Last updated on 2025-07-22, by
Can You Share HBO Max Account & How to?
Since Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced the crackdown on password sharing by the end of 2024 and carried out the action in early 2025, you might have faced HBO Max account password sharing failure when sharing your account with your friend.
Can you share HBO Max account now? Yes, but with conditions. In this post, I will explain everything you need to know.
Outline
Part 1: Can You Share HBO Max in Different Locations
You can still share your HBO Max account with the people who live with you. However, you are no longer allowed to use your HBO Max account to stream in different locations at the same time. Once you share your login with a person who is not in your household, such as your co-workers, your classmates, you will receive a warning, or you will be blocked.
HBO Max has given you an official option to share with people not at your house via “Extra Member Add-on”: you can pay $7.99 a month to add ‘Extra Members’ to your account. Each Extra Member will have their own login, profile, and can stream HBO Max content simultaneously with you, even in different locations.
Here is a breakdown table, and I will explain the specifics later:
Sharing |
Can You Do It? |
Cost |
Location Restriction |
Login Type |
Max Streams |
Share the same account, same home. |
Yes |
Free |
Same household only |
Same account, different profiles |
According to your plans |
Share the same account, different home |
No |
Not allowed |
Blocked under new rules |
Same account, flagged or blocked |
– |
Extra Member add-on, different account |
Yes |
$7.99/month |
Allowed (different address) |
Separate account, same plan |
1 device per Extra Member |
Part 2: How to Share HBO Max Account by Adding Profiles
For your household members, HBO Max still lets you share an account by adding profiles. This way, you all have separate watching lists and records of favourite shows without bothering each other. This doesn’t require you to pay extra fees.
1. How Many Profiles Can You Have on HBO Max
You can create up to five profiles for your family members under your account. This includes both adults and kids. But you should watch the streaming devices that are used simultaneously:
Plan |
Simultaneous Streams |
Video Quality |
Downloads |
Basic with Ads |
2 devices |
Full HD (1080p) |
Not available |
Standard |
2 devices |
Full HD (1080p) |
30 titles |
Premium |
4 devices (only 2 for sports) |
4K Ultra HD + Dolby Atmos |
100 titles |
Since the vast simultaneous streaming devices is 4, if you are a five-member family or less, it is ok to add profiles. But if your household members are over 5, it seems that you need to subscribe another HBO Max account, or you can try the Extra Member add-on feature as well.
2. How to Add Profiles on HBO Max
Follow the steps below to set it up:
Step 1: Log in to your HBO Max account.
Step 2: Click on your profile and choose “Switch Profile”.
Step 3: Choose to add an adult file or add a kid profile from the options.
Step 4: Now, you can create profiles for your family members.
Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the editing profile. After that, click on the Save button to confirm the change.
Part 3: How to Share HBO Max Account With the "Extra Member" add-on
When you try to share your HBO Max account with people who don’t live with you, this feature is especially useful. However, all the add-on members should be over 18 years old, and they should live in the same country/region as you.
1. What can you get with an Extra Member account?
With the Extra Member add-on, the person you invite has full HBO Max access, their own login, their own profile, and the same streaming quality level as your plan (even 4K and Dolby Atmos if you have Premium). They don’t need to live with you, and they can watch anywhere on one device at a time. You can even transfer an existing profile to them so that their favorites and watchlist will all be preserved.
Very convenient, right? For you, as the account owner, this means you will not have to give out your password or your watchlist. And here is a tip: it’s excellent for splitting the cost of the subscription with friends.
2. How much does an Extra Member account cost
Adding an Extra Member to your HBO Max account costs $7.99 per month, plus any applicable taxes. This fee is added on top of your existing subscription price.
3. How to get the Extra Member Add-On
If you have not signed up for the Extra Member add-on yet, here are the steps for acquiring it:
Step 1: Go to hbomax.com/subscription and log in to your account.
Step 2: Find and click on "Get Add-Ons" (this will only show if you have subscribed directly through Warner Bros. Discovery, not from third-party services).
