your Microsoft 365 Family subscription

Need Microsoft 365 for business?