To share eligible digital Xbox games with people in your household, sign in on the intended console with the Microsoft account that bought the games, then open Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox and choose Make this my Home Xbox. The console receives the account’s device license, so other people can use their own Xbox profiles to play eligible content there. The purchasing account keeps its user license and can use the content on another console while signed in, but the same game cannot be played on two consoles at once.
What Home Xbox actually shares
Home Xbox is a license-setting feature, not an ownership transfer. Microsoft’s digital-goods rules describe two licenses for a digital purchase:
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- Device license: attached to the console designated as the account’s Home console. People using that console can use eligible games and other content licensed to the device.
- User license: attached to the Microsoft account that acquired the content. The owner can use that account on another Xbox, subject to Microsoft’s simultaneous-use rules.
When you designate a console as Home Xbox, you are assigning the device license to that hardware. You are not moving the purchase into another person’s account, merging profiles, or giving another profile permanent ownership. A household member should normally sign in with their own Xbox profile; the purchasing account remains the account that holds the entitlement under Microsoft’s rules.
The practical result is that the designated console can be shared by several profiles without the buyer staying signed in for every session. This is useful for a family console, a shared living-room Xbox, or any household in which people use one primary machine. It does not require a second console, a special controller, a cable, or another accessory.
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Before you begin
Check these conditions before changing the setting:
- You can sign in to the Microsoft/Xbox account that purchased the digital games or holds the relevant subscription.
- You have physical access to the console that the household wants to share.
- The titles are digital products and are eligible for device sharing. Some add-ons and downloadable items are restricted to personal use.
- You understand which console is currently designated as Home Xbox. One account can have only one Home console at a time.
- If the account has recently changed Home consoles, you know that Microsoft limits the number of changes in a rolling period.
If a game was bought on disc, Home Xbox does not turn it into a digital entitlement. Disc-based games still require the disc and are governed by their own licensing requirements.
How to set a console as Home Xbox
- Use the console you want the household to share. Turn on that Xbox and connect it to the internet if sign-in or entitlement information is requested.
- Sign in with the purchasing Microsoft account. Use the account that owns the digital game, downloadable product, or subscription you are trying to make available.
- Open the Home Xbox setting. Go to Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox. Microsoft’s developer documentation identifies this as the settings path; wording can change slightly with dashboard updates.
- Choose “Make this my Home Xbox.” If the console is already designated, the page will show that status rather than asking you to make it Home again.
- Let the setting finish. Keep the account signed in while the console applies the license assignment. Once it is complete, the other users can sign in with their own profiles and try the eligible games.
There is no separate “share” invitation to send. The Home-console designation is the mechanism that grants the device license to that hardware.
What other household profiles can do afterward
On the designated console, another person can use their own Xbox profile to launch eligible digital games licensed to the device. Their saves, achievements, settings, friends list, and parental controls remain associated with their profile rather than the purchasing account.
They should not need to use the buyer’s profile merely to access a game that is covered by the Home-console device license. Keeping profiles separate is also safer: it prevents accidental purchases, protects account information, and makes it clear which person owns a save file or achievement record.
Sharing is limited to the products covered by the device license. A digital game may be available while a particular add-on, virtual currency item, or temporary boost is not. Treat “eligible digital games and content” as the accurate description, rather than assuming that every item visible in the buyer’s library is shared.
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Using the purchasing account on another Xbox
The purchasing account can use its user license on a different console by signing in there. This is the arrangement that lets the account owner play away from the household’s Home Xbox while other profiles use the Home console.
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The account owner must be signed in on the second console for the user license to work. If the account is signed out, the second console may not have the device license and therefore may not be able to start the game. The Home console is the one intended to provide access to other profiles without the purchaser’s account being signed in.
Microsoft’s rule is explicit: “Games can only be played on one console at a time.” In practical terms, do not expect the buyer to run the same digital game on the second console while another person runs that same game on the Home console. The restriction concerns concurrent use of the game, not ownership of the account or the ability to install it on both consoles.
One console or two? Choose the arrangement that fits
| Household situation | Recommended arrangement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Several people normally play on one shared Xbox | Make that Xbox the purchasing account’s Home Xbox | Other profiles can use eligible device-licensed games without the buyer staying signed in. |
| The buyer plays on a second Xbox while others use the shared console | Keep the shared console as Home Xbox; sign the buyer’s account in on the second Xbox | The Home console supplies the device license, while the buyer uses the user license elsewhere. |
| Two people want to play the same digital game simultaneously on separate consoles | Home Xbox sharing alone does not satisfy this requirement | Microsoft’s rules allow a game to be played on only one console at a time. |
| The household has only one Xbox | Set that existing Xbox as Home Xbox | A second console is not needed to configure or use the feature. |
| The household is considering moving the Home designation between consoles | Change it only when the access pattern genuinely changes | Home-console changes are limited, so frequent switching can leave the account unable to make another change when needed. |
When deciding between two consoles, focus on four questions: which console needs access for profiles other than the buyer, where offline use of device-licensed games matters, whether the buyer needs to play on another console, and how many Home-console changes have already been used.
The five-change limit
Microsoft Support states: “You can change your ‘Home’ console up to 5 times during a one-year period.” That is not a calendar-year allowance that resets every January. Microsoft describes the period as rolling from the first assignment or change. After the limit is reached, the console reports when another change becomes available.
