Family Account Sharing Error

Question

I have had a Microsoft account for a VERY long time. It was my primary then created a second one about 6 years ago that I was using professional reasons which became bogged down so I just recently (within the past month) created a third account that I plan to use solely for job/important personal business. I want to make this my primary one to be able to use for a 365 subscription. The one I have been paying for is on the original account and is only a Personal account. I set the plan for the Family one up under the brand new one. I sent an invite to the original AND the second one. The second one joined just fine but the original one is giving the error below. I have tried sharing using an email and, when that didn't work, I tried the option to get a link and tried using the link. Any suggestions?

"Looks like this invitation link is not working. 1 more step to go: Please ask organizer to go Subscriptions tab on account.microsoft.com and click on Start Sharing for you."

Answer 1

Could you elaborate on what you are trying to do, exactly?

It is possible to keep multiple accounts for different purposes and still have them share one and the same subscription. The account which pays for the subscription can invite other accounts to share, as you know. Sharing works if you have a Microsoft 365 Family (or 365 Premium) subscription.

You also mention a 365 Personal subscription, and it won't be possible to use it with an account that also has a Microsoft 365 Family subscription (if that is what you are trying to do).

Answer 2

That error usually means the original account has not fully joined the subscription owner’s Microsoft family group yet, or it is already associated with another family group.

Try this in order:

1. Confirm the subscription type on the new account.
   • Sharing only works with an active Microsoft 365 Family or Microsoft 365 Premium subscription.
   • Sharing is not available for Microsoft 365 Personal or Microsoft 365 Basic.
2. On the new account that owns the Family subscription, go to the Sharing page and check the invite status.
   • Sign in with the new account at the Microsoft account Sharing page.
   • On the Sharing tab, select Start sharing.
   • Check whether the original account shows as pending, accepted, or needs to be re-invited.
3. Re-send the invitation to the original account using the exact Microsoft account email that should receive the benefit.
   • Microsoft states the email used to invite someone should also be the email they use for the shared Microsoft 365 subscription.
   • If email does not work, use Invite via link, then sign in with that same original Microsoft account when accepting.
4. Check whether the original account is already in another Microsoft family group.
   • If it is, that account must leave the other family group first.
   • Microsoft states sharing is only possible if the invitee joins and remains in the subscription owner’s family group.
   • This is also the documented cause of the “already in a family group” problem.
5. After accepting, verify that the original account actually joined the new account’s family group.
   • The subscription owner’s dashboard updates only after the invited person selects Join now and joins the family group.
   • If that step did not complete, the invitation link can appear not to work.
6. If the original account previously had its own Microsoft 365 Personal subscription, let that subscription expire or remain canceled before expecting the Family benefit to appear on that account.
   • A Microsoft account cannot hold both a Personal and a Family-shared license at the same time, based on the similar Microsoft Q&A resolution in context.
   • Temporary warnings about the old subscription ending can still appear during the transition.
7. If the original account still does not activate under the Family plan, remove and re-share it.
   • From the subscription owner account, remove the original account from sharing.
   • If needed, remove it from the family group.
   • Then send a fresh invitation and accept it again from the original account.
8. If the original account accepts successfully but OneDrive still shows only 5 GB, wait up to 2 hours, then go to Manage storage and Refresh.

Important limits and behavior:

• Only the subscription account holder can share the subscription.
• A Family subscription can be shared with up to five other people.
• Product keys cannot be used for sharing.
• AI features and extended storage benefits for the owner cannot be shared with additional family members.

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