Microsoft 365 Personal or Family: Count people before devices

First count the people who will use the service. A person can work on several devices; Many people need appropriate rights and accounts. This is the key distinction between Personal and Family.

A household is not a single shared account

Staff is addressed to a person. Family allows sharing with members authorised by the formula, up to six people in total in the offer described by Microsoft. Use the invitations provided by Microsoft and separate accounts, without passing on your password.

Example: Using a PC and a phone alone doesn't mean you have two users. Conversely, two persons each working on a single computer are not to be equated with a single holder.

Check what each member receives

Apps, supported devices, storage quotas and related services depend on the current terms and the purchased reference. Some advantages may be reserved for the holder. Do not assume that an artificial intelligence function or quota presented in an advertisement is shared in the same way as applications.

For an already active subscription or a code of a given generation, check your account conditions and documentation Microsoft. Old packaging is not enough to determine the current benefits.

Twelve months remain a subscription period

A twelve-month code is not a permanent licence. Check the start date, extension conditions, territory and any renewal terms. Reinstallation may use the account to which the entitlement has already been linked.

Your decision in three questions

1. How many people will actually use the service?
2. What devices, applications and services do they need?
3. Do the duration and conditions of the code correspond to your existing subscription or your first purchase?

Keep the identity of the account used during activation and the purchase documents. To distinguish this model from a single purchase, see permanent license or subscription. In case of error, the guide on keys refused Helps prepare a specific support request.