Your family can’t access your Xbox Game Pass games from their own profiles until the shared console is set as “My home Xbox.” Set it once, protect the owner’s account, and everyone can keep separate saves, achievements, and settings.
Fix #1: Check the account and subscription
- Find the Microsoft account that pays for the active Xbox Game Pass subscription.
- Confirm the plan includes console access. If your household needs online console multiplayer, check that the plan includes it.
- Choose the one Xbox Series X, Series S, or Xbox One your family will share.
- Keep that console online during setup.
Expected result: You know which account owns Game Pass and which console will become its Home Xbox.
What Is My Home Xbox?
“My home Xbox” is the console’s built-in license-sharing feature. It lets other profiles on one chosen console use eligible digital games and supported benefits from the owner’s active Game Pass plan.
The owner doesn’t need to stay signed in on the Home Xbox. Give each family member a separate Microsoft account so saves, achievements, friends, privacy controls, play history, and parental settings don’t get mixed together.
Each account can have only one Home Xbox. Choosing another console removes owner-independent sharing from the previous one. Xbox allows up to five Home Xbox changes within a rolling 12-month period that starts counting from your first change, not a fixed calendar year, and the console’s My home Xbox screen shows how many changes you have left and the next available date. Save those changes for times when you actually need them.
Prerequisites
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, or Xbox One
- Microsoft account with an active, eligible Xbox Game Pass subscription
- Separate Microsoft account for each family member
- Internet connection for setup, downloads, and license checks
- Access to the subscriber’s profile during initial setup
- A Game Pass tier that includes online console multiplayer if family profiles need multiplayer
- Optional second Xbox for the subscriber’s online, non-home-console access
Security note: Do this only on a trusted household console. Don’t share the subscriber’s password or make everyone use one player profile.
Step-by-Step Guide
Fix #2: Add the subscriber’s account to the family console
- Turn on the Xbox your family will use.
- Press the Xbox button on the Xbox Wireless Controller.
- Open Profile & system.
- Select Add or switch.
- Select Add new.
- Enter the email address for the Microsoft account that owns Game Pass Ultimate.
- Complete the normal sign-in process. Don’t expose or save credentials anywhere outside the trusted console.
- Select the subscriber’s profile after adding it.
Console menus can’t always be captured safely. Compare this path with the official My home Xbox documentation. Never capture an account chooser, password, CAPTCHA, one-time code, or security challenge.
Expected result: The Game Pass owner appears as a selectable profile on the family console.
Fix #3: Make the console the subscriber’s Home Xbox
- Sign in with the Microsoft account that owns Game Pass.
- Press the Xbox button.
- Go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Personalization > My home Xbox.
- Read the status and change-limit details on the page.
- Select Make this my home Xbox if that button appears.
- Confirm the change.
- Enter the profile PIN or passkey if asked.
Pay attention to the button text. It tells you the console’s current status:
- Make this my home Xbox means the console isn’t currently the account’s Home Xbox. Select it to activate sharing here.
- Remove this as my home Xbox means the console is already designated. Leave it alone unless you want to stop sharing on this console.
Moving Home Xbox status to another console uses one of the account’s allowed changes. The page may also show how many changes remain.
Expected result: The page offers Remove this as my home Xbox, which confirms the designation is active.
Fix #4: Add a separate profile for each family member
- Press the Xbox button.
- Open Profile & system > Add or switch.
- Select Add new.
- Sign in with the family member’s own Microsoft account.
- Repeat these steps for everyone who’ll use the console.
- Open Settings > Account > Family settings if a parent needs to add a child to a Microsoft family group or manage age, privacy, screen-time, and purchase controls.
- Require a passkey for purchases on the subscriber’s profile.
Separate profiles prevent the classic household mess: overwritten saves, mixed achievements, and purchases made from the wrong account.
Expected result: Every family member has an individual console profile, and nobody needs to play through the subscriber’s account.
Fix #5: Install a shared Game Pass game
- Sign the subscriber out. This tests whether owner-independent sharing works.
- Sign in with a family member’s profile.
- Press the Xbox button.
