How to set up Windows parental controls

Create digital boundaries that stick

If you're looking for a smarter way to manage screen time and guide your child’s digital habits, start with the Microsoft Family Safety app. It gives you real-time visibility, flexible controls, and peace of mind—across Windows 11 PCs, Xbox consoles, and Android devices.

This isn’t just about blocking content. It’s about building healthy, age-appropriate digital habits as your kids grow.

How to set up Microsoft Family Safety:

1. Create your family group
   • Go to family.microsoft.com
   • Sign in with your Microsoft account
   • Click “Create a family group”
   • Invite your child using their Microsoft account email or phone number
2. Set up parental controls
   • Once your child accepts, open their profile
   • Turn on screen time limits by day, device, or app
   • Enable content filters to block adult sites and restrict apps and games by age
   • Choose to require approval before anything is downloaded from the Microsoft Store
3. Manage settings on the go
   • Enable activity reporting to get weekly summaries
   • Schedule downtime during homework, meals, or bedtime
   • Adjust everything from the Microsoft Family Safety app on iOS or Android

Why it matters:

Family Safety isn’t just helpful—it’s designed to adapt as your kids grow. For younger children, it helps you shape their first online experiences. For tweens and teens, it builds trust with clear boundaries, screen-time balance, and privacy-respecting oversight.

Pro Tip: You can even share your location as a family—perfect for tracking pickups, drop-offs, or just knowing everyone’s safe.

Give your child a browser that plays by your rules

Handing your child a browser can feel like letting them loose in a mall with no map. That’s where Kids Mode in Microsoft Edge comes in. It’s a built-in, locked-down browsing space made just for children ages 5–12, so they can explore safely while you stay in control.

Once launched, Kids Mode automatically:

• Blocks sketchy websites and turns on Bing SafeSearch
• Limits browsing to a list of kid-appropriate sites (which you can edit)
• Adds fun themes that match your child’s age and personality
• Requires your password to exit, so only you can unlock the “grown-up” web

To turn it on:

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click your profile icon (top-right corner).
3. Select “Browse in Kids Mode”.
4. Choose your child’s age range: 5–8 or 9–12.

That’s it. Your child is now browsing in a calmer corner of the internet—one you control.

Pro-parent power moves: take control without the chaos

Once you’ve got the basics in place, these extra tips help you stay one step ahead—without micromanaging every tap or click.

• Schedule device downtime for dinner, homework, or actual sleep (yes, it’s possible)
• Grant bonus time when they’ve earned it—because some days, they actually do
• Respond to requests instantly from your phone (no more “Mom! Can I download this?” yelled across the house)
• Customize approved sites in Kids Mode for school, hobbies, or those animal facts they’re obsessed with
• Use weekly activity reports to spot patterns, then adjust limits to match your family’s rhythm

Pro Tip: Everything syncs across devices, so when you say “time’s up,” it actually is—no sneaking from PC to Xbox to keep the game going.

Parents’ secret weapon: Copilot+ PCs

Setting digital boundaries is a great first step—but what if your device could help enforce them too? If you’re upgrading your family’s PC, Copilot+ PCs are your built-in backup.

They come packed with everything you love about Windows 11 but also include advanced hardware-level security that adds an invisible layer of protection from day one.

What makes them different?

• Secured-core PC architecture helps protect against low-level threats that could bypass everyday safeguards—so even if your kid clicks the wrong thing, your device stays protected
• The Microsoft Pluton security processor safeguards your child’s passwords and personal data, keeping login info locked down
  
• Business-grade security features keep the whole family safer—whether you're online for school, video calls, or just trying to stream without worry

Think of it as your family’s digital bodyguard—working behind the scenes so you don’t have to.

Modern parenting? Microsoft has your back

Protecting your kids online doesn’t have to be complicated. With Windows 11 and the enhanced security of Copilot+ PCs, you get tools that are built in, easy to use, and designed with your family in mind.

Explore more and see why Copilot+ PCs are some of the most secure devices ever.