Family Sharing lets up to six people in your household share App Store purchases, Apple subscriptions, iCloud+ storage, and more — without sharing one Apple ID. Set it up once on your Mac and everyone keeps their own account, photos, and messages while the bills and downloads get shared. Here is the full setup, step by step.
Before you start
- You need to be signed in to your Apple ID on the Mac. If you are not, do that first: how to sign in with your Apple ID on a Mac.
- The person who sets it up becomes the organizer — the adult whose payment method covers shared purchases.
- Everyone you invite needs their own Apple ID. Kids under 13 get a child account you create for them (covered below).
- You can be in only one family group at a time, and you can switch groups at most twice a year.
Turn on Family Sharing
- Open the Apple menu → System Settings.
- Click Family in the sidebar (near the top, under your name). On older macOS it lives in System Preferences → Family Sharing.
- Click Set Up Family (or the + / Add Member button if a group already exists) and follow the prompts.
- Confirm the payment method you want to use for shared purchases. This is the organizer’s card, and it covers what the whole family buys.
That is it — the group now exists. Next you add people.
Invite family members
- In System Settings → Family, click Add Member.
- Choose Invite People to send an invite by Messages, email, or AirDrop, or Create Child Account for a kid.
- The person accepts on their own device (Mac, iPhone, or iPad) by opening the invite and tapping Accept.
You can see who has accepted and who is still pending right in the Family list.
Create a child account (kids under 13)
A child can’t make their own Apple ID, so the organizer creates one:
- In Family, click Add Member → Create Child Account.
- Enter the child’s name and birthday, then follow the prompts to make their Apple ID.
- Turn on Ask to Buy so every purchase or free download the child tries needs your approval — the request pops up on the organizer’s devices to approve or decline.
- Set up Screen Time and parental controls for that child while you are here.
What actually gets shared
- App Store, music, movies, and books: eligible purchases show up for everyone under Purchased, so you only buy an app once.
- Apple subscriptions: Apple One, iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and more can be shared with the whole group.
- iCloud+ storage: share a 200GB or 2TB plan and everyone keeps their storage private within it.
- A shared photo library, shared reminders and calendars, and Find My location, if you choose to turn them on.
- Location sharing so family members can find each other and their devices.
Each person’s photos, messages, and data stay private — sharing purchases does not mean sharing your personal library.
Turn on Purchase Sharing
- In System Settings → Family, click Purchase Sharing.
- Turn it on and confirm the shared payment method.
- Family members can now download each other’s eligible past purchases from the Purchased tab in the App Store.
Manage subscriptions and payment
The organizer’s Apple ID pays for shared purchases. To review what is being shared and who is spending, open System Settings → Family, then use Subscriptions and Purchase Sharing. You can stop sharing a subscription or remove a member at any time. For managing your own subscriptions and payment method outside the family group, see your Apple ID settings.
FAQ
How many people can be in Family Sharing?
Up to six, including the organizer.
Does everyone see my photos and messages?
No. Only what you deliberately share — like a shared photo library or shared calendar — is visible. Personal libraries stay private.
Who pays for shared purchases?
The organizer’s payment method covers everything bought through the family group. Ask to Buy lets you approve kids’ purchases before they go through.
Can I leave a family group?
Yes. Open System Settings → Family, select your name, and choose to leave. Note you can only switch or join a family group twice per year.
Do I need a new Mac for Family Sharing?
No — Family Sharing works on essentially any Mac running a current macOS. If your Mac is too old to update, a clean refurbished Mac makes setup painless. Our Apple clearance lineup starts with the M1 MacBook Air from $569.99, and every Mac is fully updatable and ready for your Apple ID out of the box.
Ready for a fresh start?
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