Family Antivirus: How to Protect 10–15 Devices with One Licence
In this guide
These days it’s normal for a household to have 10 or more devices: PCs, a Mac, everyone’s smartphones, the kids’ tablet. Buying an antivirus for each one costs too much and is a pain to manage. The solution is a multi-device licence that protects everything from a single account. Let’s see which one to choose and how to install it on the whole family’s devices.
The short version
- Up to 15 devices: Bitdefender Family Pack.
- Up to 10 devices: ESET HOME Security Premium, Norton 360 Premium or McAfee Total Protection.
- You activate the code once on your account and send the installation link to the other devices: in 5 minutes everything is protected.
Family licences
| Licence | Devices | Family extras | Our price (1 year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitdefender Family Pack | 15 | Parental controls, anti-theft, Safepay | €64.99 |
| ESET HOME Security Premium | 10 | Parental controls, password manager, encryption | €44.99 |
| Norton 360 Premium | 10 | Parental Control, VPN, cloud backup | €24.99 |
| McAfee Total Protection | 10 | VPN, identity protection | €15.99 |
Our store prices at the time of publishing.
What really matters for a family
- Every system: the licence must work on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, because a family usually has a bit of everything.
- One account: from a single dashboard you can see which devices are protected and which have a problem.
- Parental controls: website filters, screen time limits and the location of your children’s phones.
- “Spare” devices: it’s best to have a few free slots for the new phone or PC that’s on its way.
Guide: protect all your devices with Bitdefender
We show you the steps with Bitdefender Family Pack, but ESET, Norton and McAfee work the same way: account, code, link to the other devices. The screens are simplified and names may differ slightly.
Activate the code in Bitdefender Central
Go to central.bitdefender.com and sign in with your account (or create one for free). Open My Subscriptions.
Click Activate with code and paste the code you received by email
Install protection on this PC
Your Family Pack subscription is now active. Open My Devices and choose Install protection.
Click Protect this device and download the program
Send the link to the other devices
For phones, Macs and the other family members’ PCs, choose Protect other devices and send the download link by email.
Type the family member’s email and click Send
The recipient will be able to install Bitdefender on their device.
Install the app on the smartphone
On the phone, open the email with the link: it takes you to Google Play or the App Store. Install Bitdefender Mobile Security and sign in with the same account.
Sign in with the Bitdefender account: the licence is applied automatically
Sign in
Check that everything is protected
Go back to My Devices: you’ll see a list of all connected devices and how many slots you have left.
Check that every device shows “Protected”
Turn on parental controls
In Parental Control, create a profile for each child and assign their devices to it. You can filter content and set screen time.
Click Add profile and choose the age and device
Tips for managing your licence well
- Use just one account (yours) to activate the code: that way you renew everything in one go.
- Remove old devices from the list when you change phone or PC: it frees up a slot.
- On each device, uninstall the previous antivirus first to avoid conflicts.
Frequently asked questions
Can my family members see my data?
No. From your account you only see the protection status of the devices, not other people’s files or messages.
What happens if I go over the number of devices?
The extra device isn’t protected until you remove another one from the list or add a licence.
Can I use the same licence for grandparents or children who live elsewhere?
Yes: the devices don’t have to be in the same home. Just send them the installation link.
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