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Xbox game sharing is controlled by the Home Xbox setting. Designate one Xbox One or Xbox Series console as the purchasing account’s Home console, and other profiles on that console can use qualifying digital games, durable add-ons and subscription-enabled content without the purchaser remaining signed in. The purchasing account can still play its library on another, roaming Xbox, but must stay signed in and connected there.
The arrangement is useful for households with two consoles, but it is not an ownership transfer or an unlimited simultaneous-play feature. Only one console can be Home at a time, Home-console changes are limited to five in a rolling year, and consumables or personally restricted add-ons do not become shared entitlements.
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What “Home Xbox” actually does
Every digital purchase is associated with the Microsoft account that obtained it. Xbox also creates a device license for the console designated as that account’s Home Xbox. Other accounts using the Home console can rely on that device license for eligible content, even when the purchasing account is not signed in.
The model applies to Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles. It covers qualifying digital games, durable downloadable content (DLC), and content made available through a subscription such as Xbox Game Pass, subject to the individual game or service entitlement. Microsoft describes these as device and roaming licenses: the Home console receives the device license, while the account retains a roaming license for use elsewhere.
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Home Xbox is therefore a console designation, not a separate family plan. You choose which physical console receives the device licenses; changing that designation moves the licenses to the newly selected console.
Home console versus roaming console
The two access modes behave differently. The table below shows what another profile can do in each situation.
| Access mode | Where the license is used | Does the purchaser need to stay signed in? | What happens when the purchaser signs out? | Offline implication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Xbox | The console designated under Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox | No, for qualifying shared content used by other profiles | Other profiles can continue using the Home-console device license | Device-license access can support Home-console use without an account connection, but each title’s requirements still apply |
| Roaming Xbox | A different Xbox where the purchasing account signs in | Yes. The purchasing account must remain signed in and connected to Xbox services for other profiles to use its roaming content | Other profiles lose access to the purchaser’s roaming licenses | Do not assume another console has an offline license merely because the account owns the game |
The owner can play on a roaming console while another person plays on the Home Xbox under a different profile. That is the normal two-console arrangement. On the roaming console, however, the owner’s account must remain signed in and online; signing out ends the other profile’s access to the owner’s roaming content.
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What can and cannot be shared
Usually shareable through Home Xbox
- Qualifying digitally purchased Xbox games.
- Durable DLC and other add-ons that grant an ongoing entitlement.
- Content enabled by a subscription, including eligible catalog items made available through Xbox Game Pass.
“Qualifying” matters. A catalog title can leave a subscription, a game can require an online service, and an add-on can have its own entitlement terms. Home Xbox does not override those conditions.
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- Consumable items such as in-game currency, tokens, packs, or one-time boosts.
- Some add-ons or DLC marked for personal use.
- Any content whose service terms restrict use to the purchasing account.
A consumable is consumed by, and remains tied to, the account that bought it. A durable expansion that permanently unlocks content is a different type of license, but even durable content should be checked against the particular game’s terms.
How to set or change your Home Xbox
Perform the change while signed in to the account that owns the digital purchases or subscription. You can designate the console you are currently using; the setting is not selected from a web browser.
- Sign in to the Xbox One or Xbox Series console you want to designate.
- Open Settings.
- Choose Personalization.
- Select My home Xbox.
- Choose the option to make this console your Home Xbox and confirm.
After confirmation, the account’s device licenses move to that console. The previous Home console no longer provides those device-license benefits to other profiles. Those users may still play content they own themselves, or content made available by an account that is currently signed in under the normal roaming rules.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallBefore confirming a change, check how often the account has moved its Home designation. Microsoft allows up to five Home-console changes during a rolling one-year period. The period is measured from the first assignment or change, not reset automatically at the start of a calendar year. Once the allowance is exhausted, the console displays the next available change date.
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Can two Xboxes play the same digital game?
Yes, in the specific Home-and-roaming arrangement. Put the device license on Console A by designating it as Home. A second person can launch the eligible game on Console A using their own profile. The purchasing account can then sign in to Console B, remain connected to Xbox services, and play there.
