How can I switch my Microsoft 365 subscription from E5 to a Family plan?

Question

Since 7+ years I have a Office/Microsoft 365 subscription of level E5 for myself and <5 family members. Since then I have retired and some of the family members have left the nest so I figured it could be considerably cheaper each month to switch to the family plan. However in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center there doesn't seem to be a way to achieve this... I can cancel the current E5 subscription but from there this is only a path to upgrade to the E5 plan I currently have or to a more expensive E5 variant. Any help to move me from E5 to the family plan (without loss of data obviously) would be greatly appreciated - thanks!

Answer 1

Hello,

E5 is a commercial product and Family plan is a consumer product. Microsoft's commercial and consumer products are from two separate ecosystems, this is why you won't be able to simply switch over or find it in Admin Center.

You will need to cancel your E5 license first in Admin Center > Billing > Your products

Then go sign up for the family plan here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/try-copilot/individuals

Please know that you need to have a separate personal Microsoft account to sign up for the family plan. If you don't have one yet, you can sign up via https://account.microsoft.com.