On the Xbox console you want to use offline, sign in with the Microsoft account that owns the digital games or subscription content, then open Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox and follow the prompt shown on screen. The designation puts the account’s device-based licenses on that Xbox, allowing eligible digital games and shared content to work for other accounts on the console. Your account’s user-based license still travels with you to another Xbox when you are signed in.
Microsoft supports this Home Xbox model on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles. It does not make every title or service permanently offline: a game can still impose its own online requirement, and consumable add-ons remain tied to the purchasing account.
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What setting a Home Xbox actually changes
“Home Xbox” is Microsoft’s name for one Xbox console designated to share the purchasing account’s offline licenses. The setting is attached to the account that bought the content, not permanently to a piece of hardware. Microsoft describes the arrangement as two related licenses:
- Device-based license: assigned to the designated Home console. It lets people using that console access eligible content licensed to the device, even when the purchasing account is not signed in.
- User-based license: associated with the Microsoft account. It lets the purchaser use their content on another, non-Home console when they are signed in under the account and connected as required by Microsoft’s licensing rules.
The Home designation therefore solves two different problems at once. It supplies the purchasing account’s offline device license to one console, and it enables eligible sharing with other accounts on that console. It does not transfer ownership of the games to another Microsoft account.
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Microsoft’s formal definition is “Home console | An Xbox console designated to share the offline licenses of the purchasing account (also known as Home Xbox).” You can read the licensing model in Microsoft’s Xbox Game Development Kit product-sharing documentation and the broader Digital Goods usage rules.
What other accounts can use on the Home console
Microsoft’s Home-console sharing documentation covers digital games, durable add-ons, and content enabled as part of an eligible subscription. A durable add-on is a permanent entitlement such as an expansion or another non-consumable piece of content. Subscription-enabled content can include games made available through a service such as Xbox Game Pass while the relevant entitlement remains active.
Consumable add-ons are different. Items intended to be used up, such as account-bound virtual currency or other consumable purchases, remain tied to the purchaser and are not shared merely because the console is designated as Home.
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|---|---|---|
| Eligible digital Xbox One and Xbox Series games | Available through the Home console’s device license to users of that console | Purchasing account |
| Durable add-ons | Shared on the Home console when covered by Microsoft’s rules | Purchasing account |
| Subscription-enabled content | Available on the Home console while the qualifying subscription entitlement applies | Purchasing account or subscription holder |
| Consumable add-ons | Not shared through the Home-console designation | Purchasing account |
Sharing is also subject to the product’s own rights. Microsoft allows an individual digital-goods page to specify particular limitations that differ from the general rules, so check the store listing for a title with unusual licensing or service requirements.
Before you designate a console
Choose the console that needs the offline license
Set the Home Xbox on the physical Xbox that should carry the account’s device-based licenses when the purchaser is absent or the console is offline. This is commonly the console used by a household or the one kept in a location where other family members play under their own accounts. The setting is supported on both Xbox One and Xbox Series hardware; buying a new console is not required.
Use the account that owns the content
Sign in with the Microsoft/Xbox account whose digital purchases or subscription-enabled content you want associated with the console. The Home assignment is made by that purchasing account. Other users can then sign in with their own accounts on the designated Xbox for content that Microsoft allows the device license to share.
Understand the five-change limit before proceeding
Microsoft permits up to five Home-console changes during a one-year rolling period. The period starts when the account first assigns or changes its Home console, rather than resetting at the beginning of a calendar year. If you reach the limit, Microsoft says the account displays a message stating the next date on which another change can be made.
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Changing the setting is consequential: the device licenses move automatically to the newly designated Home console and operate only on that new Home console. Do not switch the setting casually as a way to test another device.
What you need—and what you do not
You need an Xbox One or Xbox Series console and access to the Microsoft account that owns the digital entitlement. The configuration does not require a new console, accessory, replacement part, repair tool, physical media, or other special equipment. A subscription is relevant only when you are sharing content that is enabled by that subscription; buying Game Pass or another plan is not a prerequisite for turning on the Home Xbox setting.
There is no separate Home Xbox fee. Any cost belongs to the games, add-ons, or subscription you choose to purchase, and those purchases remain subject to their own eligibility and terms. Current subscription catalogs, prices, and regional offers can change, so do not treat Home Xbox as a discount or as a way to create an entitlement that the account does not already have.
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How to set your Xbox as the Home Xbox
- Go to the console you want to designate. This can be an Xbox One or an Xbox Series console. Make sure it is the device that should retain the offline license.
- Sign in with the purchasing Microsoft/Xbox account. Use the account that owns the digital games or holds the subscription entitlement you want associated with the device.