The owner’s roaming license is the part that requires the account to be signed in. If the owner signs out of Console B, another profile on Console B can no longer use the owner’s roaming license. Microsoft’s rules also state that a game can be played on only one console at a time for the account’s license. The Home-console arrangement is the exception that allows a different user on the Home console to continue while the owner plays on the roaming console.
This does not create two independent copies of every entitlement. It is one account’s device license on one console plus its roaming license on the console where the account is active.
Sharing Game Pass and other subscriptions
Subscription access follows the same Home-versus-roaming distinction. On the designated Home Xbox, other profiles can use subscription-enabled games and benefits that the subscription terms make shareable. The purchasing account does not need to stay signed in for that Home-console access.
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On a roaming Xbox, the subscribing account must be signed in and connected. If it signs out, profiles that do not hold their own subscription entitlement lose access to the subscription content. A title’s catalog status, online requirements, age restrictions, and other service conditions still apply; Home Xbox is not a guarantee that every item in a subscription catalog works in every circumstance or remains available indefinitely.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Limits you should understand before switching consoles
One Home console at a time
An account can designate only one Xbox One or Xbox Series console as Home. You cannot keep device licenses active for other profiles on two different Home consoles simultaneously.
Five changes in a rolling year
The maximum is five Home-console changes in a one-year rolling period. Every reassignment counts, including moving the setting back to a console used previously. When the fifth change has been used, Xbox shows when another change becomes available.
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When you select a new Home Xbox, all device licenses move to that console and operate only there. This can immediately affect household members using the old console, especially if they normally play while the purchasing account is signed out.
Digital access is a license
Microsoft’s Digital Goods rules describe digital games and related items as licensed rather than sold outright. Access is governed by the applicable terms and conditions. A Home designation does not transfer ownership of the Microsoft account, convert a subscription into a permanent purchase, or guarantee perpetual access to a catalog title.
Troubleshooting when sharing does not work
Another profile cannot launch a purchased game on the supposed Home Xbox
- Sign in with the purchasing account and open Settings > Personalization > My home Xbox.
- Confirm that the console shown there is the one being used. If it is not, assigning the current console will consume one of the account’s available changes.
- Check that the game is a qualifying digital entitlement rather than a consumable or a personally restricted add-on.
- Verify that the game has not been removed from a subscription catalog and that any required online service is available.
The owner can play, but another profile on the second Xbox cannot
- Keep the purchasing account signed in on that second, roaming console.
- Maintain an internet connection to Xbox services so the roaming license can be validated.
- Do not sign out or switch the purchasing account away from that console while the other profile is using the shared entitlement.
DLC appears missing while the base game works
Check whether the add-on is durable content associated with the same account and platform. Some DLC is explicitly personal-use content, and a consumable entitlement will not follow the Home-console license. The game publisher’s entitlement description controls in those cases.
The Home-console option is unavailable or the change is blocked
Review the account’s recent assignments. If five changes have occurred within the rolling year, the console should provide the next available change date. Waiting for that date is the supported remedy; repeatedly signing out, reinstalling a game, or changing profiles does not create an additional allowance.
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Two consoles in one household
Designate the console used most often by the other household members as Home. They can use their own profiles there without the purchaser signed in. The purchaser uses the second console with the purchasing account signed in and online.
Moving to a new console
Use the Home Xbox menu on the new console only after deciding that the license move is worth one of the five annual changes. Until the move is made, the old console remains the one that grants device-license access to other profiles.
Using a friend’s console temporarily
A temporary sign-in on another console is roaming use, not Home-console sharing. Other profiles on that console depend on the purchasing account remaining signed in and connected, and the account’s Home designation stays on the original console unless you deliberately change it.
Security and account boundaries
Home Xbox determines where licenses are available; it does not merge profiles or subscriptions. Each person should use their own Xbox profile so achievements, saves, parental controls, and purchases remain associated with the correct account. The published sharing model explains license behavior but does not require or establish a rule about sharing account passwords. Treat sign-in credentials as account-security information and use the account-management controls provided by Microsoft.
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