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How to set up and use multiple accounts on Amazon Echo

You may not have known that you can set up multiple accounts with the Amazon Echo smart speaker. Learn how you can share digital content and collaborate on household shopping lists.

Taylor Martin CNET Contributor
Taylor Martin has covered technology online for over six years. He has reviewed smartphones for Pocketnow and Android Authority and loves building stuff on his YouTube channel, MOD. He has a dangerous obsession with coffee and is afraid of free time.
Taylor Martin
2 min read
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In a number of ways, an Amazon Echo speaker can make your home life much easier. With only your voice, you can turn on the lights, order a pizza and stream your favorite music or news station.

However, in a house full of different people, their music libraries, calendars, to-do lists and preferences will vary.

The good news is that you can easily set up multiple user accounts within a household. Here's how it's done.

Prerequisites

Before you try to add an additional household member to your Amazon Echo, you will need a few things.

First, make sure that person has an Amazon account (create one if necessary). You'll need the log-in credentials for that account to add it to your household profile.

Add a household member to your Amazon Echo

Adding a new user to your Echo's household profile should only take a minute. To add a new user:

  • Open the Amazon Alexa application or go to echo.amazon.com in a browser from your computer and navigate to Settings.
  • Scroll to the bottom of Settings and locate Household Profile.
  • Enter your Amazon log-in info and sign in. On the next page, click Continue.
  • Next, give the computer or phone to the person you are adding to the account so he or she can enter the log-in information for that Amazon account.
  • Once that's done, click Join Household.

With multiple accounts, not only can you share your content libraries, such as books and music; you can also collaborate on stuff like shopping lists, to-do lists and calendars. To access the digital content from another user's account, you will need to switch to that person's profile by saying, "Alexa, switch accounts" or "Alexa, switch to Taylor's profile."

To check which profile is currently active, simply ask, "Alexa, which account is this?" or "Alexa, which profile am I using?"

There's also something to be wary of. When you add an additional user, you are giving that person the ability to purchase items with your Amazon account. To add an additional layer of security, open Settings in the Amazon Alexa app and select Voice Purchasing. Under "Require confirmation code," enter a four-digit code that must be said aloud when purchasing physical items or digital content via the Echo.

Remove a household member from Amazon Echo

Removing someone from your Amazon household is also a quick process.

  • Open the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone or navigate to echo.amazon.com in your browser from a computer and go to Settings.
  • Near the bottom of Settings, you should see a menu titled In an Amazon household with [user name]. Select this.
  • Beside your name, you should see a button titled Leave. Beside the other users' names, you will see the option to remove the user. Tap this link to remove a user or tap Leave to remove yourself from the household.