Windows 11 · Xbox app on Windows

Invite Friends to an Xbox Party From Windows

Source-checked 2 September 2026About 5 minutes

Open the Xbox app, go to Friends or Social, and start a party. Select Invite, choose the friends, and send the invitation. If it does not arrive, confirm both accounts can communicate, the friend is signed in to Xbox, party access is not invite-only for the wrong people, and Xbox services and the network are working.

Before you continue

Start a partyUse Friends or Social in the Xbox app.
Choose the right gamertagsAn invitation goes to the selected Xbox profiles.
Check communication rulesFamily and privacy settings can block party invitations.

Open Xbox's party guide Review Xbox privacy settings

Check the signed-in gamertag

Open the Xbox app and confirm the profile that will host the party. Connect the intended microphone and headphones.

Open Friends or Social

Choose Friends, Social, or the current people icon, then find a trusted friend by gamertag.

Start the party

Select the party control and choose Start a party. Wait for the party panel to show you as connected.

Follow Xbox's party guide

Invite the friends

Select Invite, choose the intended gamertags, and send the invitation. Check the names before sending.

Check party access and audio

Review whether the party is open or invite-only, then confirm the microphone is not muted and the correct audio devices are selected.

Troubleshoot a missing invitation

Ask the friend to open Xbox notifications and confirm they are signed in. Review family and privacy communication settings if invites are blocked.

Review Xbox privacy settings

Verify with one person

Have one friend join and exchange a short audio test before inviting a larger group or launching the game.

If it does not work

If Start a party is unavailable, update the Xbox app and Gaming Services from Microsoft Store and restart Windows.
If the friend cannot receive invitations from anyone, check their family and privacy settings rather than repeatedly removing and adding them.
If the party connects but audio fails, select the correct input and output devices in Windows and the Xbox party panel.

Sources and verification

Checked against official documentation on 2 September 2026. Scope: Xbox app on Windows.

The written steps follow the current official pages linked below. The saved video is an older walkthrough and may show different labels.

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