Subscription purchased via Apple not registering on Microsoft Account

Question

Subscription purchased via Apple not registering on Microsoft Account

Jessica Federle 0

I purchased a Microsoft 365 Family via Apple for $129.99. On Apple, the purchase was successful. It will be valid until August 2, 2027. I have checked to ensure my Apple account is linked to my Microsoft account. It is the same email.

According to Apple, my Personal plan expired on August 28. When will the rollover happen on Microsoft?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Independent Advisor

Hi,

Thanks for checking that.

The "Family Safety" page is mainly where you manage members of your Microsoft family group. The fact that it shows "Microsoft 365 Family" is a good sign, but there is another page that can confirm whether the Family subscription benefits are actually recognized on your Microsoft account.

Please go here while signed in with the same Microsoft account: https://account.microsoft.com/services/office/sharing Do you see a "Share" or "Start sharing" option there?

Microsoft 365 Family allows the subscription owner to share the benefits with up to five other people. Microsoft 365 Personal does not have this option.

If you can see the sharing option, then the Family subscription is being recognized, even though the main Services page is still showing "Microsoft 365 Personal." Since the subscription was purchased through Apple, Apple remains responsible for the billing and renewal.

If you do not see the sharing option, please let me know what that page shows instead. A screenshot would also be helpful, with any personal information covered.

Thanks!

Jessica Federle 0 Reputation points

2026-09-02T15:14:13.06+00:00

Hi!

I went to the page you recommended ( https://account.microsoft.com/services/office/sharing). On this page, however, I couldn't find a "Share" or "Start sharing" option.

I've attached a screenshot of what I'm seeing on the Microsoft account page.

Best,

Jessica
John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-02T16:03:38.11+00:00

Hi,

Thanks for checking.

Since Apple shows Microsoft 365 Family as active, but your Microsoft account still shows Personal and there is no "Share" option, the Family subscription does not appear to be linked correctly to the Microsoft account.

You have already tried "Restore previous purchase", so the next step is to contact Microsoft Support so they can check the subscription entitlement: https://support.microsoft.com/home/contact

Apple will still handle the billing and renewal.

Thanks!

Answer 2

John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Independent Advisor

Hi, @Jessica Federle

Just to confirm, did you purchase your Microsoft 365 subscription through the Apple App Store?

If so, it won’t appear in your Microsoft account because subscriptions bought through Apple are managed entirely by Apple. You can check this by going to your iCloud settings on an Apple device or online, then looking under Subscriptions using your Apple ID and confirm that Microsoft 365 Family shows as active through August 2, 2027.

Since Apple already shows Microsoft 365 Family as active through August 2, 2027, check the Microsoft app where the purchase was made and try "Restore previous purchase". Microsoft recommends this for subscriptions purchased through Apple's App Store.

Your previous Personal subscription expired on August 28, so there should not be another Microsoft billing renewal required for it.

To help narrow this down:

In your Apple Subscriptions, does it specifically say "Microsoft 365 Family" and show it as Active?
When you open Word, Excel, or the Microsoft 365 app and sign in, does it still say Personal, or does it say you do not have a subscription?
Have you tried "Restore previous purchase" yet?

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Thanks!

Jessica Federle 0 Reputation points

2026-08-29T20:50:18.0433333+00:00
Hi John,

Yes, I purchased my Microsoft 365 Family plan through the Apple App Store. My iCloud settings confirm this purchase, indicating the Microsoft 365 Family plan should renew on August 2, 2027.

When I log into my Microsoft Account on my Mac, it says I have a Microsoft 365 Personal plan. This is incorrect. That plan should be expired by now, and it should be replaced by the Microsoft 365 Family plan that I purchased.

Where can I find "Restore previous purchase?" I am logged into my Microsoft account on my Mac laptop (https://account.microsoft.com/services/microsoft365/details).

Thanks,

Jessica
John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-30T04:59:06.3566667+00:00

Hi,

Sorry for the delayed response. I was away from the forum for a few hours and just saw your reply.

Thanks for the additional details.
John Jefferson Doyon 86,980 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-30T05:00:04.0266667+00:00
Thanks for confirming.

"Restore previous purchase" is not on the Microsoft account website you are currently viewing. It needs to be done from the Microsoft app associated with the Apple App Store purchase.

On your Mac:

Open the App Store and check your Microsoft 365 subscription.

Look at the app icon shown with the subscription. This identifies which Microsoft app was used for the purchase, such as Word.

Open that Microsoft app.

Sign out of your Microsoft account in the app.

Completely close the app, then reopen it.

On the "Welcome to Microsoft 365" or "Get Microsoft 365" screen, select "Restore previous purchase" near the bottom.

Sign in with the same Microsoft account that was used when the Apple subscription was purchased.

Microsoft's instructions are here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/lifecycle/restore-previous-purchase-of-microsoft-365-apps-or-copilot-pro-for-mac-iphone-or-ipad

Since Apple already shows Microsoft 365 Family as active through August 2, 2027, the next step is to restore that purchase rather than renew anything through the Microsoft account page.

After doing that, does it recognize Microsoft 365 Family, or do you receive an error during the restore?

Thanks!
Jessica Federle 0 Reputation points

2026-08-31T23:44:44.54+00:00

Hi John,

I opened the App Store and checked my Microsoft 365 subscription. The app icon shown was Microsoft Word.

I opened my Microsoft Word app on my laptop. I signed out of my Microsoft account in the app.

I signed out, completely closed the app, then reopened it. I clicked "Restore previous purchase."

However, on logging back into my Microsoft Account (account.microsoft.com), it still says at the top "Microsoft 365 Personal." Shouldn't it say "Microsoft 365 Family" instead?

I did find, though, that when I scroll down on the my Microsoft Account page, then click the box "View Family," it takes me to a different Account Page (it says "Family Safety" at the top). On that Family Safety page, it allows me to invite family members, and in the "You" box, it does say "Microsoft 365 Family."

Is that where I need to go, maybe? To access my Family Plan?

Thanks,

Jessica