can't a user to my account. need a pin and cant set that on macbook

Question

can't a user to my account. need a pin and cant set that on macbook

Paula Tighe 0

I have 365 on Macbook. Want to add user on PC. When I sent invitation and try to add her, I'm asked for a PIN. Can't set a pin on Macbook as it doesn't use Hello or whatever needs a PIN. So we're stuck. Also this is a very frustrating way to run support. Should be way to talk to a live person.

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4 answers

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Answer 1

Stefan Blom 357.2K MVP Volunteer Moderator

One thing to note--they don't have a Microsoft account. It expired. And we want to consolidate accounts. They have a "reactivate" button appearing in Outlook. Deadline 11/4 or they lose ability to use Outlook. When we hit that button it gives the option of continuing with a 365 account invitation and that is what we tried to do.

Thanks for the follow-up.

A free e-mail account won't be lost, even if an older Microsoft subscription has been canceled.

The situation is different if the account has actually been closed, by your family member. They have to manually save any files etc. that are currently associated with the account, or the info will be permanently lost after about 30 days. If necessary, the account can be reopened as long as it is in the 30-day recovery window.

If the family member you have invited is now using a different Microsoft account, you have to send a new invite to that e-mail address.

Paula Tighe 0 Reputation points

2026-11-01T11:17:57.6066667+00:00

I think the confusion here may be that they are using an email that is a rackspace email being used with Outlook (that was associated with our business). They don't have any idea what the login is for Microsoft. They just open Outlook and go. We are opening the invite in Outlook, but will try to open in webmail and see if that helps.

Answer 2

Stefan Blom 357.2K MVP Volunteer Moderator

The purpose of the PIN request is to confirm your Microsoft account on the Windows device; the PIN isn't connected to the subscription itself. On your PC, you should be able to bypass the request.

Are you saying that you were able to send the invite from your Mac instead?

Paula Tighe 0 Reputation points

2026-10-31T16:49:40.2766667+00:00

I sent the request from the Mac. I don't see any option to bypass this request.
Stefan Blom 357.2K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-10-31T17:34:41.4033333+00:00

I sent the request from the Mac.

Thanks for the clarification. That is good news.

I don't see any option to bypass this request.

On my PC, I am frequently prompted to set up a PIN when I sign in to any Microsoft account. I am able to choose a different way to verify account access, usually by sending a code to some e-mail address. Do you see that option?
Paula Tighe 0 Reputation points

2026-10-31T20:25:55.65+00:00

The screenshots show you exactly what I see. No option to bypass PIN.
Stefan Blom 357.2K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-11-01T10:40:50.5266667+00:00

Repeating your screen shot below, there is a Cancel button. What happens if you click that one?

Usually, you should see an option to send a security code to an alternative e-mail address instead.

Answer 3

Thomas4-N 23,140 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Paula Tighe,

The PIN is likely a Windows Hello PIN for the Windows PC, not something you need to create on the MacBook. Microsoft 365 sharing itself does not use a separate PIN.

Before suggesting the correct steps, could you confirm:

Is your subscription Microsoft 365 Family? Microsoft 365 Personal cannot be shared with another person.
Does the PIN request appear while accepting the invitation, adding the user to Windows, or opening an Office app?
What is the exact wording of the PIN message?

If possible, please share a screenshot of that prompt, but hide any email address or other personal information. Once the exact screen is known, we can determine whose Windows PIN it expects and where it must be created or reset.

Paula Tighe 0 Reputation points

2026-10-31T12:59:40.5333333+00:00

Hello! I have 365 Family and was able to send an invite from my Macbook. The other user, my spouse, is using Outllook on a PC. Their sub has ended and when starting reactivation it gives the option to be added to another 365 account which is what we want to do. On the PC we open the invite and it has several steps one of which is entering a PIN. As you said I don't have a PIN setup on the Macbook so don't have one to use. Tried going to sign-on options on PC and made sure the PIN option is not selected, and it is not. Never used a PIN before ever. Seems like it will force me to have a PIN for the PC and have my account on the PC and I didn't want to have 2 account sign-ons going.
Thomas4-N 23,140 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-01T07:15:03.4466667+00:00
Hello Paula Tighe,

Thanks for the follow-up. I can see that the PIN prompt doesn't offer an option to skip it.

One thing to know is that your spouse doesn't need to add your Microsoft account to their Windows PC to use your Microsoft 365 Family subscription. They should be able to activate Office using their own Microsoft account once the sharing invitation has been accepted.

Could you try the following on your spouse's PC?

Close Outlook and open a web browser.

Open the Microsoft 365 sharing invitation you sent from your Mac.

Make sure your spouse accepts the invitation using their own Microsoft account.

Once accepted, visit https://account.microsoft.com/services while signed in with your spouse's account and check whether the shared Microsoft 365 subscription appears.

If it does, reopen Outlook and sign in using that same account.

This should help avoid adding your Microsoft account as a separate Windows sign-in.

If the PIN prompt still appears, let me know whether it happens while accepting the invitation in the browser or when signing in to Outlook afterward.
Paula Tighe 0 Reputation points

2026-11-01T10:54:52.9833333+00:00

One thing to note--they don't have a Microsoft account. It expired. And we want to consolidate accounts. They have a "reactivate" button appearing in Outlook. Deadline 11/4 or they lose ability to use Outlook. When we hit that button it gives the option of continuing with a 365 account invitation and that is what we tried to do.
Thomas4-N 23,140 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-01T13:23:09.7566667+00:00

Hello

If your spouse’s Microsoft 365 subscription expired, their Microsoft account still exists. They can use that same account to accept your sharing invitation without buying another subscription or adding your account as a Windows sign-in.

You can have one paid Family subscription while keeping separate Microsoft accounts. That is how the sharing works.

Before trying Outlook’s Reactivate button again, can your spouse sign in to their existing account through the Microsoft account website? Let me know whether that succeeds or brings up the same PIN prompt. This will help separate the account-access issue from Outlook activation.
Thomas4-N 23,140 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-04T10:46:08.8666667+00:00

Hello Paula Tighe,

Just check in to see how things are going. Let me know if you need anything.

Answer 4

The PIN prompt is not a Mac PIN. In this scenario, the PIN is typically a device-specific Windows Hello PIN, and it does not transfer from a Mac to a PC.

For Microsoft 365 Family sharing, the other person should usually accept the invitation and install Office with their own Microsoft account, rather than signing in on the PC with the subscription owner’s device PIN. A similar Microsoft Q&A case states that the PIN is device-specific and that sharing is normally done by inviting the other person to use their own account.

If the prompt is happening on the Windows PC, use one of these paths:

On the sign-in screen, look for Other ways to sign in, Sign-in options, or Use your password.
Sign in with the Microsoft account password instead of a PIN.
If Windows is asking for a Windows Hello PIN on that PC and the PIN was forgotten, sign in to Windows first, then go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > PIN (Windows Hello) > I forgot my PIN.

If the issue is that Office is not associated with the correct account, make sure the subscription is linked to the Microsoft account that owns it. For home products, the account association is part of the setup flow, and once linked, the install page shows My Office Account with the account email and install options.

For live help, Microsoft Support can be reached through Contact Microsoft Support. The support article also notes that support agents cannot send password reset links or change account details.