License & Subscription Issues

How to Share Microsoft 365 Family and Install OneDrive on iPad

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to share their Microsoft 365 Family subscription with another person and help them install OneDrive and Office apps on an iPad to access shared files.

Product: Microsoft 365 Family, OneDrive, Office apps
Device & OS: iPadOS
Scenario: Sharing a family subscription plan and setting up a secondary user's iPad to access cloud storage and document editing features.
Observed behavior: The goal is to successfully send a subscription invitation, download the required apps on the recipient's iPad, and grant them access to shared OneDrive storage and Office applications.

Before you start

Ensure you have an active Microsoft 365 Family subscription and that the recipient has their own Microsoft account ready to use on their iPad.

Solution 1Recommended

Share Subscription via Microsoft Account and Setup iPad Apps

Follow these steps to send a subscription invitation and configure the recipient's iPad with OneDrive and Office applications.

Microsoft 365 Family allows you to share your subscription benefits with up to five other people. Each person gets their own 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage and full access to Office applications.

Send the sharing invitation

Log into your Microsoft account on a web browser, navigate to 'Services & subscriptions', click on 'Sharing', and choose to email an invitation to the recipient.

Accept the invitation on the iPad

Have the recipient open their email app on the iPad, tap the 'Accept' button in the invitation email, and sign in with their own Microsoft account.

Install OneDrive and Office apps

Open the App Store on the iPad, search for 'Microsoft OneDrive' and 'Microsoft Office' (or individual Word/Excel apps), and download them.

Sign in to access files

Launch the newly installed OneDrive app on the iPad and sign in using the recipient's Microsoft account to instantly access their 1 TB cloud storage and shared files.

Independent Accounts: Even though you are sharing a subscription, the recipient's files and emails remain completely private and tied exclusively to their personal Microsoft account.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Use WPS Office as a Free iPad Office Alternative

If you want to avoid managing costly family subscriptions or dealing with multiple app downloads, WPS Office provides a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative for iPad users to view, edit, and share documents in one place.

1. Download WPS Office: Open the App Store on the iPad, search for WPS Office, and tap 'Get' to install it.
2. Connect to Cloud Storage: Launch WPS Office, navigate to the 'Cloud' or 'Open' tab, select 'Add Cloud Storage', and log into your preferred cloud service like OneDrive.
3. Edit files effortlessly: Tap on any document, spreadsheet, or presentation to open it and start editing instantly with powerful built-in tools.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formats.All-in-one app for documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs on iPad.Free to use with a familiar, easy-to-navigate touch interface.Seamlessly connects to major cloud drives, including OneDrive, Google Drive, and iCloud.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription with an iPad user?

No, the Microsoft 365 Personal plan is intended for only one person. To share subscription benefits with others, you must upgrade to the Microsoft 365 Family plan.

Do I need a separate Microsoft account to accept a shared Family subscription?

Yes, the person you are sharing with must have their own Microsoft account. They will use this personal account to sign into OneDrive and Office apps on their iPad without exposing their private files to you.

Are Office apps free to use on an iPad without a subscription?

If your iPad screen size is 10.1 inches or smaller, you can perform basic editing for free. For larger iPads (like the iPad Pro), a Microsoft 365 subscription is required to edit documents. Alternatively, you can use WPS Office for free document editing on any iPad.

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