What iCloud Family Sharing does and who can join
iCloud Family Sharing lets up to six people in your household share purchases, storage space, and certain subscriptions under one family group. One adult (the organizer) creates the group and invites the others — they can be family members or anyone you trust. Once someone joins, they can see shared photos, calendars, and reminders, and they get access to apps and music that the organizer has bought.
The organizer pays for the shared iCloud+ storage plan, which covers everyone in the group. Individual family members keep their own separate iCloud accounts and passwords, so their personal files and messages stay private. Children under 13 (or the age of digital consent in your country) need parental consent to join, and parents can set up Screen Time limits and purchase controls for them.
Key Takeaways
- The organizer creates the family group on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac and invites others by their Apple ID email address.
- All family members share one iCloud+ storage plan, but each person's personal files, messages, and email remain private to their own account.
- You can choose which features to share — photos, calendars, reminders, and location — and turn off sharing for any feature at any time.
- Children's accounts can be managed by a parent, including purchase approvals and Screen Time limits, but adults in the group have full control of their own accounts.
How to set up Family Sharing as the organizer
On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name at the top, then tap Family Sharing. Tap "Create a Family Group" or "get your free guide" if you don't see that option. You'll be asked to confirm your payment method — this is where charges for shared subscriptions and the iCloud+ plan will go.
Next, you'll see the option to invite family members. Tap "Invite Family" and choose whether to send an invitation by text, email, or in person. If you're inviting someone in the same room, you can have them scan a code with their device. If you're inviting remotely, enter their Apple ID email address. They'll receive an invitation and can accept it from their own device.
On a Mac, go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older versions), click your name in the sidebar, then click Family. Click the plus sign to add family members and follow the same invitation process. The steps are the same whether you're using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac — the organizer always initiates the group.
What each family member can see and control
Once someone joins the family group, they automatically share the iCloud+ storage plan. This means if the organizer pays for 200 GB of storage, all six family members can use that pool together. Each person's personal files — photos in their own library, documents in their own folders, emails in their own account — stay completely private. Only files they choose to share in the Family Photos album or Family Calendar are visible to others.
Family members can also see each other's location if location sharing is turned on. This is optional and can be toggled off in Settings under Privacy. If a child's account is managed by a parent, the parent can see the child's location, but the child cannot see the parent's location unless the parent allows it.
Purchases made by one family member — apps, books, music, movies — are not automatically shared. However, the organizer can turn on "Shared Purchases" so that apps bought by any family member become available to everyone. This does not include subscriptions like Apple Music or Apple TV+, which are separate.
Inviting people to join and managing who's in the group
To invite someone after the group is created, open Family Sharing settings, tap "Invite Family," and enter their Apple ID email address or send an invitation code. They'll receive a notification on their device and can accept or decline. If they decline, they're not added to the group, and you can invite someone else instead.
To remove someone from the family group, open Family Sharing, tap their name, then tap "Remove from Family." They'll lose access to the shared storage and shared purchases, though any files they've downloaded will remain on their device. If a child's account is being managed, removing them from the family also removes parental controls.
Only the organizer can add or remove people. If you want to transfer the organizer role to someone else, you'll need to remove yourself from the group first, and then the new organizer can re-invite you as a regular member. This is a deliberate limitation to prevent accidental changes to the group.
Sharing photos, calendars, and location with family members
The Family Photos album is separate from your personal photo library. To add photos to it, open the Photos app, select the images you want to share, tap Share, and choose "Family Album." Everyone in the family group can see these photos and add their own. This is the main way to keep family photos in one place without sharing your entire library.
Family Calendar works similarly. When you create a calendar event, you can choose to add it to a shared family calendar instead of your personal one. Everyone in the group sees events on the family calendar, but your personal calendar events remain private. To set this up, open the Calendar app, create an event, and tap "Calendar" to choose which calendar it goes to.
Location sharing is turned on by default for family members, but you can turn it off in Settings under Privacy > Location Services. If you disable it, other family members won't see your location, and you won't see theirs. Parents managing a child's account can see the child's location even if the child has turned off location sharing for other apps.
Setting up purchase controls and Screen Time for children
If you're adding a child under 13 to the family group, you'll be asked to set up parental controls. The parent managing the account can require approval for any purchase or download, set spending limits, or restrict certain types of content like movies rated PG-13 or higher.
To set purchase controls, open Family Sharing, tap the child's name, then tap "Purchase Requests." Turn on "Require Purchase Approval" and choose whether to approve purchases immediately or require the child to ask first. The child will see a prompt when they try to buy or download something, and the parent will receive a notification to approve or deny it.
Screen Time is a separate feature that lets you set limits on how long the child can use their device and which apps they can access. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then tap "Family Sharing" to set it up. You can create different schedules for different days, block specific apps, and set content restrictions. The child cannot change these settings without the parent's Screen Time passcode.
Troubleshooting common Family Sharing problems
If someone isn't receiving an invitation, check that you've entered their Apple ID email address correctly. Ask them to check their email and notification center — invitations sometimes appear as notifications rather than emails. If they still don't see it, try removing them from the group and inviting them again.
If shared storage isn't showing up for a family member, make sure they've accepted the family invitation and signed in with their Apple ID. On their device, go to Settings > [Their Name] > iCloud and check that iCloud is turned on. Sometimes signing out and back in resolves the issue.
If a child's account is asking for a password when they try to download a free app, the parent may have turned on purchase approval for all downloads, not just paid ones. Go to the child's account settings in Family Sharing and adjust the purchase request settings to allow free downloads without approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share my iCloud storage with family members if I don't have iCloud+?
No. Only iCloud+ subscribers can share storage with family members. If you have the free 5 GB iCloud account, each family member gets their own separate 5 GB. You'll need to upgrade to iCloud+ (50 GB, 200 GB, or 2 TB) to enable shared storage for the family group.
What happens to a family member's data if they leave the family group?
Their personal files, emails, and messages stay on their device and in their own iCloud account. They lose access to the shared storage pool and any apps purchased through shared purchases. Files they've already downloaded won't be deleted, but they won't be able to download new shared apps.
Can two people in the family group both be organizers?
No. Only one person can be the organizer at a time. If you want to change who the organizer is, the current organizer must remove themselves from the group first. Then the new organizer can create a new family group and invite everyone else to join.
Do family members see my personal emails and messages?
No. Email accounts and iMessage conversations are completely private to each person's own Apple ID. Family Sharing only shares the iCloud+ storage pool, photos added to the family album, calendars marked as family calendars, and location if enabled.
Can I turn off Family Sharing without removing everyone from the group?
No. To stop using Family Sharing, you must remove all family members from the group. Once everyone is removed, the family group dissolves. If you want to rejoin later, you or someone else can create a new family group and invite people again.