This behavior is consistent with a browser/cookies issue blocking Microsoft/Xbox web experiences rather than an account setting problem.
Try the following steps in a desktop browser where the issue occurs:
- In the browser, open the site settings for cookies.
- In Google Chrome: go to Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Cookies and site data.
- Ensure cookies are not being blocked:
- Select Allow all cookies.
- Make sure Block third‑party cookies is not selected.
- Still in Cookies and site data, under Sites that can always use cookies, add these domains one by one and enable the option to allow all cookies on each site:
-
microsoft.com -
microsoftonline.com
-
- Clear any existing cached data/cookies for Microsoft/Xbox sites, then close and reopen the browser.
- Sign in again to the Xbox site and try accessing the play/user page and adding friends.
If the problem persists across all devices and networks after this, contact Xbox/Microsoft support so they can check the account and service status.
References: