Netflix is making it easier to boot moochers out of your account while still letting them hang onto their viewing preferences. So, when you get fed up of an ex continuing to use your account, you can send them on their way with their recommendations, viewing history, saved titles in My List, game saves, subtitle appearance and other settings intact when they start their own account. That's assuming you ended things on good terms, anyway — you might still want to kick them out without warning.
The feature is rolling out to all users starting Monday after Netflix initially tested it in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru. Profile transfers will be enabled automatically in all countries except South Korea and the US. You'll need to activate it from your settings in those two nations.
You'll get an email when the profile transfer tool is available on your account. After that, you'll be able to access the Transfer Profile option from the drop-down menu that appears when you hover over your profile icon on the homepage. From there, it's a case of following the directions to set up a new account.
Netflix confirmed to Engadget that you won't be able to transfer a profile to an existing account. This process will only work when you're transferring a profile to a new account.
Netflix says this is a long-awaited feature and the company is framing it as a helpful option for those going through some changes in their life, such as a relationship ending or someone moving away from their parents' account to start a new one with profiles for all their own family members. However, Netflix is also looking to crack down on password sharing.
In August, it started charging users in five Latin American countries more if they share their accounts on an ongoing basis with people who live outside of the primary residence. That came after a trial run in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru, which suggests that account sharing fees may be coming to more territories after the broader rollout of profile transfers. We may soon start hearing about people getting kicked out of Netflix accounts because their friends or parents don't want to pay extra.
Netflix is taking account sharing more seriously, particularly in light of the fact that its total number of subscribers dropped for the first time this year. It lost around 1.2 million in the first six months of 2022.
If you do suddenly find yourself having to pay for your own Netflix account, though, you'll soon have the option to transfer your profile to a cheaper, ad-supported plan. That tier will be available starting on November 3rd. It costs $7 per month, but it won't include access to the full Netflix library or offline viewing.
Update 10/17 11:15PM ET: Added clarification from Netflix that profiles can only be transferred to new accounts.