- Open the Home Xbox setting. From the Xbox dashboard, open Settings, choose Personalization, then select My home Xbox. Microsoft’s Xbox Game Development Kit documentation identifies this exact menu path.
- Follow the current on-screen prompt. The console’s wording and button label can vary with the installed system software. Confirm the designation using the prompt displayed on your Xbox rather than relying on an old screenshot or a fixed button name.
- Wait for the console to finish applying the assignment. If the prompt asks the console to connect to Xbox services, allow that connection so the account can complete the designation. Microsoft’s licensing documentation establishes the resulting device license, while the exact setup sequence can change with console software.
- Sign in with the account that will play. On the designated console, another household account can open eligible shared games and durable add-ons without the purchasing account remaining signed in. The purchaser’s account still owns the licenses.
The menu path is documented in Microsoft’s product-sharing model for games. Microsoft also maintains a consumer explanation at How home Xbox and game sharing work; use the labels currently displayed on your console if that page and your software version use different wording.
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Verify the result without wasting a change
After confirming the prompt, test the arrangement with the account that will normally use the console. Open an eligible digital game or durable add-on while the purchasing account is not signed in. If the content launches, the device-level sharing behavior is working for that entitlement. Do not repeatedly switch between consoles simply to test the feature: every completed reassignment counts toward the rolling limit and moves the device license.
Home console versus a roaming console
The same account can use its content in two contexts, but the licensing behavior is different. The Home console receives the device license. A roaming console relies on the purchaser’s user-based license and the account’s sign-in state.
| Use context | License used | Who can access the content | Offline relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Designated Home Xbox | Device-based license for the purchasing account | Users of that console can access eligible shared games, durable add-ons, and qualifying subscription content | This is the context Microsoft associates with offline device access |
| Another or roaming Xbox | User-based license associated with the purchasing account | The purchaser can use the content while signed in; other users do not retain that roaming access after the purchaser signs out | Access depends on the account’s sign-in and connection requirements |
For digital Xbox One and Xbox Series games, Microsoft says the purchaser may install a title on a reasonable number of consoles, but the game can be played on only one console at a time. If the purchaser is playing on a roaming console, play on the Home console can be available to a different user there. That is a concurrent-use rule, not a transfer of ownership between accounts.
A practical household example
Suppose Account A buys a digital game and designates the family room Xbox as its Home Xbox. Account B can sign in on that family-room console and play the eligible game using the device license, including when Account A is not signed in. If Account A travels with another Xbox, Account A can use the user-based license on that roaming console while signed in. Account B’s access on the family-room console does not make the game available to Account B on a different Xbox.
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The two-license model explains many apparent contradictions. The Home console can authorize eligible users through its device license, while a second console checks the purchaser’s user-based license. If the purchaser signs out of the roaming console, other accounts there should not be expected to keep that access. Conversely, signing the purchaser into the Home console is not what grants ownership to the other account; the console’s designation is what supplies the eligible device license.
What “offline access” does—and does not—promise
Home Xbox provides an offline device license for eligible digital content; it is not a blanket exemption from every online check. A game may require an online service for multiplayer, cloud saves, account features, anti-cheat functions, or other parts of its operation. A publisher can also attach particular rights or limitations to a product’s digital-goods page.
- Single-player licensing: A title covered by the device license may launch offline, but its store terms still control any title-specific requirement.
- Online services: Multiplayer and features that depend on a live service naturally need a connection even when the base game is licensed to the Home console.
- Subscription content: A subscription-enabled game or add-on remains dependent on the qualifying subscription entitlement and the product’s rules.
- Consumables: Account-bound consumable purchases do not become shared offline inventory for every user of the console.
For a particular game, read the game’s current store information for exceptions instead of assuming that the Home designation overrides a title-specific limitation.
Changing your Home Xbox later
When moving to another console makes sense
Change the designation when the console that should carry the device license has genuinely changed—for example, after replacing the household Xbox or moving the account’s primary console to another location. Because the license moves to the new Home Xbox, users on the previous Home console may lose device-based access after the change.
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You can make up to five changes in a one-year rolling period. The count is measured from the first assignment or change within that period. It is not five changes every January, and it is not a setting that can be toggled indefinitely between two consoles.
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After the fifth change, Microsoft says the console displays the date when another change becomes available. Keep that date in mind before replacing hardware or moving the account again. The published rules do not promise an early reset simply because a console was lost, sold, or replaced.
What happens to the old console
The old device no longer holds the purchasing account’s Home-console device license once the new assignment completes. The purchaser can still use their content on that old or another console through the user-based license when signed in under the account and connected as required. Other accounts on the old device should not be expected to retain the former Home-console sharing rights.
