YouTube TV lets you add up to five other people to your account, and each person gets their own login and viewing history

When you set up YouTube TV, you start with one account. To add family members, you go into your account settings, create a household, and invite people by email. Each person you add can watch on their own device at the same time, and YouTube TV keeps their watch history separate from yours.

The process takes about five minutes, and the people you invite don't need to be related to you — YouTube TV calls it a "household" but doesn't verify that claim. What matters is that everyone in the household shares the same billing address.

Key Takeaways

  • You can add up to five other people to your YouTube TV account, for a total of six users on one subscription.
  • Each family member needs their own Google account before you can add them to your household.
  • Everyone in the household must use the same billing address, and YouTube TV checks this when you add someone.
  • Once added, each person can watch on separate devices at the same time and has their own recommendations and watch history.
  • You can remove someone from your household at any time, and they lose access to YouTube TV immediately.

What you need before you start

Each person you want to add needs a Google account. If someone in your family doesn't have one, they can create it for free at google.com. They'll need an email address — it can be Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or any other email service.

You also need to know the email address of each person you're adding. Have this information ready before you open YouTube TV settings, because you'll enter it directly into the invitation form.

Everyone you add must live at the same address as the account holder. YouTube TV verifies this when you invite someone, so if you try to add someone at a different address, the invitation will fail. This is YouTube TV's policy to prevent account sharing across multiple households.

How to add someone to your household

Step 1: Open YouTube TV on any device and sign in with your account.

Step 2: Click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select Settings.

Step 3: On the left side, click Family.

Step 4: Click Add member. A box will appear asking for an email address.

Step 5: Type the email address of the person you want to add, then click Send invite.

Step 6: YouTube TV sends an email to that person. They need to open the email and click the link inside to accept the invitation. Once they accept, they're added to your household and can start watching immediately.

The person you invited will see YouTube TV in their account the next time they sign in on any device. They don't need to do anything else — their Google account is now linked to your household subscription.

What happens after someone joins your household

Once a family member accepts your invitation, they can watch YouTube TV on any device they sign into with their Google account. This includes phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, and streaming devices like Roku or Apple TV.

Each person gets their own profile within the household. YouTube TV tracks what each person watches separately, so recommendations are different for everyone. If one person watches cooking shows and another watches sports, the app shows each of them different suggestions.

Up to three people can watch YouTube TV at the same time on different devices. If a fourth person tries to start watching while three are already watching, YouTube TV will ask one of the other viewers to stop. This limit applies to the entire household, not to individual accounts.

Removing someone from your household

If you need to remove a family member, go back to Settings > Family. Find the person's name in the list and click the three dots next to their name, then select Remove from household. They lose access to YouTube TV immediately and can no longer watch on any device.

Removing someone doesn't delete their Google account or affect anything else they use Google for — it only removes them from your YouTube TV household. If you want to add them back later, you can send a new invitation.

Troubleshooting invitations that don't go through

If you send an invitation and the person never receives an email, check their spam folder first. Sometimes invitation emails end up there by mistake. Ask them to search their email for "youtube.com" to find it.

If the invitation email doesn't show up anywhere, the most common reason is that the email address you entered is wrong. Go back to Family settings and try again with the correct address. You can send as many invitations as you need.

If someone accepts the invitation but YouTube TV says they're not in your household, they may be trying to sign in from a different address than the one on your account. YouTube TV checks the billing address when people first join. Ask them to confirm they're using the same address as the account holder, or contact YouTube TV support if the address is correct but the system still rejects them.

Switching between family member accounts

If multiple people use the same device, each person should sign in with their own Google account to keep their watch history separate. On phones and tablets, you can switch accounts by tapping your profile picture and selecting a different account from the list.

On smart TVs and streaming devices, you may need to sign out completely and sign in again with a different Google account. This takes a bit longer, but it keeps everyone's viewing history private.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add someone who doesn't live with me?

YouTube TV requires everyone in the household to share the same billing address. If someone lives at a different address, you won't be able to add them. YouTube TV checks this when you send the invitation and will reject it if the addresses don't match.

What if someone I invited never accepts the invitation?

If they don't accept within a few days, the invitation expires. You can send a new one anytime. Make sure they're checking the email address you used — sometimes the invitation email goes to spam. You can also ask them to check their email directly for messages from youtube.com.

Can I have more than six people on one YouTube TV account?

No, YouTube TV limits you to six total users per household — you plus five others. If you need more accounts, you would need a separate YouTube TV subscription with a different billing address.

Do family members need their own Google account?

Yes, each person needs their own Google account to join your household. If someone doesn't have one, they can create it free at google.com. It takes about two minutes and only requires an email address.

What if I remove someone and want to add them back later?

You can add them back anytime by sending a new invitation to their email address. They'll receive an invitation email and need to accept it again, just like the first time. There's no limit to how many times you can add and remove people.