How to add new game tags or guests to your system.
When you first set up your Xbox Series X or S, you’ll need to sign in with a Microsoft account that gives you access to any games and subscriptions from previous consoles or other devices.
It is possible to add other numeric add-ons to the system to log in – whether they are from family members who want to use the console or from friends who come to play collaborations, to keep track of their own progress and achievements.
This page explains How to add and remove users on Xbox Series X or AC (And Xbox One, if you have the latest system update) – Set it up with a new game tag, log in to the existing one, or add a guest.
On this page:
If you’re looking for more Xbox help, we have pages on Xbox Capture, how to appear offline in the Xbox Series, and how to connect the Xbox Controller.
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How to Add Number Accounts to Xbox Series X / S and Xbox One from Existing GameTogs to Guest Accounts
When you first set up your Xbox console, you will need to sign in with a Microsoft account. This will act as the primary user of the console, and if this is the only account you need, you’re all set.
Of course, you may want to add extra digit accounts to others, if they have games of their own, they want to bring them to the console, or they want to continue their progress and achievements on the console.
To add users, press the Guide button (the glowing Xbox logo) on your controller. This will overlay a menu on the left side of the screen.
Now go to Profile and System to the right.
Now select the Add or Switch option. It provides a list of accounts currently available on the system. If you ‘ve added users before, this is where they appear.
Alternatively, you have two options below – Add Guest and Add New.
Add Guest Adds a temporary account for the current play session, and it would be useful to have a friend round who would like to join you for local collaboration, and not worry about progress or gains. This will create a guest number with a number and a number currently signed in the game tag.
In the meantime, Add New will allow you to sign in to an additional Microsoft account and pull out all their Xbox details.
It has the same security as logging in to any other device – so if logging requires a second component authentication, make sure you have it on hand.
Once logged in, this console will also allow you to set the access level available to that account, which will require a password whenever someone tries to use it. This is useful if you want to have digital access to this console at a later date, but no one wants to accidentally use it and play your saved games.
How to remove users from Xbox Series X / S and Xbox One
First, you need to open the Settings app. This is one of your latest apps, which means it’s already on the home screen, but if not, you can find it:
- Press the Guide button on the controller, select the last option on the right, and find Settings in the middle
- From the main dashboard of the console, press Y to search, then type settings
- Select ‘My Games & Apps’ (which is always on the main dashboard), then select Applications on the left, then Settings
Once you have opened Settings, go to Accounts from the menu options on the left, and then remove Accounts on the bottom right.
This then brings up a list of all the accounts in the system, from the gametags to the guest numbers. Select what you want and then remove.
Remember, you can always keep a gametag on another console and password protect it, making sure no one can access it and saving by going through the steps described earlier on the page.
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