What changing your home Xbox means and why you might need to
Your home Xbox is the console where your account's games and subscriptions work for anyone who uses that machine. When you set a console as your home Xbox, anyone logged into that console can play your games and use your Game Pass subscription — even if they are not logged in as you. If you want to move your games to a different console, or if you share a console with someone and want to change whose account is "home", you change your home Xbox through your account settings.
The most common reason to change your home Xbox is moving to a new console. Another reason is if you share a console with family members and want to switch which account gets the home Xbox benefit. You can only have one home Xbox at a time per account.
Key Takeaways
- Your home Xbox lets anyone on that console play your games and use your Game Pass, even if they are not logged in as you.
- You change your home Xbox through your account settings on Xbox.com, not through the console itself.
- After you set a new home Xbox, your games stop working on the old one for other users, though they still work when you are logged in as yourself.
- You can change your home Xbox as often as you need to, but Xbox may flag your account if you change it many times in a short period.
Change your home Xbox through Xbox.com
Go to xbox.com and sign in with your Microsoft account. Click your profile icon in the top right corner, then select Settings. From the left menu, choose Devices and connections, then Devices.
You will see a list of all Xbox consoles linked to your account. Find the console you want to set as your home Xbox and click on it. Select Make this my home Xbox. Xbox will ask you to confirm — click Confirm and the change takes effect when ready.
If you do not see the console you want in the list, make sure it is turned on and connected to the internet, then wait a few minutes for it to appear. If it still does not show up, sign out of your account on that console and sign back in.
What happens to your games after you change
On your new home Xbox, all your games and Game Pass work for anyone on that console right away. On your old home Xbox, your games stop working for other users — they can only play if they are logged in as you. Your own account can still play your games on the old console by logging in as yourself, but shared access is gone.
This change is when ready. You do not need to restart the console or reinstall anything. If someone else is playing on the old console when you make the change, their game will keep running, but once they quit or the console restarts, they will not be able to start your games again unless they log in as you.
Change your home Xbox from the console itself
You can also change your home Xbox directly from the console, though the website method is faster. On your Xbox, press the Xbox button to open the guide. Go to Profile and system, then Settings. Select System, then Devices and connections, then Remote features.
Choose This is my home Xbox and confirm. You must be signed in as the account owner to make this change. If you are on a console you want to set as someone else's home Xbox, that person needs to sign in and make the change themselves.
Troubleshooting: Your console does not appear in the list
If you cannot see a console you want to set as your home Xbox, the most common reason is that it is offline or not linked to your account. Make sure the console is powered on and connected to your home network. Check that you are signed in to your account on that console at least once — new consoles need an initial sign-in before they appear in your account settings.
If the console is online and you have signed in, wait five to ten minutes and refresh the page on Xbox.com. Sometimes the console takes a few minutes to sync with your account. If it still does not appear, restart the console and try again. If you have changed your home Xbox many times recently, Xbox may temporarily prevent further changes as a security measure — wait 24 hours and try again.
What to do if you no longer own the old console
If you sold or gave away your old console and forgot to change your home Xbox first, you can still remove it from your account. Go to Xbox.com, sign in, and go to Settings > Devices and connections > Devices. Find the old console and click on it, then select Remove this device. This does not affect the person who now owns that console — it just removes it from your account so you can set a different home Xbox.
After you remove the old console, set your new console as your home Xbox using the steps above. Your games will then work for other users on the new console only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have more than one home Xbox?
No. You can only have one home Xbox per account at a time. If you set a new console as your home Xbox, the old one automatically stops being your home Xbox. You can change which console is your home Xbox whenever you need to.
Will my friends lose access to my games if I change my home Xbox?
Yes, if they were playing your games on the old console. On the new home Xbox, they will have access again. On the old console, they can only play if they log in as you. If you want them to keep playing on the old console, you should set that console as your home Xbox instead.
What if I change my home Xbox by mistake?
You can change it back when ready. Go to Xbox.com, sign in, and set the correct console as your home Xbox again. There is no penalty for changing it back, and the change takes effect right away.
Do I need to read my games again on the new home Xbox?
No. If your games are already installed on the new console, they work right away once you set it as your home Xbox. If they are not installed, you can read them from your library. You do not need to reinstall or re-read anything just because you changed your home Xbox.
What happens to my Game Pass when I change my home Xbox?
Your Game Pass subscription follows your home Xbox. On the new home Xbox, anyone can play Game Pass games. On the old console, Game Pass only works when you are logged in as yourself. If you have Game Pass Ultimate, your cloud saves and cloud gaming still work on any console where you are signed in.