Plan a console replacement
If you are selling, giving away, or replacing a console, decide which device should be Home before using one of the available changes. A replacement is a legitimate reason to move the designation, but it is still counted in the same rolling total. Keep the purchasing account secure and avoid leaving it signed in on a console that no longer belongs to you.
Troubleshooting the most common outcomes
The Home Xbox option is not where expected
Use the documented path Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox on an Xbox One or Xbox Series console, and verify that the account signed in is the one that owns the content. Menu wording can change with system updates, so follow the current labels shown on the console rather than an older screenshot.
Another account cannot start a game
First confirm that the console is the one currently designated as Home for the purchasing account. Then check whether the item is an eligible digital game, durable add-on, or qualifying subscription entitlement. A consumable add-on is not shared, and a subscription-enabled title may no longer be available if the qualifying entitlement does not apply. Finally, check the game’s store page for a title-specific limitation.
The game works for the purchaser but not offline
Confirm that the purchaser’s account designated this specific console as Home and that the game is installed on it. If the title still refuses to work without a connection, its own online or licensing requirement may apply; Home Xbox does not override those product-specific rules.
The console says another change is unavailable
If you have reached the five-change limit, use the date in Microsoft’s message as the next available change date. Avoid repeated attempts, because the Home designation is intended to represent the account’s primary console and each completed change moves the device license.
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The purchaser is using a second Xbox
On a roaming console, the purchaser should use the account that owns the content and meet the sign-in and connection conditions for the user-based license. Other users on that roaming console should not be assumed to have the same access after the purchaser signs out.
A subscription game stopped working
Check whether the subscription or other qualifying entitlement is still active and whether the title remains covered. Home Xbox shares eligible subscription-enabled content; it does not preserve access after the underlying entitlement ends or override a product-specific restriction.
An add-on is missing for another user
Identify whether the add-on is durable or consumable. Permanent expansions and similar durable entitlements can be shared when covered by Microsoft’s rules. Currency, boosts, and other items designed to be consumed remain associated with the purchasing account.
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Frequently asked questions
How many times can I change my Home Xbox?
Microsoft allows up to five Home-console changes during a rolling one-year period. The period begins with the first assignment or change in that period. After the limit, the console displays the next date on which another change is available.
Does setting a Home Xbox share every purchase?
No. Eligible digital games, durable add-ons, and qualifying subscription content can be shared on the Home console. Consumable add-ons remain tied to the purchaser, and an individual product page can impose additional rights or limitations.
Can another account play while I am signed out?
On the designated Home console, Microsoft’s sharing model allows eligible users to access the device-licensed content without the purchasing account remaining signed in. On a roaming console, access is tied to the purchaser’s account and sign-in state.
Do I need Xbox Series hardware?
No. The Home Xbox model applies to Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles. Buying a new console is not required to use the setting.
Does Home Xbox make multiplayer work offline?
No. The designation supplies an offline device license, but multiplayer and other live-service features still require whatever connection and service the game specifies.
Can I use the same game on two consoles?
Microsoft says digital Xbox One and Xbox Series games may be installed on a reasonable number of consoles, but a game can be played on only one console at a time. A purchaser can play on a roaming console while another user plays on the Home console when the licensing conditions are met.
Key points to remember
- Set the console through Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox while signed in with the purchasing account.
- The designated Xbox receives the account’s device-based offline license; the account itself retains a user-based license for roaming use.
- Eligible games, durable add-ons, and qualifying subscription content can be shared on the Home console, but consumable add-ons remain purchaser-only.
- Microsoft allows up to five Home-console changes in a rolling one-year period, and the device license moves to the newest Home Xbox.
- Game-specific online requirements and digital-goods limitations still apply.
- No new console, accessory, or separate Home Xbox purchase is required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to set a Home Xbox?
On the Xbox that should hold the offline license, sign in with the purchasing account and open Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox. Follow the current on-screen confirmation prompt.
Will my family keep access if I sign out?
Eligible users on the designated Home console can use the device license without the purchaser remaining signed in. Users on a roaming console rely on the purchaser’s signed-in account.
Are in-game coins shared?
Consumable add-ons, including account-bound virtual currency and similar items, remain tied to the purchasing account rather than being shared through Home Xbox.
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The device-based licenses move automatically to the newly designated console. Other accounts on the former Home console may lose shared access, and the change counts toward the five-change rolling limit.
The Bottom Line
Use Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox on the Xbox that should carry the purchasing account’s offline device license. The feature supports eligible digital games, durable add-ons, and qualifying subscription content for users of that console, while the purchaser keeps a user-based license for roaming play. It is limited to five changes in a rolling year, does not share consumables, and cannot override a game’s own online or licensing requirements.
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