Windows 10: Managing multiple family members across multiple Microsoft accounts

After reading several topics on the forums here, I have come to the conclusion that:


1. I cannot have more than six members in any given family group

2. I cannot log into Office 365 on more than 5 devices under the same Microsoft account


These two limits are going to be difficult for me to work around as I set up the used laptops I just purchased for my immediate and extended family. This deserves a bit of explanation, so bear with me. Currently, I'm the most technically inclined person in my extended family. All of my wife's siblings and children come to me for computer issues, and I have (so far) been able to keep everyone up and running without too much difficulty, being as most of the children don't have computers (being too young) and most of the adults have already established their own accounts and are running by themselves. However, last year, that equation changed as the wife and I moved into a new house with my father, brought our three children, my wife's twin brother, and his two children along. For Christmas this year, my wife and I decided the children were of sufficient age (and have given us enough pressure) to get them all laptops. In addition, a niece outside the immediate family is in need of a laptop as well. So I purchased eight (8) used HP laptops set up with Windows 10 Home, which have just arrived.


In turning the first one on, I realized that I would now be the admin for the new machines, my own machines, and my wife's machines. I currently own two desktops running Windows 10 Pro and three laptops running Home. My laptops aren't much of an issue since I no longer really use them, and have removed two of them from my account, and will remove the third when the new machines are distributed. I also am signed into Office 365 from one phone, a tablet, and my work laptop, bringing my device count to the maximum of five.


In counting the machines I will be distributing, there are five machines going to various kids and one to the niece, none of which have a Microsoft account yet. It will be incumbent upon me to administer these machines and I need to set up the remaining two for hot spares. So, given this situation, and the fact that this is most likely going to snowball as the kids get older and more of them will be brought under my direct supervision as an admin, which route makes the most sense for you all.


1. Add a second Consumer account to expand the user capacity by six (pro is cost, con is useability/flexibility in rotating accounts and sharing)

2. Upgrade to a small business account with Microsoft (pro is flexibility/sharing, con is cost)


While I'd like to complain about the family limits that Microsoft has imposed, I realize it won't do me much good, however, I'm in the situation that we actually do have 7 children and are directly attached to another family group of 3. We can't be alone, so I question the limit Microsoft has imposed here. Surely there is a way to make an exception.

:)

 

My family has one primary Microsoft account with multiple aliases. Can we register multiple windows phones with the separate aliases?

My family has one primary Microsoft account with multiple aliases. Can we register multiple windows phones with the separate aliases?

Meaning can each individual family member use their individual alias to run all the windows phone functions?

 

Add member to your Microsoft family in Windows 10

Hi,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

To add a family member to your Microsoft account, I suggest you to follow the steps from

Add members to your Microsoft family.

Hope it helps.

Nikhar Khare

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

Creation of a local account as a family member


I'm afraid it is not possible to add a family member to a local account.

"For those who still on a local account type, the only issue is that you can't add multiple accounts to your computer if you're not using a Microsoft Account. This limitation should not be a big deal, but it's something you need to keep in mind."

That was take from How to manage Microsoft Accounts and User Accounts in Windows 10. You should read it all the way through. I thought is was very informative.

How to manage Microsoft and user accounts in Windows 10 | Windows Central