Topic: Using Family Member Accounts

So I have a Nintendo account, and I've created two family member accounts for my kids. I can see both accounts in the "Family Group" section of my account page. My primary account is linked to their Switch. I've also created user profiles for them on the Switch, but when I go to link my Nintendo account to their user profiles, it tells me I can't, as the Nintendo account is already linked. How am I able to set it up so that they can play games under their own profiles? I've searched everywhere online, but can't find anything. Any help you could offer would be appreciated. Thanks.

@jools

If your account is set as the Primary Account then any digital games you buy are playable by every other profile on that Switch. When selecting a game on the homescreen, you choose which profile will access that game. A Nintendo Account is only necessary for accessing the eshop and other online services.

Yes you would think. But for example: I've added a profile on the switch for my son alongside the primary (mine). When I go to play Fortnite it asks me which user I want to use. I select him, and it takes me to a "Please link your Nintendo Account" window. If I try and use my account, it does what I described above.

A Nintendo account is seperate from the user profile on the Switch. You say you've made family member accounts for the kids, so you should be able to link those Nintendo accounts to their user profiles on the console.

Agreed, and therein lies the problem. How do I link the newly created Switch user profile, to the existing family member attached to my Nintendo account? Because when I use my email (the one associated with the Nintendo account), it tells me it's already linked to the device. How do I point it to the family member and not myself?

@jools

Are you trying to link your email to your son's account after you linked it to your own? I'm betting an email can only be associated with one account, so he's going to need his own email.

Sorry if I'm misunderstanding the issue; I've never used family accounts before.

Sort of, I think? At the end of the day, all I really need to do is use the Switch profile I've created on the device for him to play games. Whenever I currently launch a game and try to use his new profile, it tells me I need to link it to a Nintendo account. But he's 7, so he doesn't have his own account, he's added as a family member on mine. But when I try to link it to mine it says the account is already linked (which it is, under my profile).

@jools

I think the problem is that you're trying to link your son's profile to your Nintendo Account instead of the Child Account you made for him when you added him as a member.

See if this video helps. It shows how to link accounts at the end.:

As for Fortnite itself, I've never played it, but I'm not sure if you need an Epic Games account to play it, so that might be its own issue later on.

That did it. I had to use his sign-in ID. Thanks!