Can't add friends

Question

I can't add friends or send friend requests on the XBOX app, even though I'm <PII removed> and can add friends according to my settings.

Answer 1

Hello PollyJunior,

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Answer 2

No me deja agregar amigos

Answer 3

Family and online safety settings can still block adding friends and sending friend requests, even when the account owner is an adult.

When an account is (or has been) part of a Microsoft family group, the organizer’s settings can override the account’s own preferences. This can happen even for adult accounts, and even after leaving or being removed from a family group. In some cases, joining or rejoining a family and having an organizer explicitly set everything to Allow has resolved issues with multiplayer and social features.

To fix this:

1. Check if the account is in a Microsoft family group
   • Go to the Microsoft Family Safety experience (for example, via the Family Safety app or web) and see whether the account is listed as a member.
   • If it is, ask the family organizer to:
     • Turn off or relax any features and activity reporting that might restrict communication or multiplayer.
     • Ensure Xbox and Windows 10 devices Online Safety settings (under the Xbox profile) are set to Allow for things like adding friends, joining multiplayer, and communication.
2. If the account was removed from a family but restrictions remain
   • Add the account back into a Microsoft family group.
   • As organizer, disable all restrictive “Features” and “Activity Reporting” for that member.
   • Sign in to the Xbox profile online and set all relevant Xbox and Windows 10 devices Online Safety options to Allow.
   • Leave the account as a family member, then sign out of Xbox games/apps, restart the device, and sign back in.

These steps have resolved similar issues where accounts (including adults) could not use multiplayer or social features like joining friends or Realms because family/Xbox safety settings were silently blocking them.

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References:

• Fix family activity reporting for Xbox
• Cannot access Minecraft Realm Stories but I have an adult account - Microsoft Q&A
• Family Safety Restrictions apply to account that has been removed - Microsoft Q&A