- Select My games & apps > See all.
- Open Full library.
- Browse the available Game Pass or owned-game library.
- Select an eligible title.
- Select Install all, or choose the components you need.
- Wait for installation to finish.
- Launch the title from the family member’s profile.
Expected result: The game opens without asking the family member to buy Game Pass while the subscriber is signed out.
Home Xbox shares eligible digital-game and subscription licenses. Some extras stay tied to the buyer or publisher account, including virtual currency, consumables, preorder bonuses, and certain DLC packs.
Fix #6: Configure two Xbox consoles for simultaneous use
- Keep the family console set as the subscriber’s Home Xbox.
- Add the subscriber’s profile to the second, non-home Xbox.
- Connect the second Xbox to the internet.
- Sign in on that console with the subscribing account.
- Keep the account signed in and online while using its licenses.
- Have the family member sign in with their own profile on the Home Xbox.
- Launch the eligible game separately on each console.
Expected result: A family member can play on the Home Xbox while the subscriber plays online on the second Xbox. The same Game Pass game may work on both when its license, publisher account, and servers allow simultaneous sessions.
Don’t use the same Microsoft account for gameplay on both consoles at once. Xbox may interrupt one session or sign out the account. This setup works because the family member uses the Home Xbox license under a separate profile, while the subscriber’s second console checks the license online.
Configuration
Home Xbox and offline access
The Home Xbox is the better choice for family members who may need offline access. Eligible owned games can use its local license while the subscriber is signed out. Online-only games, multiplayer, subscription checks, and publisher services may still require internet access.
Online multiplayer
Family profiles can share online console multiplayer only if the owner’s active Game Pass tier includes it. A game may also require a publisher account, age permission, or its own online service.
Account removal and purchase protection
Once sharing works, the owner can open Settings > Account > Remove accounts and remove the subscriber’s visible profile if it isn’t needed. The Home Xbox designation should remain, but launch a shared game afterward to confirm.
Keeping the profile is often more convenient. Protect it with a passkey and require authentication for purchases, especially when children or guests share an Xbox Wireless Controller.
Windows PC account arrangement
Windows doesn’t have a My home Xbox setting, and this section is not the same feature. It’s an unofficial workaround: some third-party instructions pair the subscriber’s Microsoft Store account with another player’s Xbox app account, but Microsoft’s Home Xbox documentation doesn’t define this as an official family-sharing program. Results are game-dependent and can fail with licensing or DRM errors unless the Microsoft Store and Xbox app accounts on the PC are set up to match.
- Open Microsoft Store on Windows.
- Select the profile icon.
- Check whether the Store account owns the applicable PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
- Open the Xbox app.
- Select the profile picture.
- Open Settings > Account.
- Check which account is the active player profile.
- Test one eligible PC Game Pass title before downloading several large games.
- If you see a license, DRM, publisher-account, or account-mismatch error, sign in to both Microsoft Store and the Xbox app with the subscription owner’s account. Then confirm that normal access works.
This split-account method is unofficial and varies by game. Account mismatches can also cause errors, so don’t treat it as the PC version of Home Xbox.
macOS
Xbox provides no macOS Home Xbox setting, native Xbox app sharing workflow, or supported equivalent. Use an Xbox console for Home Xbox sharing.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Fix #7: Refresh missing games and licenses
- Confirm the subscriber’s Home Xbox page shows Remove this as my home Xbox.
- Hold the Xbox button on the Xbox Wireless Controller.
- Select Restart console.
- Select Restart.
- Reconnect the console to the internet.
- Open My games & apps > See all > Full library.
- Search for the missing title in Microsoft Store if it still doesn’t appear.
Expected result: The console refreshes the shared library and recognizes the Home Xbox licenses.
This restart is the first fix worth trying when the designation looks correct. It usually clears a stale library or license check without changing your setup.
Fix #8: Check why a family profile is asked to buy Game Pass
- Sign in with the account that pays for Game Pass.
- Open Settings > General > Personalization > My home Xbox.
- Select Make this my home Xbox if it appears.
- Confirm the subscriber’s Game Pass plan is active.
