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Free Netflix Sharing is Over, but Here's How to Save Your Profile

You may not be able to share a Netflix password for free, but you can hang on to your old watch list.

Nelson Aguilar
Nelson Aguilar is an LA-based tech how-to writer and graduate of UCLA. With more than a decade of experience, he covers Apple and Google and writes on iPhone and Android features, privacy and security settings and more.
Nelson Aguilar
4 min read
Netflix logo on a phone

Netflix started cracking down on password sharing in summer 2023.

Sarah Tew/CNET

If you want to watch 3 Body Problem, you can only watch it on Netflix. And if you were kicked off a shared account after Netflix ended password sharing last year, you'll need to subscribe on your own.

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Although the streaming giant put an end to unofficial password sharing, you can still share a password with someone outside your household, but for a price. Sharing a password with a user outside the household will cost the owner of the account $8 per extra person, on top of what they're already paying for their Netflix plan. If you're on the standard Netflix plan, you can add one person outside your household. Premium users can add up to two.

If you were one of many who lost access to a shared Netflix account this summer, it could be putting a cramp in your streaming. The good news is, even if you got booted off a shared account, you can still transfer your profile over to a new account or another existing account to preserve your recommendations, save lists and other settings.

We'll show you how to find and enable Netflix's Transfer Profile feature on your profile, and how to transfer your existing profile to a different account.

While you're here, check out the best live TV streaming services of 2024 and the best TVs of this year.

If you have an older television that doesn't have built-in applications like Hulu, Disney Plus or Netflix, the Fire TV Stick makes it easy and inexpensive to upgrade to a smart TV. The streaming dongle even comes with the Alexa Voice Remote, so you can use your voice to search for and play movies and TV shows across apps.

Details

First, enable the Profile Transfer feature on Netflix

Before you can transfer your Netflix profile to a different account, you must enable the feature. You can do this on both the web and your mobile device (phone or tablet).

If you're on a computer, go to the web browser of your choice, access the Netflix website and go into the profile that you want to transfer. Next, hover your cursor over your profile icon in the top right and click Transfer Profile in the dropdown menu. On the next page, click the Allow button.

The Profile Transfer feature being enabled on Netflix

The Profile Transfer feature will be available for two years after you enable it.

Nelson Aguilar/CNET

If you're using a phone or tablet, open the official Netflix application, go into your profile and then tap your profile icon in the top-right corner to access your account settings. Next, tap Account, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and tap Turn on profile transfers. This will redirect you to the official profile transfer page, where you can then hit the Allow button.

You should then get a notification saying that profile transfers will soon be coming to your account. For my account, it said I would get the feature in two days. It also said I could enable the profile transfer feature instantly if I clicked the confirmation link sent to me via email, which I did.

Now transfer your profile to another Netflix account

Once the Transfer Profile is enabled, you can transfer your profile to your own new Netflix account or a different existing account. To transfer a profile, log in to your original Netflix account (web or mobile) and go into the Transfer Profile page found in your settings. You should then see the start of the Transfer Profile process, which will give you a brief summary of what the feature does:

  • Transfers over your recommendations, viewing history, saved games, settings, My List and more to a separate account.
  • Creates a backup of your profile on the original account.
three panels of the process for transferring your Netflix profile to a different account

You can transfer your Netflix profile to a new account or another existing Netflix account.

Netflix; screenshot by CNET

Begin the process by hitting the Start Profile Transfer button; you'll then be asked whether you want to move your profile to a new account or an existing account. Make your selection then hit Next again.

If you're creating a new account, you'll then enter the credentials for your new account. Verify your email and then follow the prompts you see on the screen to finish setting up your new account. Once this is finished, your profile will be transferred and you'll have instant access to your new Netflix account.

If you're transferring to an existing account, you'll need the account login and password of that other account in order to connect your profile. 

The owner of the original account will be notified once the process is complete, as will the owner of any existing account you transfer your profile to.

If you get logged out of Netflix while attempting to transfer your profile, you can continue the process by logging back in and using the Finish Transfer setting.

Check out the best TV shows to watch on Netflix, as well as the secret hack you need to get better Netflix recommendations.