macOS · Accounts & Family
Share Subscriptions & Purchases With Family
Family Sharing links up to six Apple IDs into one group so everyone can share iCloud+ storage, App Store and iTunes purchases, and subscriptions like Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade — without sharing passwords. It also gives parents tools like Ask to Buy and Screen Time to manage what kids can access.
How to open Family Sharing
- Open System Settings → [your name] → Family Sharing.
- Click 'Add Member' and invite them by email or set up a child account.
- Choose which features to share: purchases, iCloud+ storage, location, or a shared calendar.
- Turn on 'Ask to Buy' for any child members who need purchase approval.
What you should know
- Share one iCloud+ storage plan across the whole family group instead of buying separate plans.
- Turn on Ask to Buy so a child's purchase or download requires a parent's approval first.
- Share a family photo album, shared calendar, and Find My locations automatically.
- Add or remove family members, or leave the group, from System Settings at any time.
You can belong to only one Family Sharing group at a time, and the organizer's payment method is charged for everyone's shared purchases.
Why it matters
Family Sharing avoids paying for the same subscriptions and storage plans multiple times across a household, and it gives parents real oversight over what children buy and how much time they spend on apps. Losing track of who's in your family group or which payment method is attached can lead to surprise charges, so it's worth reviewing periodically.
Best practices
- Review shared purchases and storage usage occasionally so the organizer isn't surprised by the bill.
- Set up Ask to Buy for every child in the group, not just younger kids.
- Confirm the family organizer role is assigned to someone who'll keep the group's payment method current.
Common problems and fixes
- An invited family member never receives the invitation.
- Ask them to check the Mail app and Messages for the invite, confirm their Apple ID email is correct, or resend the invite from Family Sharing settings.
- Purchased apps or subscriptions aren't showing up for a family member.
- Confirm 'Share My Purchases' is turned on for that person and that they've signed out and back into the App Store on their device.
Tips and tricks
- Use the shared Family calendar for household events so everyone sees updates automatically without a separate invite.
Frequently asked questions
Does everyone in the family see each other's photos and messages?
No — only the specific shared album, calendar, and location you enable are visible; personal photos, messages, and app data stay private to each Apple ID.
Can a child leave Family Sharing on their own?
No, only the family organizer or a parent/guardian member can remove a child account from the group.
Related settings
- Apple Account & iCloud SynciCloud settings control which of your apps and data — Photos, Mail, Contacts, Find My Mac, and more — stay in sync across all your Apple devices, plus your iCloud storage plan.
- Users & GroupsUsers & Groups lets you create additional accounts for other people who use this Mac, decide whether each one is an administrator or a standard user, and organize accounts into groups for permission purposes. It's the foundation for keeping multiple people's files and settings separate on a shared Mac.
- Internet AccountsInternet Accounts is where you add non-Apple email, contacts, and calendar accounts — like Google, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo, or a standard IMAP account — so they sync into Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Notes. It's separate from your Apple ID and handles every other account you use on the Mac.
More Accounts & Family guides for macOS
- Password & Sign-inThis settings area covers your Mac account password, Touch ID fingerprint enrollment, and AutoFill for passwords and passkeys saved in your keychain. It's where you change your login password and decide how quickly Touch ID or a password is required to unlock the Mac.
- Screen TimeScreen Time shows how much time you or a child spend in apps and on websites, and lets you set app limits, downtime schedules, and content restrictions that sync across signed-in Apple devices.
- iCloud KeychainiCloud Keychain securely stores and syncs passwords, passkeys, and payment information across your Apple devices using end-to-end encryption, and can autofill them in Safari and other apps.
- Game CenterGame Center settings control your public gaming profile, friends list, and social features like leaderboards and achievements that sync across Apple devices for supported games.
- Wallet & Apple PayWallet & Apple Pay settings let you add and manage credit, debit, and transit cards for use with Apple Pay on the web and in apps, and configure default cards and shipping information.
- Apple Account SecurityApple Account Security settings manage two-factor authentication, trusted phone numbers, trusted devices, and recovery options that protect sign-in to your Apple Account across all your devices.