Step 3: Pick the Extra Member add-on and add it to your plan.
Step 4: Click "Confirm and Pay Now" to complete your purchase.
Once you’ve purchased the Extra Member add-on, you can invite friends or family to join your plan:
Step 1: Access HBO Max account settings and find the option to invite Extra Members.
Step 2: Input the name and email address of the person you want to add.
Step 3: You can add them as a new profile or an existing adult profile (kids’ profiles cannot be transferred).
Step 4: Click the button to send the invitation.
Step 5: HBO Max will send an email to the invitee with a link to join your subscription.
Step 6: You can remind the Extra Member to check their email inbox for the invite and follow the onscreen instructions to set up their own login.
4. How to cancel the Extra Member Add-On
If you want to quit the Extra Member add-on, it’s easy. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Go to hbomax.com/subscription and sign in.
Step 2: Select "Remove Add-Ons".
Step 3: Follow the prompts to cancel the Extra Member add-on.
Once you cancel, your Extra Member will still have streaming capability until the last day of your current billing cycle. Your HBO Max subscription will remain active and unchanged.
What if you unsubscribe from your HBO Max?
If you cancel the entire HBO Max plan, you and your Extra Member will no longer have access once your subscription ends. However, if you have unused days on your Extra Member add-on, HBO Max will offer a prorated refund for that portion.
Part 4: Alternative Solution – Download Max Content to Watch Offline
If you are already paying for HBO Max but don’t want to spend another $7.99 for the Extra Member Add-On, there is one more way you can share your favourite shows, and that is by downloading the HBO Max content and sharing it directly with your friends.
That’s right. You can download HBO Max movies or episodes to your device, then save them to a USB to give to a friend or send them via cloud storage. It’s really useful when you or they want to watch HBO Max offline when on a flight, stuck on a subway, or in a place without stable Wi-Fi.
In order to accomplish this more easily, I recommend you try one of the best HBO Max Downloaders – Moyea Max Downloader. You can download single or full seasons in 720P HD, including subtitles and audio tracks. Plus, you can save the videos in MP4 or MKV format, which means they will be playable on just about every device.
Wait, this is not all. This tool allows you to remove ads (if you are on the ad-supported plan) and bypass HBO Max download limits from the official HBO Max app. Never worry about content expiring or being limited to the app.
So, if you are looking for a flexible, cost-effective way to share with friends without using the Add-On, this could be the ideal workaround.
-
– Downloads any shows from all HBO streaming servers
– Downloads full episodes in batches
– Allows users to export videos in MP4 or MKV format
– Supports choosing output audio tracks and subtitles
– Removes all the ads automatically in the downloaded videos
FAQs
1. How to Remove Friends from My Account?
If you don’t want your friends as extra members, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Visit hbomax.com/account and sign in.
Step 2: Click Manage Extra Members.
Step 3: Select Remove Extra Member and click the button to confirm.
Step 4: Once you’re done, the members will lose access to HBO Max.
2. How Many Max Devices Can be Logged in?
Max allows you to log in on multiple devices, but you can only stream on a maximum of 4 devices at any given time. This means you and three others can stream at the same time. If a fifth person tries to stream content, one of the others will be cut off.
3. Are Extra Members able to download Max Content for Offline Viewing?
Yes, but you have to be on the Ad-Free plan or the Ultimate Ad-Free plan. Extra Members can download movies and shows, just like the main account does. If you are on the With Ads plan, a Max downloader like Moyea Max Downloader can be helpful. Just save content to your device to share files with friends.
Conclusion
So that’s all the information I wanted to share. You can still share your HBO Max account with your family. It’s the same as it was. But if you want to share with your friends, you need to pay the Extra Member Add-on and invite your friends as members.
Hey, if you don’t want to spend another $7.99, don’t forget to try Moyea Max Downloader to save the wanted HBO Max content, like The White Lotus, Succession, etc. Load them onto a USB, and you and your friends can all watch them offline without any limits.