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Changing the setting moves the device licenses to the new Home console. The previous console no longer has the purchasing account’s Home-console device license, so profiles that relied on that license may lose access there.
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Before confirming a change, decide which Xbox is the household’s long-term shared machine. Avoid switching the designation simply to test a game, troubleshoot a sign-in problem, or provide a short-term convenience to someone outside the household. If the account has reached its limit, changing consoles again may not be immediately possible.
Games, add-ons, and downloadable content are not identical
Microsoft’s product-sharing guidance allows sharing of eligible games and content, but it also warns that some add-ons and downloadable products may be for personal use only. The examples given include in-game currency and limited-time boosts. Those items can remain tied to the profile that bought them even when the underlying game is available on the Home console.
Before promising a household member access to an item, separate the product into three questions:
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- Is the add-on licensed to the device or restricted to the purchasing user?
- Does the item depend on a service, account, region, edition, or limited-time promotion with separate terms?
If the answer for an add-on is unclear, check the applicable product terms rather than treating the game’s availability as proof that every purchase attached to it is shared.
Subscriptions and Game Pass access
Microsoft’s rules refer users to separate Xbox Game Pass and digital-game terms for the conditions that apply to subscription-enabled content. The Home-console model can apply to subscription content, but that does not establish that every current subscription tier, cloud feature, perk, or regional benefit is available to every profile.
Use the conservative approach:
- Set the intended console as Home Xbox using the account that holds the subscription.
- Test the specific game or benefit with the other profile.
- Check the current terms for the exact subscription tier and region if access is denied or a feature is missing.
Do not describe Home Xbox as sharing an entire account or every benefit attached to a subscription. The device license covers only what the applicable license and service rules make shareable.
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Offline access and network checks
A Home console has a device license, which is why other profiles can use eligible content there without the purchasing account being signed in. That does not justify a blanket promise that every title, service, or subscription feature will work offline indefinitely. Individual games and services can impose their own license checks or online requirements.
If a game works for the buyer but not for another profile, check the arrangement in this order:
- Confirm that the console is still listed as My home Xbox for the account that owns the game.
- Confirm that the other person is using the profile intended for play, not an account with a sign-in or parental restriction.
- Check whether the item is a personal-use add-on, virtual currency, boost, or other non-shareable product rather than the base game.
- Connect the console to the internet and allow license or subscription information to refresh.
- Sign out and back in to the purchasing account only for verification; do not leave that account permanently in use if the other person should play on their own profile.
- Review the title’s current license and service terms if the game still requires an online check or refuses to start offline.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Setting the wrong console as Home Xbox
The setting applies to the console on which you perform the change. If you sign in at a friend’s or a temporary console and make it Home Xbox, the device license moves there. Return to the household console and change the designation back only if you still have an available change.
Assuming the buyer must stay signed in
On the Home console, other profiles are meant to use the device license. Leaving the buyer signed in can create privacy and account-security problems and can make it harder to tell which profile owns saves or purchases.
Expecting every purchase to be shared
The base game, an expansion, virtual currency, and a temporary boost can have different license treatment. Verify each product instead of using the game’s shared availability as a blanket guarantee.
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The game may be installed on both consoles, but Microsoft’s one-console-at-a-time rule still applies to playing the same game. Installation does not create a second user license.
Treating the five changes as an annual reset
The limit is rolling, not a calendar-year reset. Keep the shared console stable and reserve changes for a genuine move.
Account safety for household sharing
- Give each person their own Xbox profile instead of sharing the purchasing account’s password.
- Use the console’s purchase controls and parental settings for the profiles that need them.
- Explain that access comes from the Home-console license and can end if the purchasing account changes its Home Xbox.
- Do not add another person’s console as Home Xbox unless you understand that the device license will move away from the current console.
- Review the Home Xbox page after major account or console changes so you know which hardware currently has the device license.
Questions to answer before you change the setting
Does Home Xbox transfer my games to another account?
No. The purchasing account keeps the entitlement. The designated console receives a device license that lets other profiles use eligible content there.
Can two Xboxes play the same digital game at the same time?
Microsoft’s stated rule is that games can be played on only one console at a time. Home Xbox does not create a second simultaneous-play license for the same game.
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No. An existing eligible Xbox can be designated as Home Xbox. A second console matters only when people need to play in separate locations or on separate hardware.
How many times can I change Home Xbox?
Microsoft allows up to five changes during a rolling one-year period. The console displays the next available date after the limit is reached.
Will every downloadable item be shared?
No. Some add-ons and downloadable products, including examples such as in-game currency and limited-time boosts, may be limited to the purchasing user.
Can another profile use subscription-enabled games?
The Home-console model can apply to subscription content, but access depends on the current subscription, title, region, and service terms. Test the exact product and consult its applicable terms.
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Does Home Xbox guarantee permanent offline play?
No. The device license enables sharing on the Home console, but individual games and services can still require license or online checks.
Bottom line
Set the console used by the household as the purchasing account’s Home Xbox through Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox. That assigns the device license to the console so other profiles can use eligible digital games there, while the purchaser uses the user license on another Xbox. Keep the designation stable, remember the rolling five-change limit, and check title-specific rules for simultaneous play, add-ons, subscriptions, and offline access.
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