Separating OneDrive access when going from 365 Personal to 365 Family on family member devise

Question

Separating OneDrive access when going from 365 Personal to 365 Family on family member devise

Milton Smeltz 0

Had a 365 Personal subscription on a PC with a separate laptop as a shared device. I could see the same OneDrive from either device from the taskbar of either devise. Switched to 365 Family and changed the shared device (laptop) to being a Family member. Set up a new Microsoft account using new email address for the "member" device. Was able to set up a separate OneDrive for the new address/account, but it appears to be only accessible via the web account vs the taskbar. The original OneDrive ("parent") is still displayed and accessible from the taskbar on the Family member devise. What I'm attempting to accomplish on the Family member devise is a separate OneDrive (in the taskbar) and to not have visibility or access to the "parent" (original) OneDrive.

I starting to think I should have completely removed all associated 365 Personal & OneDrive software/apps prior to changing the device to 365 Family member.

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Answer 1

Ian-T 10,695 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Milton Smeltz

You do not need to uninstall Microsoft 365. The subscription change affects licensing, but it does not automatically change which accounts are connected to the existing Windows profile.

For proper separation, the family member should use a separate Windows user account, then sign in to OneDrive and the Microsoft 365 apps with the family member’s own Microsoft account. Each person in a Microsoft 365 Family subscription keeps separate personal files and OneDrive storage.

Before removing the original Windows profile, make sure its OneDrive files have finished syncing and that any locally stored files needed by the original user are backed up. Creating the separate Windows profile is more reliable than only switching OneDrive accounts within the same shared Windows session.

I hope this helps

Ian-T 10,695 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-10T00:04:16.9333333+00:00

Hi @Milton Smeltz

Just checking in to see if my answer is helpful, please feel free to let me know if you need any further help

Answer 2

Yes — the current setup is using the old account in OneDrive on that laptop, which is why the original OneDrive still appears in the taskbar and remains accessible there.

For Microsoft 365 Family, each person should use their own Microsoft account. If multiple people use the same sign-in, OneDrive content appears shared because it is the same OneDrive account. A Family subscription is meant to be shared with up to five Microsoft accounts, not by reusing one login across devices.

To separate the Family member’s OneDrive on the laptop:

On the laptop, open the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar.
Open Help & Settings > Settings.
Go to the Account tab.
Remove the old account from OneDrive on that device. If needed, use Unlink this PC for the original account.
In the same Account tab, select Add an account.
Sign in with the Family member’s Microsoft account.

Expected result: the laptop will sync the Family member’s OneDrive in File Explorer/taskbar, instead of continuing to show the original personal OneDrive account.

Important limits and behavior:

On a Windows PC, OneDrive supports multiple work or school accounts, but only one personal OneDrive account.
If the laptop is still signed in with the original personal OneDrive account, that is the one being shown in the taskbar.
To keep files private and separated, each family member should sign in to Office and OneDrive with their own Microsoft account that has the Family benefit.

A full uninstall of Microsoft 365 is not the required first step based on the documented setup flow. The supported path is to remove or unlink the old OneDrive account from that PC and then add the Family member account in OneDrive settings.

If the goal is stronger separation on a shared laptop, using separate Windows user accounts is the cleanest setup so each person’s OneDrive stays isolated in their own Windows session.