Last October, Netflix announced it would begin charging fees for password sharing. While the streaming service hasn’t provided a firm date for when the fees would begin — or what those fees will be — Netflix said it could start charging customers in March.
In a Jan. 19 letter to shareholders, Netflix said it planned to “roll out paid sharing more broadly” later in the first quarter of this year. The shareholder letter also said the company estimates that 100 million households are engaged in account sharing.
As Netflix prepares to charge password sharing fees, you (or someone sharing your login) might be considering switching to a separate account. If you do, you’ll be glad to learn that the streaming service provides a way to transfer any profile.
The Profile Transfer feature allows users to keep their viewing history (including ratings), personalized recommendations, My List titles, saved games and gaming handles, plus other saved items or settings when they begin using their own accounts.
Transferring your profile requires two actions. First, you must enable profile transfers on the primary account. Then, you can transfer a profile to a new account.
How To Turn On Profile Transfers
Netflix will notify you when profile transfers are available for your account. Once you’ve received that email, you can begin the process. First, sign in to Netflix in a browser on a computer, phone or tablet and select the primary account.
Next, hover over the downward-facing arrow icon in the upper-right corner and choose Transfer Profile. You can also select Account. If you take this route, go to the Settings section, select Turn on profile transfers and then choose Allow.
You will receive an email confirming that you want to enable profile transfers. In that email, click the Enable Instantly option. If you do not follow this step, the feature will turn on automatically in two days. A Netflix confirmation says the feature will be automatically disabled in two years.
How To Transfer A Profile
Once you have enabled profile transfers, you can transfer an eligible profile for someone who wants to start a new account. However, you won’t be able to transfer a profile to an existing account.
Sign in to Netflix with a browser on a computer, phone or tablet and go to the Account page. Then, in the Profiles and Parental Controls section, choose the profile you want to transfer to a new account.
In the Transfer Profile section, select the Transfer link. Next, enter the email address and password that will be used to log into the new account.
The on-screen prompts will walk you through setting up the account. Wait for the profile transfer to complete, and the new account will be ready.
Netflix keeps a copy of the transferred profile on the original account. However, if you prefer, you can delete it by going to Manage Profiles, selecting the profile and choosing Delete Profile.
If you suspect someone is using your account without your authorization, learn how you can kick a specific person off your Netflix account.
By Tricia Goss, for Scripps News.
Scripps News
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