Netflix doubles down on password sharing with new feature

Netflix has been trying to prevent people from sharing their accounts with friends and family, but it looks like this is a fight the streaming service can’t win at the moment. The new feature announced today is meant to convince some of those using Netflix without actually paying for it to subscribe to the streaming service.

The Profile Transfer tools does exactly what the name implies, it lets you keep all your profile’s settings when you transfer them to a fresh account. Apparently, this was a much requested feature and Netflix was quick to deliver, especially since it would help many users who didn’t pay for its services become loyal customers.

According to Netflix, the new Profile Transfer feature will roll out to all users around the world starting today, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll get it right away, so give it a few days if you don’t see it in your app. In fact, don’t even look for the new feature since Netflix will notify you by email as soon as Profile Transfer becomes available on your account.

If you’re determined to start paying for Netflix and want to keep all your personalized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games, and other settings, here is how to transfer your profile. First off, heat to the “Transfer Profile” option when you hover over your profile icon in the dropdown menu on the homepage, then simply follow the instructions.

Keep in mind that if for some reason you no longer need the new feature, you can always turn off Profile Transfer in your account settings at any time. Obviously, you will not be able to transfer your profile if you don’t plan to start your own membership, so this will only help those who wanted to pay for the streaming service but didn’t want to lose their entire Netflix experience.