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Sharing games with family members.

Kiwiits 0 Reputation points
2026-06-04T20:04:20.0033333+00:00

Hello.

So I want to add my younger sisters to my Microsoft family so they could play games that I own. But do they see them in their library as soon as they join or are there specific settings that I must set up?

Also does it include games that you get from game pass or only the ones that I have outright bought on my account.?

And they live with our parents. I hope that's not an issue. Since I would just let them use my pc to play my games, if I also lived with our parents. While on this topic - is it possible to let them stream my games from my pc? Because they don't have as powerful PC as I do.

Thank you in advance.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Gaming
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  1. Vikki-T 5,805 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-05T00:34:18.1766667+00:00

    Hi Kiwiits,

    I understand what you’re trying to add your sisters to your Microsoft Family group so they can play the games you already have, which makes sense if you are trying to set things up for family use.

    However, as AI's answer mentioned above, Microsoft Family Safety does not work as a game-sharing feature. It is mainly for managing accounts, such as screen time, content limits, purchase permissions, and other family safety settings. Adding someone to your family group will not automatically give their account access to the games or Game Pass subscription on your account.

    For PC gaming, the game or subscription access is generally tied to the Microsoft account that owns it. Game Pass is also an individual subscription, so if your sisters’ own accounts do not have Game Pass or do not own the game, they normally would not be able to access the same Game Pass games just by being in your Family group.

    If you have a game that supports local multiplayer or split-screen on the same PC, then your sisters may be able to play together with you that way, depending on the game. But for each of them to play separately on their own account or own PC, they would usually need their own access to the game or an eligible Game Pass subscription.

    So in short, Family Safety can help you manage their accounts, but it does not share your game library or subscription with them. I hope this clears up the difference between family account management and game access on Windows PC. Thank you so much for your understanding.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-04T20:04:34.8733333+00:00

    Family groups do not control game license sharing. Adding siblings to a Microsoft family mainly affects safety, screen time, and content restrictions, not whether they see or can install owned games.

    On Windows and Xbox, game sharing is governed by device and account licensing rules, not family membership:

    1. Xbox console sharing
      • On an Xbox Home console (Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox), the purchaser’s digital games, durable add-ons, and Game Pass content are shared with anyone who signs in on that console. The purchasing account does not need to be signed in for others to play on that Home Xbox.
      • On any other Xbox console, if the purchaser is signed in and online, all signed-in users on that console can access the purchaser’s digital games and durable content. When the purchaser signs out, those roaming licenses become invalid and others lose access.
      • This sharing applies to:
        • Games bought outright from Microsoft Store.
        • Durable add-ons (DLC) from Microsoft Store.
        • Content enabled as part of a subscription (for example, Xbox Game Pass).
      • Consumable add-ons are always per-account and are not shared.
    2. Windows 10/11 PC game sharing
      • On Windows, durable add-ons follow the same device-based sharing behavior as the parent app, but the title must use XStore licensing APIs to validate access. The article does not describe a “family library” where other accounts automatically see purchased games in their own store library.
      • Practically, access is tied to the account that owns the license and how the game implements license checks. There is no documented automatic cross-account library sharing on Windows similar to “Home Xbox.”
    3. Game Pass vs purchased games
      • On Xbox Home console, both purchased games and Game Pass titles are shared with other accounts on that console as described above.
      • On Windows, Game Pass access is tied to the subscription account; other accounts do not automatically gain Game Pass rights just by being in the same family.
    4. Family group and location
      • Living with parents or siblings does not affect license behavior. Sharing is based on device designation (Home Xbox) and which account owns the license, not physical location or family group membership.
    5. Streaming from a PC
      • The provided context does not describe PC game streaming or remote play/sharing from a Windows PC to other devices, so no supported details can be given here.

    To let siblings play owned games on Xbox, configure that console as the Home Xbox for the purchasing account and have them sign in with their own profiles on that console. On Windows, they generally need to use the purchasing account where the license is owned, subject to how each game enforces licensing.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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