- Confirm the game is in that plan’s console catalog.
- Restart the console.
- Test a second eligible title.
Expected result: With a valid designation and subscription, the family profile can launch eligible games without buying another subscription.
If one game fails but another opens, check that game’s edition and publisher rules. Your Home Xbox setup is probably working.
Fix #9: Correct sign-outs on two consoles
- Stop using the subscriber’s profile for the family member’s gameplay.
- Sign the family member into their own profile on the Home Xbox.
- Sign the subscriber into the subscribing account only on the second Xbox.
- Keep the second Xbox online.
- Restart both game sessions.
Expected result: The Home Xbox uses the family profile, while the second console checks the subscriber’s online license without account-session conflicts.
The separate profiles matter here. Two active sessions under one account can knock each other offline at the worst possible moment.
Fix #10: Resolve online multiplayer access
- Verify that the subscriber’s active Game Pass tier includes online console multiplayer.
- Confirm the family console remains the subscriber’s Home Xbox.
- Restart the console.
- Test another online multiplayer title.
- If only one game fails, check its publisher account, age restriction, and service status.
Expected result: Shared multiplayer works when the subscription includes the benefit and the game meets its own requirements.
Fix #11: Handle the Home Xbox change limit
- Open Settings > General > Personalization > My home Xbox.
- Read the displayed change allowance before selecting anything.
- Stop switching consoles if the account has reached its limit of up to five changes in the relevant yearly period.
- Wait for another change to become available.
- Contact Xbox Support if the displayed allowance looks wrong.
Expected result: You avoid wasting another change or repeating a designation that Xbox has blocked.
I’d skip further switching once the page shows you’ve reached the limit. Repeating the same attempt won’t restore an allowance.
FAQ
Is there an official Xbox Game Pass family plan?
No. Xbox doesn’t currently offer a formal Game Pass family plan. My home Xbox shares supported licenses on one console; it doesn’t create a multi-member subscription.
What happened to Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family?
Microsoft’s limited Friends & Family test ended in August 2023. It isn’t a current Game Pass plan.
Does the Game Pass owner need to stay signed in?
The owner doesn’t need to stay signed in on the designated Home Xbox. On a second, non-home Xbox, the owner generally must remain signed in and online so Xbox can check the license.
How many consoles can share one subscription?
One console can be designated as the account’s Home Xbox. The subscriber can also use the account online on a second, non-home console, but that console doesn’t gain Home Xbox status.
Can two people play the same game simultaneously?
Often, yes. A family member uses a separate profile on the Home Xbox while the subscriber plays online through the subscribing account on another Xbox. Game licenses, publisher accounts, servers, and title-specific rules may still block simultaneous use.
Can the same account play on both consoles simultaneously?
Don’t run two gameplay sessions with the same Microsoft account. Xbox may close one session or sign the account out.
Does Home Xbox work offline?
Eligible Home Xbox licenses can work offline. Online-only games, multiplayer, subscription checks, and publisher services may still require internet access.
Are DLC, consumables, and in-game purchases shared?
Some eligible downloadable content can be shared. Consumables, currency, preorder items, publisher-account benefits, and profile-bound purchases often stay with the buyer. Check the item’s Store listing and the publisher’s rules.
Is Home Xbox sharing safe outside the household?
Home Xbox exposes useful licenses on the chosen console, and moving it uses a limited change. Use it only on a trusted console. Protect the owner’s profile with a passkey, require purchase approval, and never share the account password.
Wrapping Up
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verify the subscription owner | All households |
| 2 | Designate one Home Xbox | Xbox Series X, Series S, Xbox One |
| 3 | Add separate family profiles | Shared console |
| 4 | Test while the owner is signed out | Home Xbox |
| 5 | Keep the owner online | Second, non-home Xbox |
Setting the family console as My home Xbox is the setup that usually works. It keeps the subscriber signed out while everyone else uses separate profiles.
If eligible games still ask for payment after you check the designation, subscription, and restart the console, contact Xbox Support. Don’t spend another limited Home Xbox change unless you’re moving sharing to a different console.