How Do I Connect A Device To Microsoft Family

Question

Basically, the title is what the article is about. I can't connect my Microsoft Device to Microsoft family, and this problem has been persisting. Every time I try to connect my device, it tells me to go to settings, accounts, family settings, and to connect it, the problem being that the advertisement screen for it takes me right back to where I started creating a loop. I can't find a way to fix the problem, and the loop keeps persisting, so can you help me, please?

Answer 1

Hi Jacob Gogul,

In addition to the steps already advised above, if the setup loop still persists, I recommend trying the following on the child’s device:

• Make sure the child account is set as a Standard user (not Administrator): Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users, select the child account, then choose Change account type and set it to Standard user.

While signed in as the child, verify the account: Go to Settings > Accounts and select Verify if prompted to complete account verification.

• Refresh Family Safety locally: Press Windows + R, type cmd then run:

schtasks /run /tn "Microsoft\Windows\Shell\FamilySafetyRefreshTask"

Restart the device, then sign in again using the child account to complete device registration.

I hope this helps get the device connected successfully. Please let me know how it goes or if you need any further assistance.

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Answer 2

To connect a Windows device to Microsoft Family and avoid the loop, ensure the child account is correctly added on the device and in the family group, then complete the “Allow” step from the organizer account.

Follow these steps on the Windows device where the loop occurs:

1. Open Windows settings.
2. Go to Accounts.
3. Go to Family & other people (or Family on some builds).
4. Under Your family, locate the child’s Microsoft account.
5. Select the child, then select Allow.
6. Sign out of Windows, then sign back in with the child’s account so the device can register as connected.

Important: The child’s account on the PC must be a standard user, not an administrator. Family features may not work properly if the child’s account is set as an administrator, which can cause issues like loops or incomplete setup.

After this, the device should appear in the child’s connected devices in Microsoft Family, and Family Safety features (screen time, activity reporting, etc.) can be managed from the family group.

If the loop still persists after confirming the above, verify that the family group itself is correctly set up and that the child is properly added there, then repeat the steps to connect the device.

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References:

• How to connect a device to a Microsoft account
• Set up Microsoft Family Safety