Microsoft 365 family share link does not work

The expired previous subscription is not the cause. The issue is almost always with how the Family/Family Safety and sharing invitation are set up or accepted.

Work through these checks and fixes in order:

1. Confirm the parent can actually share

• On the parent’s account, go to the Microsoft 365 Subscriptions page.
• Verify the subscription is Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Premium and is active.
• If it is not Family or Premium, sharing via link will not work.

2. Make sure the parent is using the correct sharing method

• The parent must share from the Sharing page of the subscription, not by sending a product key.
• From the parent account:
  1. Go to the Microsoft 365 Subscriptions sharing page.
  2. Select Share / Start sharing.
  3. Choose either Email invite or Create link.
• Product keys cannot be used to share a subscription; if a product key was sent or entered on your side, it will not activate sharing.

3. Check the status of the invitation

• On the parent’s Share subscription area, there is a list of people the subscription is shared with.
• Check your email address entry:
  • If it shows Pending invite, the invitation has not been fully accepted.
  • If needed, the parent can select Resend invite.

4. Accept the invitation correctly

• Use the same email address that the parent entered when sharing.
• From the invitation email or link:
  1. Select Get started.
  2. Sign in with a Microsoft account (or create one if prompted).
  3. On the Microsoft Family Safety site, select Join now to join the parent’s family group.
• The subscription benefits only apply after joining the parent’s family group.

5. Check for “already in a family group” conflict

• If, when following the link, a message appears like “It looks like you’re already in a family group” or similar:
  • You are already in another Microsoft family group.
  • You must leave that other family group first, then open the invitation link again and join your parent’s family group.

6. Check if you are already on another shared subscription

• If your account is already using another shared Microsoft 365 Family/Premium subscription, the parent cannot share another one with you.
• In that case, you would need to be removed from the other shared subscription first.

7. If the link still “does nothing”

• Try opening the link in a different browser or device while signed out of all Microsoft accounts, then sign in only with the account that should receive the share.
• If the parent’s dashboard does not show you as Pending or Shared after you try, the safest fix is:
  1. Parent removes your entry from the sharing list.
  2. Parent sends a new invitation (preferably via email) to the correct address.
  3. You accept again as described in step 4.

If, after these steps, the link still fails and the parent’s subscription is confirmed active and shareable, the next step is for the parent (as subscription holder) to contact Microsoft support from the subscription help links.

References:

• Share your Microsoft 365 Family or Premium subscription
• How to share your Microsoft 365 Family subscription
• Troubleshoot sharing a Microsoft 365 subscription