Added family member stays pending

Anton 5 Reputation points
2026-03-29T01:05:54.3133333+00:00

I added my daughter to my family account so I can allow access to playing games online. Every time I add and accept her it shows she's in the family on her end but I log into mine and it shows pending.

I have used the manual accept option where it logs you out and her in to accept the addition but keeps looping let her know she's in a family account without correcting it on my end.

If we try to remove her from her account it tells her she need to have her parent remove her. I can't because it shows her as pending on my end. This loop keeps happening. I can't find a number and the AI chat wont connect me with actual humans to fix it.

I don't know what to do and can't actually get a live person to assist as AI keeps cock blocking me

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Family and online safety
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  1. AI answer

    2026-03-29T01:06:17.35+00:00

    Use the Family Portal and the child’s actual Windows sign-in account to break the loop, then re-add the account cleanly.

    1. Confirm the child’s Windows sign-in account
      1. On the child’s PC, have the child sign in.
      2. Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Your account.
      3. If it does not show a Microsoft account, select Sign in with a Microsoft account instead and complete sign-in.
      4. Note the exact email address shown here; this is the account that must be in the family.
    2. Remove any stuck/incorrect invitations
      1. On the organizer account, go to https://family.microsoft.com and sign in.
      2. In the family list, look for any pending invitations for the child’s email.
      3. Cancel/remove those pending invitations.
    3. Re-add the child using the confirmed email
      1. Still at https://family.microsoft.com, scroll to the bottom of the family list and select Add a family member.
      2. Enter the exact email address from step 1 and select Send invite.
      3. On the child’s side, sign in to that email account and accept the invitation from the email.
      4. After acceptance, refresh the Family Portal; the child should now appear as a full member (not pending).
    4. If the PC was upgraded to Windows 10/11 If family features were set up before an upgrade, they must be reconnected:
      1. Ensure the child is signing in to Windows 10/11 with the same Microsoft account confirmed in step 1.
      2. Ensure that same account is the one added to the family at https://family.microsoft.com.
    5. Once the child shows as a full member Configure the needed online safety and game permissions from the Family Portal (for Xbox/online play, use Manage my family’s Xbox online settings from the Family Portal).

    If the child account still appears as pending after these steps, use the Contact support option from the Family Safety help page to reach support and have them clear the stuck family relationship on the backend.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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