How to Set Up Parental Controls on Windows
The requirement that determines whether it works, screen time, filters and spending, with Microsoft Family Safety.
Windows includes free, built-in parental controls (Microsoft Family Safety), with no extra program needed. Before setting anything up, there is one requirement that determines whether everything else works.
This is the single most important thing in this whole guide: the limits and filters only work if the child always signs in with the specific account you created for them. If they use a local account, yours, or any other account, no limit is applied at all — that's why it's worth explaining to them from the start how to sign in correctly, rather than assuming they'll get it right on their own.
Step 1: create the child's account
- Settings → Accounts → "Family".
- "Add someone" → "Create one for a child" (if they don't have a Microsoft account yet).
- Fill in username, password and date of birth — the date matters, it determines which age restrictions get applied automatically.
Step 2: the step many people skip
After creating the account, go back to Settings → Accounts → "Family" and confirm the child's account shows up in the list, with permission to sign in on this specific machine. If it doesn't show up, restart the PC and check again — it sometimes takes a while to sync.
Setting up the limits (from the web)
Everything else is managed from
account.microsoft.com/family, not from Windows itself —
that way changes apply automatically to every device linked to that
account (PC, Xbox, phone), not just this computer.
- Screen time: allowed hours per day of the week, and a total daily limit if you want.
- Content filters: maximum age rating for apps and games, blocked or allowed websites.
- Spending: requires your approval before any purchase in the Microsoft Store.
- Activity reports: weekly summary of usage, apps and searches.
Important limitation on content filters: they only work reliably if the child uses Microsoft Edge as their browser. You can block the use of other browsers from the same settings, to make sure the filters can't simply be avoided by opening a different browser.
Tip: protect your own administrator password. If the child has access to it, they could create another account with no restrictions, reset the PC, or turn off parental controls directly.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if my child signs in with a different account?
None of the restrictions or limits will apply — the whole system depends on them always using the specific account linked to the family group. It's the most common reason parental controls 'don't work'.
Do content filters work with any browser?
Not reliably — they're designed to work with Microsoft Edge. If the child uses another browser, they can bypass the filters, so it's worth also blocking the use of browsers other than Edge.
Do I need to install a separate app to manage the limits?
It isn't mandatory — you can manage everything from the account.microsoft.com/family website. The Family Safety mobile app is optional, useful only if you want to review or change settings from your phone without sitting at the computer.