Photo: Vantage_DS (Shutterstock)
The golden age of streaming is coming to an end: Netflix is officially doing away with its free password sharing. The effects won’t be immediate: Netflix isn’t planning to start charging for password sharing until early next year, when account holders will start being charged a few bucks extra for profiles for users not living with them, but change is definitely nigh.
If you don’t pay for your plan and you’re worried about being booted from the group, there’s one small silver lining: Netflix is allowing users to transfer profiles from one account to another so you won’t lose your queue and watch history. Here’s what to know.
How will Netflix’s paid password sharing work?
The details of Netflix’s plan are still murky, but here’s what we know: Starting in 2023, the company will only allow multiple users to access the same account for free if they live in the same household. If a user accesses the account from elsewhere, Netflix will charge extra the account holder an additional fee. The company hasn’t released details yet, but based on Netflix tests in Latin American countries, a tacked-on fee of $3.00 to $4.00 per outside user is likely. If that pans out, sharing passwords could get expensive, especially for families that live apart from one another.
One solution, of course, is to cancel Netflix altogether (if I say it, maybe no one will repeat it in the comments). But there are plenty of people who enjoy Netflix’s past and present content and would prefer to bite the bullet and open a new account. If that’s you, there are some more affordable options these days that will make the switch a little less painful. While it remains to be seen whether this move helps or hurts Netflix, the company has thought of some band-aids to make the transition easier.
Previously if you opened a new account, you’d lose all the personalization of your old profile, including your watch history and recommendations. You now have the option to transfer your profile to another active account, which should make using your new account feel the same as your old one (minus the new monthly bill). There’s little risk in transferring profiles, as Netflix saves a backup of the profile to the original account, just without the saved games. (Note: You can’t transfer kids’ profiles.)
How to transfer your Netflix profile to a new account
To start, log into your Netflix account and click your profile in the top right. Choose “Transfer Profiles.” Netflix will give you a rundown of how profile transfers work. Click “Allow,” and Netflix will enable the feature in two days. (I’m not sure what the delay is for, since you can enable transfers instantly using an email Netflix sends to the account holder.)
Image: Netflix
Once the feature is live, go back to your profile icon and hit “Transfer Profiles” again. Again, you’ll see a summary of how the feature works. From here, you can walk through the steps, including entering the email and password you’d like to use for your new account. Once you walk through the setup, you should be the proud owner of a paid Netflix subscription of your very own, complete with everything as it was on your old, unpaid plan. Feels good, doesn’t it? (No.)
