Microsoft 365 Family lets up to six people use the same subscription on their own devices

Microsoft 365 Family is designed for multiple people to share one subscription. When you buy it, you get one license that covers up to six user accounts, each with their own Microsoft account. Each person installs Office on their own devices — computer, tablet, or phone — and signs in with their own account. Everyone gets the full version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and the other Office apps, plus cloud storage and other benefits.

The person who pays for the subscription is the organizer. They manage who is in the family group, add or remove people, and can see basic information about how much storage each person is using. People you add do not need to live in your house — they can be anywhere — but they do need to accept an invitation and have their own Microsoft account.

Each person's files stay private. One person's Word documents do not appear in another person's OneDrive unless they deliberately share them. The subscription itself is shared, but the accounts are separate.

Key Takeaways

  • Microsoft 365 Family covers up to six people, and each person signs in with their own Microsoft account on their own devices.
  • The organizer (the person who pays) sends invitations to add family members, and those people must accept to join the group.
  • Each person gets their own 1 TB of cloud storage, and their files remain private unless they share them deliberately.
  • You can remove someone from the family group at any time, and their access to Office on shared devices stops immediately.
  • If someone uses Office on a shared computer, they must sign out before another family member can use it with their own account.

How to add people to your Microsoft 365 Family subscription

Start by going to account.microsoft.com and signing in with the Microsoft account you used to buy the subscription. Look for "Your family" or "Family" in the left menu. Click it, then select "Add a family member" or a similar button (the exact wording changes, but it is always near the top of that section).

Enter the email address of the person you want to add. This should be the Microsoft account they already have, or an email address where they can receive an invitation to create one. Microsoft sends them an email asking them to join your family group. They must click the link in that email and accept the invitation — the subscription does not activate for them until they do.

Once they accept, they can sign in to their own device, download Office, and start using it. They do not need to do anything else. If you are adding someone who does not have a Microsoft account yet, you can still enter their email address; Microsoft will guide them through creating an account when they click the invitation link.

Setting up Office on each person's device

Each family member signs in to their own device with their own Microsoft account. On a Windows computer, go to office.com, sign in, and click "Install" to download Office. On a Mac, the process is the same. On an iPhone or iPad, search for "Microsoft Word," "Microsoft Excel," or "Microsoft PowerPoint" in the App Store, download the app, and sign in.

On Android phones, the apps are in Google Play. Once someone signs in with their account, they can use all the Office apps on that device. They do not need to enter a product key or do anything else — their account is linked to the subscription automatically.

One subscription can cover Office on up to five devices per person. If someone tries to install on a sixth device, they will be asked to remove it from one of the other five first. This is a device limit, not a simultaneous-use limit — the same person can use Office on five different devices, just not six.

Sharing a computer between family members

If two family members use the same computer, each person must have their own Windows user account on that computer. When one person is done using Office, they should sign out of their Microsoft account within the Office app or sign out of Windows entirely. The next person then signs in to their own Windows account and opens Office with their own Microsoft account.

If person A signs in to Office and leaves it open, person B will not be able to use Office on that same computer with their own account until person A signs out. This is a limitation of how Office handles simultaneous sign-ins on a single machine. The easiest way to avoid confusion is to have each person close Office and sign out of Windows when they are finished.

If you have a shared computer and want to avoid this friction, consider whether a tablet or a second computer might work better for one of the family members. Many households find that a cheaper tablet or older laptop is worth the cost to avoid the sign-in dance every time someone switches.

Managing storage and removing people

Each family member gets 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage. The organizer can see how much storage each person is using by going to account.microsoft.com, selecting "Your family," and looking at the storage section. If someone is running out of space, they can buy extra storage separately, or the organizer can buy additional storage for the whole family group.

To remove someone from the family group, go to account.microsoft.com, select "Your family," find the person's name, and click "Remove." Once you remove them, they lose access to Office on any shared devices where they were signed in. Their personal devices still have Office installed, but they will be prompted to sign in with a different account or to buy their own subscription. Their OneDrive files remain in their account for 90 days before Microsoft deletes them.

If someone leaves your household or you want to stop sharing the subscription with them, removing them is immediate and does not require their permission. They will see a notification that they have been removed, but the subscription stops working for them right away.

What happens if someone cancels the subscription

If the organizer cancels Microsoft 365 Family, everyone in the family group loses access to Office. The apps will stop working, and people will be prompted to sign in again or to buy their own subscription. Any files stored in OneDrive remain accessible for 90 days, but after that Microsoft deletes them.

If you cancel and then resubscribe within 30 days, your family group is restored and everyone regains access. If you wait longer than 30 days, the family group is deleted and you will need to add everyone again from scratch.

If you want to keep the subscription but remove just one person, use the removal process described above instead of canceling the whole subscription. That way, the other five family members keep their access.

Switching between personal and family subscriptions

If you currently have a personal Microsoft 365 subscription (sometimes called Microsoft 365 Personal) and want to switch to Family, you do not lose anything. Your personal subscription ends, and you become the organizer of the new Family subscription. Your files, settings, and account history stay with you.

If you are part of someone else's Family subscription and want to buy your own personal subscription instead, you can do that at any time. Your files and account remain yours. The organizer of the Family subscription can then remove you from their group, and you will use your own subscription going forward.

There is no penalty for switching, and you do not lose access to your files during the change. The main thing to watch is the renewal date — make sure you know when your new subscription renews so you are not charged unexpectedly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share Microsoft 365 Family with people who do not live with me?

Yes. Microsoft 365 Family does not require people to live in the same house. You can add anyone with a Microsoft account, regardless of where they are. Microsoft's terms of service ask that you only share with people you know and trust, but there is no technical enforcement of a household requirement.

What if someone in my family group buys their own Microsoft 365 subscription?

They can have both at the same time. Their personal subscription takes priority on their devices, and they can use either one. If they later cancel their personal subscription, they will go back to using the Family subscription. There is no conflict or extra cost — they just need to sign in with the right account on each device.

Can I see what files other family members have in their OneDrive?

No. The organizer can see how much storage each person is using, but not what files they have or what they are working on. Each person's OneDrive is private. If you want to see someone's files, they must share them with you deliberately, the same way they would share with anyone outside the family group.

What if I forget which devices I installed Office on?

Go to account.microsoft.com, sign in, and look for "Devices" or "Your devices" in the menu. You will see a list of computers and phones where you have signed in. You can remove devices from that list if you no longer use them or want to free up space for a new one. This is separate from the five-device limit per person in the Family subscription.

Can I change who the organizer is?

Not directly. The organizer is whoever paid for the subscription. If you want someone else to manage the family group, you would need to cancel the current subscription and have them buy a new one, then add everyone again. This is a limitation of how Microsoft structures Family subscriptions.