'%3e%3cpath%20d='M8%200C12.4183%200%2016%203.58172%2016%208C16%2012.4183%2012.4183%2016%208%2016C3.58172%2016%200%2012.4183%200%208C0%203.58172%203.58172%200%208%200ZM11.6162%204.38379C11.2257%203.99337%2010.5927%203.99338%2010.2021%204.38379L8%206.58594L5.79785%204.38379C5.40732%203.99334%204.77429%203.99329%204.38379%204.38379C3.99331%204.77429%203.99335%205.40733%204.38379%205.79785L6.58594%208L4.38379%2010.2021C3.99348%2010.5927%203.99341%2011.2257%204.38379%2011.6162C4.77426%2012.0066%205.40734%2012.0065%205.79785%2011.6162L8%209.41406L10.2021%2011.6162C10.5927%2012.0066%2011.2257%2012.0067%2011.6162%2011.6162C12.0067%2011.2257%2012.0066%2010.5927%2011.6162%2010.2021L9.41406%208L11.6162%205.79785C12.0066%205.40735%2012.0066%204.77429%2011.6162%204.38379Z'%20fill='%23080E17'%20fill-opacity='0.46'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cdefs%3e%3cclipPath%20id='clip0_3761_713'%3e%3crect%20width='16'%20height='16'%20fill='white'/%3e%3c/clipPath%3e%3c/defs%3e%3c/svg%3e)
How to Combine Microsoft 365 Personal and Family Plans on Different Accounts
Question details
A user wants to move an account with an expiring Microsoft 365 Personal plan to an existing Microsoft 365 Family subscription owned by a different primary account, and wants to know if reinstalling Office is necessary.
- Product
- Microsoft 365
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Migrating a family member's standalone Personal subscription to a shared Family subscription under the parent's Microsoft account.
- Observed behavior
- The user needs to invite the daughter's account to the Family plan and refresh the Office license state without having to perform a full uninstallation and reinstallation of the software.
Ensure you have the login credentials for both the Microsoft account that owns the Family subscription and the account that currently holds the expiring Personal subscription.
Share the Microsoft 365 Family Subscription
Invite the account with the Personal plan to the existing Family subscription and refresh the local Office applications' license.
Microsoft 365 subscriptions remain tied to the accounts that purchased them. You cannot directly merge two accounts, but you can share the Family plan benefits with the account that currently uses the Personal plan.
Before the Personal plan expires, cancel its recurring billing so you are not charged again. You do not need to uninstall and reinstall the Office applications on the device.
Go to the Microsoft account Sharing page (account.microsoft.com/services) and log in with the account that purchased the Microsoft 365 Family subscription.
Click on 'Start sharing' or 'Share your subscription', choose to invite via email, and send the invitation to the email address associated with the daughter's Microsoft 365 Personal account.
Log out of the parent's account. Open the email invitation using the daughter's device, click 'Accept', and sign in with her Microsoft account to apply the Family benefits to her profile.
Open any installed Office application (like Word or Excel) on the daughter's device. Click on 'File' > 'Account', sign out of the current session, and then sign back in using her Microsoft account to activate the new Family license.
Looking for a Hassle-Free Office Suite? Try WPS Office
If managing multiple Microsoft 365 subscriptions, accounts, and sharing invitations is becoming frustrating, WPS Office offers a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative. You can enjoy premium office features without navigating complex family sharing rules.
- 1. Download the installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installation package for your device.
- 2. Install the software: Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to set up WPS Office on your computer.
- 3. Open and edit files immediately: Launch WPS Office and directly open your existing Microsoft Office files without needing to configure complex account subscriptions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to uninstall and reinstall Office after switching from Personal to Family?
No, you do not need to reinstall the Microsoft Office desktop applications. You simply need to sign out of the Office app under 'File > Account' and sign back in with the Microsoft account that accepted the Family invitation.
Will I lose my OneDrive files when switching to a Family plan under a different account?
No. As long as you accept the Family invitation using the same Microsoft account that currently holds your OneDrive files, your data and the 1 TB storage limit will remain intact.
What happens to the remaining time on the Microsoft 365 Personal subscription?
Because the Family plan is owned by a different account, the Personal plan's remaining time will not automatically convert or merge. It is highly recommended to turn off recurring billing on the Personal plan and let it expire, or contact Microsoft Support to cancel it.
Why does my Office app still show the expired Personal subscription after joining the Family plan?
The application might be caching old license data. To fix this, sign out of all Microsoft accounts in your Office app, close the application completely, reopen it, and sign back in with your account.
