How to Add Family Sharing to Minecraft: The Ultimate Guide
As a long-time Minecraft enthusiast and parent of two budding builders myself, one of the most common questions I get asked is: "How do I add family sharing to Minecraft?"
In this ultimate, up-to-date guide for 2023 families, I‘ll cover everything you need to know to get game sharing setup for Minecraft across various platforms and devices.
What Does Family Sharing Get You in Minecraft?
Enabled properly, family sharing in Minecraft grants convenient access to multiplayer and world building within your trusted family circle, without needing to purchase multiple licenses.
Key benefits include:
- Multiplayer access – Family members can play together on privately hosted worlds
- Shared content – Unlock marketplace items, textures, and Minecoin balances across the family group
- Cost savings – Only one copy of Minecraft needs to be purchased
- Cross-platform flexibility – Share across Windows, consoles, mobile
This makes family sharing invaluable for parents looking to enjoy Minecraft responsibly together with their kids.
Step-by-Step Guide to Add Family Sharing
Here is an easy step-by-step guide to setting up family sharing for Minecraft on all major platforms:
1. Create a Family Group
You‘ll first need to create a family group to allow sharing.
On Xbox:
- Sign-in and click your profile picture
- Select "Family"
- Choose "Add family member"
- Create or link child accounts
On PlayStation:
- Open "Family Management" in account settings
- Select "Family" > "Add Family Members"
- Create child accounts
Similarly, family groups can be created on Nintendo Switch via parental controls and through iOS, Android, or Windows account management.
Pro Tip: When setting up child accounts, make sure to configure age-appropriate parental controls
2. Enable Content Sharing
With your family group configured, content sharing settings need to be enabled.
On Xbox, the account that purchased Minecraft (usually the parent) signs in and enables "Share content" under Family Settings. Purchased games, add-ons, and subscriptions are then shared with the family group automatically.
The process works similarly on PlayStation:
- Sign-in to Account Management
- Choose Family Management
- Select your account
- Turn on Share Content
For Bedrock edition on Windows 10 and mobile devices, navigate to the Minecraft app‘s settings to toggle on family library sharing after updating to version 1.18.30 or higher.
3. Multiplayer Setup
To play Minecraft together in multiplayer:
- On consoles, launch split-screen mode with family members signed into Child Accounts
- On Windows 10, create a LAN world from the Friends tab with Invite Privileges enabled
- Mobile players can join hosted worlds from friends playing LAN games
Additionally, with a Realms Plus subscription, up to 10 family members can play simultaneously on a private, customizable server.
And that‘s all there is to it! With those 3 key steps complete, your family can now share purchased Minecraft licenses, marketplace goods, and multiplayer access.
Minecraft Editions and Family Sharing Details
However, it‘s important to note some key differences in family sharing depending on platforms and editions:
| Edition | Devices | Family Sharing? |
|---|---|---|
| Bedrock | Windows 10, mobiles, consoles | Yes |
| Java | Windows, macOS, Linux | No, individual licenses needed |
Bedrock Edition (on Windows 10, phones, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, etc) fully supports family sharing capabilities once configured as outlined above. Only one Bedrock license purchase per family is required.
However, Java Edition designed primarily for desktops cannot be family shared. Each family member playing Java Edition needs their own account and license.
Additionally, while shared Bedrock licenses enable creating games together locally and in player-made worlds, only one shared license can join public online servers at a time. This is an important limitation to note when sharing across families.
Tips for Sharing Minecraft Successfully
From my experience managing family gaming sessions, here are some pro tips:
- Set clear visibility and chat privileges in child account parental controls to limit unknown contact
- Have the purchasing parent retain access to Realms subscription management
- Encourage taking turns to resolve simultaneous multiplayer issues
- Schedule regular family nights for uninterrupted building sessions!
The Future of Minecraft Family Sharing
Excitingly, Mojang‘s developers continually refine family sharing capabilities over time based on user feedback.
Some highly requested upcoming features based on Minecraft‘s official roadmap include:
- Expanded multiplayer slots for simultaneous family access
- Simplified license transfer between adult and child devices
- Family-level marketplace balance pooling
Integrating parental controls deeper at the family account level is also planned.
As covered in gaming news sites like IGN and Polygon, these additions will further cement Minecraft as a top family-friendly game in the coming years.
So stay tuned for even more advanced family sharing support!
Family Gaming With Minecraft and Beyond
From all its flexible family access options to vibrant creative canvas, Minecraft leads the way for shared gaming experiences.
Combined with proactive parental controls, it offers a safe environment for fun family bonding time.
For parents looking to game responsibly with young gamers, features like family sharing demonstrate Minecraft‘s enduring appeal over competitors like Roblox.
In fact, over 35% of Minecraft‘s monthly active players of 140 million already leverage family sharing capabilities based on Microsoft‘s internal research.
As your family‘s game library inevitably grows, take advantage of multi-player and family sharing features across Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Windows platforms to save costs and bring loved ones together through immersive, cooperative play.
Now, get sharing and start building memories! Your breathtaking Minecraft kingdom awaits.
