Stop using Family Sharing on Mac (2024)

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Copyright

If you’re the family organizer, you can stop Family Sharing and disband the Family Sharing group by removing yourself from it. Afterward, each person who was in your group may be able to join or set up another group. However, each person can only join two family groups per year. (Rejoining a family group or creating a new one counts against this limit.)

If your group includes children under 13 (age varies by country or region), you must first transfer them to a different Family Sharing group before you can stop Family Sharing.

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Family in the sidebar.
If you don’t see Family, you don’t have Family Sharing set up.
Open Family settings for me
Click [your name], click Stop next to Stop Using Family Sharing, then follow the onscreen instructions.

If you stop Family Sharing, members keep purchases they initiated and paid for using the shared credit card, but immediately lose access to other things the family shares.

Other family members’ items no longer appear in the Purchased section of the App Store and Music app, or the Family Purchases section of Apple Books.
DRM-protected music, movies, TV shows, books, and apps originally purchased by one family member and downloaded by others can be used only by the original purchaser.
In-app purchases become unavailable if they were made using an app originally purchased by someone else. Former family members can regain access to their in-app purchases by purchasing the app.
Family members’ device locations no longer appear in the Find My app on your Mac, iOS device, or iPadOS device, or on iCloud.com.

See alsoStop sharing your location with others in your Family Sharing group on MacLeave a Family Sharing group on MacApple Support article: Leave Family Sharing

FAQs

Stop using Family Sharing on Mac? ›

In the Services window, scroll down and locate the "Microsoft Family Features" service. Right-click on the service and select Properties. Change the Startup type to "Disabled" and click Apply. Restart your computer and check if the pop-up still appears.

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How do I turn off Family Sharing on my computer? ›

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How do I stop my Mac from sharing between devices? ›

How to turn off Mac "Internet Sharing"

Open System Preferences.
Search for internet sharing, or choose Sharing.
If the window has a locked padlock, unlock it.
Deselect Internet Sharing as in these pictures: On a recent macOS:
Click the padlock.
Close the System Preferences window.

How do I change Family Sharing settings on Mac? ›

On your Mac running macOS 13 or later: Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Family Sharing , then select Family Sharing in the sidebar. On your Mac running macOS 12 or earlier: Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Family Sharing , then select Family Sharing.

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How do I turn off home sharing on my Macbook? ›

On your Mac or PC, open iTunes and look under File > Home Sharing.To use a different Apple ID with Home Sharing, choose Turn Off Home Sharing, then set up Home Sharing again.

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How do I turn off Family Sharing on my Mac? ›

On your Mac

Choose Apple menu  > System Settings.
Click Family.
Click your name.
Click Stop Using Family Sharing.

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What does Family Sharing do on Mac? ›

Family Sharing makes it easy for you and up to five family members to share Apple Books, App Store purchases, photo albums, the family calendar and other Apple services. It is also a useful parental controls settings app if you have children.

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How do I change Sharing permissions on Mac? ›

Assign permissions to users and groups

On your Mac, select a disk, folder, or file, then choose File > Get Info.
If the information in Sharing & Permissions isn't visible, click the arrow . ...
Select a user or group in the Name column, click the pop-up menu, then choose a privilege setting.

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How do I change share options on Mac? ›

Customize the Share menu

On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Privacy & Security in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Go to Others at the bottom of the window on the right, then click Extensions. Click Sharing.

How do I turn off shared with you on Mac? ›

To change these settings, choose Messages > Settings, then click Shared with You. Turn Shared with You on or off: Turn on Shared with You: Click the Turn On button. Turn off Shared with You: Click the Turn Off button.

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How do I turn off family purchase sharing? ›

Go to Settings > [your name] > Family Sharing. Tap Purchase Sharing, then turn off Share Purchases with Family. If the organizer wants to turn off purchase sharing entirely, they can tap Stop Purchase Sharing.

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How do I stop my Mac from sharing apps between users? ›

You could create a home folder -> Applications Folder and put your non-work apps there. You could take it a step further, and create a separate login account for personal stuff vs your work stuff.

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How do I remove Family control from my computer? ›

Here's a fast and easy 3-step guide.

Step 1: Go to Settings. Click the Start button and select the gear icon. ...
Step 2: Click “Accounts” in the Settings menu. ...
Step 3: In Accounts, click on “Family & other users.” Find the Microsoft Family Features option, then click “Remove” or “Disable” to turn it off.

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How do I turn off family link on my computer? ›

To remove a Child consent Go to https://account.microsoft.com/family Sign in with your Microsoft account. To remove a child, scroll down and select Manage my child's profile info, select the child, select Remove consent for this child's account, and confirm.

How do I remove Family members from my computer? ›

Log in to your computer with a Microsoft account. Press Win+I to open the Settings window and select Accounts. Go to Family & other users > Manage family settings online or remove an account. Click the three-dot icon and select Remove from family group.

How do I change my Family settings on my computer? ›

Type and search [Family options] in the Windows search bar①, then click [Open]②. Click [View family settings]③. You will be directed to Microsoft Family Safety official website. Select [Sign in to Family Safety]④, then sign in with your Microsoft account to start using the parental control function.

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