How to fix "Looks like this invitation link is not working" when joining family subscription

Question

I waited until my personal Microsoft subscription expired to join my wife's family subscription plan yet even though she shared it with me, I still get "Looks like this invitation link is not working". How do I join? I'm already a part of the Microsoft family safety group, she has sent me multiple invites, and the personal subscription has been expired for many days now.

Answer 1

Use these checks and steps to join the family subscription successfully:

1. Confirm the correct subscription type
   • Only an active Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Premium subscription can be shared.
   • The subscription owner (wife) must be the subscription holder and see Share / Share subscription on the Subscriptions page. If that option is missing, the subscription is not shareable.
2. Make sure there is a free share slot
   • A Microsoft 365 Family/Premium subscription can be shared with up to five other people.
   • If all share slots are used, the owner must remove someone before sharing again.
3. Verify family group and shared-subscription status
   • Sharing only works if the invitee joins the subscription owner’s family group.
   • If already in another family group, leave that group first, then accept the invitation to join the owner’s family group.
   • Also, if already part of another shared Microsoft 365 Family/Premium subscription, the subscription cannot be shared again because the full benefits are already assigned.
4. Use a fresh invitation
   • The invitation link must be accepted within 48 hours. After that it effectively stops working.
   • Ask the subscription owner to:
     1. Go to the Microsoft 365 Subscriptions sharing page: https://account.microsoft.com/services/office/sharing
     2. Select Share.
     3. Choose either:
        • Email invite → enter the Microsoft account email and select Invite, or
        • Create link → Copy link and send that link.
   • Open the new link promptly and select Get started, then Join now to join the family group and receive the subscription benefits.
5. Check email and junk folder
   • Ensure the invitation is sent to the correct Microsoft account address.
   • Check junk/spam for a message with “Microsoft 365” in the subject.
6. After successful join
   • Once the invitation is accepted and the family group join is complete, the subscription dashboard will update and show sharing as active for that account.
   • Then install Microsoft 365 from the account dashboard using the Install Microsoft 365 on all your devices option.

If all of the above are correct and a fresh invite still shows “invitation link is not working,” the owner should verify the subscription is active and not expired, and confirm that the invitee is not already consuming another shared Microsoft 365 Family/Premium subscription.

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References:

• Share your Microsoft 365 Family or Premium subscription
• Troubleshoot sharing a Microsoft 365 subscription
• how to download microsoft office 365 from subscription with multiple installs - Microsoft Q&A