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How can I share my Family account?

Tom Linafelt 0 Reputation points
2026-05-30T16:04:17.72+00:00

My wife is having trouble accessing Word, even though I have shared my Family account with her

Microsoft 365 and Office | Microsoft Family Safety | For home | Windows
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  1. Gunasekar N 68,335 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-30T16:43:26.19+00:00

    Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

    When signed into her account, visit the Services & Subscriptions page here and check whether the Office 365 license is listed: https://account.microsoft.com/services

    If the shared Office 365 Family license isn't visible on her account:

    1. Open a different browser or device and sign in with your account at the same link.
    2. Share the Office 365 Family subscription by sending an invitation via email or by copying and sending the sharing link directly.
    3. Have her accept the invitation using her account.
    4. Confirm that the subscription now appears on her account.
    5. Once confirmed, sign out of Office and sign back in with her account or reinstall the Office apps if needed.

    Let me know if you still need more help.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-30T16:04:37.0166667+00:00

    To ensure a spouse can use Word with a Microsoft 365 Family subscription, two things must be correct: the subscription must be shared properly, and the spouse must accept the sharing invitation and use the correct account.

    1. Confirm the subscription type
    • Only Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Premium can be shared with other people.
    • Microsoft 365 Personal or Basic cannot be shared; if the subscription is Basic, it does not include desktop Word at all.
    1. Share the Family subscription correctly
    • Sign in as the subscription owner at the Microsoft 365 Subscriptions sharing page: https://account.microsoft.com/services/office/sharing.
    • Select Share (or Start sharing).
    • If the spouse is not yet in the family group, send an email invitation or create a link so they can join the family group.
    • Choose one of:
      • Email invite → enter the spouse’s email → Invite.
      • Create link → Copy link → send that link by email/text.
    • The spouse must select Get started in the email, then Join now to join the family group and accept the subscription sharing. They must do this within 48 hours.
    1. Verify the invitation status
    • As the owner, go back to the subscription sharing page and open Share subscription.
    • Check if the spouse shows as:
      • Pending invite → resend the invite if needed.
      • Active → sharing is complete.
    1. Install and use Word under the spouse’s account
    • Once sharing is active, the spouse signs in at https://account.microsoft.com with the same Microsoft account that accepted the invite.
    • From their account dashboard, select Install Microsoft 365 on all your devices to install the apps.
    • When opening Word, ensure it is signed in with the spouse’s Microsoft account that is part of the family group.
    1. If Word still does not work
    • If the subscription is Microsoft 365 Basic, desktop Word will not activate; only web and mobile apps are available. In that case, upgrade to Microsoft 365 Personal or Family for desktop apps.
    • If the spouse is in another family group, they must leave that group before accepting the Family subscription invite.

    Note: AI features like Copilot and extended storage are only available to the subscription owner and cannot be shared, even when the Family subscription is shared successfully.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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