How can I share my Bitdefender Total Security spare licenses with family members?

vn2048

Hello Everyone!

How can I share my Bitdefender Total Security spare licenses with family members WITHOUT sharing my Bitdefender password with them?

I recently purchased the 10 licenses version of Bitdefender Total Security 2024. The plan is to use it for 2 of my devices and share some of the remaining slots with 3 family members.

I sent my father the download link using the "share link" feature. He downloaded and installed the software. But we cannot find a way to link his installation to my account WITHOUT sharing my Bitdefender password.

Thank you.

Scott

Hi @vn2048

Being the one who purchased the license, you are the custodian of those devices, of whoever you invite, they do not need or use use your Central log in credentials.

See if this post helps, as well as @Gjoksi post above it. Click on the blue date, to go to that thread.

https://community.bitdefender.com/en/discussion/comment/319918#Comment_319918

Kind regards.

vn2048

Hello Scott,

Thanks for your prompt response. Unfortunately, the approach suggested in the post "Alexandru_BD Jan 9, 2023" does not work any more i.e. to install Bitdefender Total Security 2024 on a new device it is REQUIRED to log in with the email and password of the purchaser / license holder account.

I confirmed this with Customer Service. This is the relevant snippet from their response:

=== === ===

Thank you for your interest in our security solutions, Bitdefender.

In order to solve the situation you have encountered and update the number of days of validity according to your purchase, all you have to do is re-login with your account in Bitdefender, since the paid subscription is active onto your own e-mail address.
Thus, please follow the steps below:1. Bring up Bitdefender's main interface2. Click on the profile icon on the top-right of the bar3. Click Switch Account from top-right4. Sign In with your Bitdefender Central credentials (email and password).
The remaining days of your subscription should now be updated accordingly.

=== === ===

I emailed back to double-check their response. I even pointed them to the Alexandru_BD Jan 9, 2023 post. They confirmed that it is not possible to install it on another device WITHOUT the email and password of the license holder.

It's a shame. When my license expires I will consider other anti-malware options.

Thank you.

vn2048

Hi Scott!

Thanks for the your prompt response. Unfortunately, the approach in the "Alexandru_BD Jan 9, 2023" does not work. Maybe it used to work in the past but it no longer does so.

I reach out to Bitdefender Customer Support earlier on the same topic and this is the response (showing only the relevant snippet) I got:

=== === ===

Thank you for your interest in our security solutions, Bitdefender.

In order to solve the situation you have encountered and update the number of days of validity according to your purchase, all you have to do is re-login with your account in Bitdefender, since the paid subscription is active onto your own e-mail address.

Thus, please follow the steps below:

1. Bring up Bitdefender's main interface
2. Click on the profile icon on the top-right of the bar
3. Click Switch Account from top-right
4. Sign In with your Bitdefender Central credentials (email and password).

The remaining days of your subscription should now be updated accordingly.

=== === ===

I have asked Customer Support again. I will keep this thread updated.

Thank you.

Alexandru_BD

Hello @vn2048 and thanks for following up here.

I will elaborate on how the install process actually works when protecting other devices.

The install procedure on other devices does not require the other users to enter your Central account password, because you are sending the install link from your account, thus Bitdefender on their devices will be automatically linked with your subscription and after the software is installed, it will display the validity of the subscription to which it belongs.

However, there are some limitations in place. There is a limit on how many autologins you can do in a certain period of time, and you can only autologin from the country where the Central account was created. So, if you send invites to someone from another country, or if the person trying to use the install link is connected to a VPN in another country, the link won't work and they will be prompted to enter the main Central account credentials.

This happens because multi-user home solutions are intended to be installed on devices that belong to the same household, and because a login attempt from another country can be a sign of suspicious activity, so the login security measures in place will be triggered if someone abroad is trying to use an install link coming from your account. These restrictions also have the purpose to deter unfair usage and unauthorized resale of license slots.

Another scenario where the account holder's credentials are required in order to link Bitdefender on the other devices with the subscription is when the person who is installing the product already has a Central account of their own, and specifically for this reason the Switch Account procedure exists. Because if they already have a Central account and they attempt to install Bitdefender using a link that comes from your Central account, they need to log out from their account and sign in with yours, in the product UI, so that their Bitdefender can be linked with your active subscription.

I think the Support agent should have better explained what are the scenarios in which the account credentials may be requested, and checked which scenario applies here, because as explained in the install procedure below, the subscription owner's account credentials are NOT required when protecting other devices, by design and under normal circumstances:

https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/1443/#scroll-to-heading-0

Yes, if Bitdefender goes out of sync for some reason, or if the user wishes to link Bitdefender with another Central account, so they can use the validity from there, the Switch Account feature in the product UI can be used to achieve this, but this is not part of the initial install procedure.

I'll give you an example: let's say my Total Security subscription is running out and I can't afford to renew it now.
I have a friend who also uses Total Security and he offers to help and tells me that I can use one of the slots from his multiple device subscription. For me to be able to use a slot from his subscription to protect my device, I would have to bring up my Bitdefender interface and use the Switch Account feature, so I can link the Bitdefender software with his account instead of mine. And yes, this is when I'm required to enter his account credentials, if my friend agrees to provide them, of course.

I hope my explanation brings more clarity.

Regards,

Alex

Alexandru_BD

So, I also checked the interactions with the support teams on this topic and my assumptions were confirmed.
The first agent recommended you to use the switch account feature because you mentioned that the father logged into a different Central account. Then, the last agent with whom you spoke was right when she told you that you cannot install without email + password, because you previously mentioned that you do not live together, and your Central account is registered in GB, and your father's in another country, based on my findings. Correct? If yes, then the scenario I explained previously applies and in this case, the credentials of the license holder will be requested.

Danska89

Thanks, I think you have given me the answers to my problem.