Start, join or leave Family Sharing on your Mac

Why it happens

Family Sharing lets up to six people share purchases, subscriptions, iCloud storage and locations. One person, the organiser, sets it up and invites the others. On a Mac it all lives in the Family section of System Settings.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click Family near the top of the sidebar. If you're not in a family yet, the page offers to set one up first.

2. Click Add Member…, then choose whether to invite someone or create an account for a child, and follow the steps.

   Family

3. The people you invite get the invitation on their own devices and accept it there.

4. To leave a family, click your name in the Family list, then click Stop Using Family Sharing.

   Family

Still not fixed?

1. If you're the organiser, you can't just leave. Stopping Family Sharing as the organiser ends it for everyone in the family. If a child is in the family, transfer them to another family first; you can't stop Family Sharing until you do.

2. A child's account can't leave or be removed until the child reaches the age limit for your country. The organiser can only transfer it to another family.

3. A teenager whose Screen Time is managed by a parent can't leave the family until that parent turns Screen Time management off.

4. Invitation not arriving? Check the email address of the person's Apple Account, and ask them to look for the invitation on their iPhone or iPad.

5. No Family in the sidebar? Make sure you're signed in with your Apple Account at the top of the sidebar.

6. If Family keeps showing an error or an invitation won't accept, restart your Mac and try again. If it still fails, contact Apple Support.