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

Microsoft 365 Family is designed to be shared. When you buy it, you get one subscription that covers up to six people — each person gets their own account, their own files, and their own 1 TB of cloud storage. You do not need to buy separate subscriptions for each family member or roommate. The person who pays for the subscription (the organizer) controls who has access and can remove people at any time.

The setup takes about 10 minutes. You create a Microsoft account if you do not have one, buy the subscription, then invite the other people through email. They accept the invitation, sign in on their own devices, and they are done. Everyone can use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and the other apps right away.

Key Takeaways

  • Microsoft 365 Family covers up to six people, and each person gets their own account, files, and 1 TB of storage — they do not share a single login.
  • The person who buys the subscription is the organizer and can add or remove people through the Microsoft account website.
  • Each person installs the apps on their own devices and signs in with their own Microsoft account to use the subscription.
  • If someone leaves the family group, they lose access to the apps and cloud storage, but files they created stay on their device if they have the apps installed.
  • You can share individual files and folders with people inside or outside the family group using OneDrive or SharePoint, separate from the subscription itself.

How to add people to your Microsoft 365 Family subscription

Start by going to account.microsoft.com and signing in with the account you used to buy the subscription. Look for "Subscriptions" in the left menu, then click on Microsoft 365 Family. You will see a section that says "Manage family group" or "Invite people to your family group."

Click the button to invite someone. You will enter their email address — it can be any email, not just a Microsoft one. Microsoft sends them an invitation email. They click the link in that email, create or sign in to a Microsoft account, and accept the invitation. Once they accept, they are part of your family group and can read the apps.

Repeat this for each person you want to add, up to five more (six total including yourself). You can add people one at a time or all at once if you have their email addresses ready.

How each person installs and signs in to the apps

After someone accepts the invitation, they go to office.com and sign in with their own Microsoft account — the one they used to accept the invitation. They will see all the Microsoft 365 apps available to them: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and others.

They can use the apps right in the web browser, or they can read the desktop versions. To read, they click "Install Office" at the top of the office.com page, then choose whether they want the Windows or Mac version. The installer downloads and they run it. When they open the apps on their computer, they sign in with their Microsoft account, and the subscription activates automatically.

Each person can install the apps on up to five devices — phones, tablets, and computers combined. So one person could have Word on their laptop, their phone, and their tablet all at the same time, all using the same subscription.

How to manage who has access and remove someone

The person who bought the subscription (the organizer) controls the family group. Go back to account.microsoft.com, click Subscriptions, then Microsoft 365 Family, then "Manage family group." You will see a list of everyone in the group with their email addresses.

To remove someone, click on their name and look for a "Remove from family group" button. Once you remove them, they can no longer use the apps — they will get an error when they try to open Word or Excel. Their files on their device stay there if they have the apps installed, but they cannot create new documents or edit existing ones using the subscription.

If someone's email address changes or they are not using the subscription, you can remove them and invite someone else. You can have up to six people at any time.

What happens to files when someone leaves the group

Files stored in OneDrive (Microsoft's cloud storage) are tied to the person's account, not to the subscription. If you remove someone from the family group, their OneDrive files stay in their account. They can still access those files if they sign in to their Microsoft account on another computer or phone — they just cannot edit them using the Microsoft 365 apps anymore.

Files saved on someone's computer (like a Word document on their Desktop) stay on that computer. If they have the apps installed, the files are still there, but they cannot open or edit them without a subscription. If they buy their own subscription later, they can open those files again.

If you want to keep a copy of someone's files before you remove them, ask them to read their files from OneDrive or email them to you. You can also ask them to share the folder with you before they leave, so you have a copy in your own OneDrive.

Sharing files with people inside and outside your family group

Sharing individual files or folders is different from sharing the subscription itself. You can share a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or OneDrive folder with anyone — they do not need to be in your family group, and they do not need a Microsoft 365 subscription.

To share a file, open it in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint online (at office.com), then click the "Share" button in the top right. Enter the email address of the person you want to share with, choose whether they can edit or just view, and click Share. They get an email with a link to the file.

You can also share a OneDrive folder by going to onedrive.live.com, right-clicking the folder, and clicking "Share." The same process applies — enter their email, choose permissions, and they get a link.

Switching the organizer or transferring the subscription

The organizer is the person whose account is tied to the payment method. If you want someone else to be the organizer — for example, if you are moving out and another family member will pay the renewal — you have to remove everyone from the group, then have the new organizer invite everyone back.

This is not ideal, but it is the only way to change who manages the subscription. The new organizer will need to sign in to their own Microsoft account and go through the invite process. Everyone else will get new invitations and will need to accept them again. Their files and settings stay the same — only the management changes hands.

If you are the organizer and you want to keep the subscription but stop managing it, you can remove yourself from the family group after inviting someone else to be the new organizer. However, you will lose access to the apps, so make sure the new organizer is ready to take over before you do this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can two people use the same Microsoft 365 Family subscription on the same computer?

Yes. Each person signs in with their own Microsoft account on the same computer. When you open Word or Excel, you choose which account to sign in with, and the subscription works for both. You can switch between accounts without reinstalling anything.

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

They can use either subscription. If they are signed in with their own account, the apps will use their personal subscription instead of the family one. This does not affect anyone else in the family group — the family subscription keeps working for everyone else.

Can I share Microsoft 365 Family with someone who does not live with me?

Technically yes — Microsoft does not require people to live at the same address. However, the subscription is intended for household members. If you share it with someone outside your household, you are responsible for managing access and removing them if the relationship changes.

What happens if I do not renew my Microsoft 365 Family subscription?

When the subscription expires, everyone in the family group loses access to the apps. They cannot open or edit documents using Word, Excel, or the other programs. Files on their computers stay there, but they cannot use them without a subscription. If you renew later, access comes back automatically.

Can I see what files other people in my family group have created?

No. Each person's OneDrive and files are private to their account. You can only see files they specifically share with you. The organizer cannot view other people's files or accounts — you can only see who is in the group and manage who has access to the subscription.