Where to find Parent or Guardian Settings and what they actually do
Parent or Guardian settings in Windows Family Settings is a toggle you turn on for each child account you create. Once enabled, it lets you see what that person does on their device — which apps they use, how long they spend on each one, and what websites they visit — and set limits on screen time and app access. The settings live in your own account, not theirs, so a child cannot turn them off by logging into their own profile.
This is different from creating a child account in the first place. You need the child account to exist first, then you enable the guardian controls on top of it. If you have not yet created a child account, you will need to do that before these steps make sense.
Key Takeaways
- Parent or Guardian settings must be turned on in your own account, not in the child's account, through the Family group section of Settings.
- You need a child account to already exist on the device before you can enable guardian controls for it.
- Once enabled, you can see screen time reports and set app limits, but the child can still see that monitoring is active — Windows does not hide it.
- The child's device must be connected to the internet for screen time limits to actually enforce; offline devices will not block apps when time runs out.
Step-by-step: turning on Parent or Guardian Settings
Open Settings on the account you use (the parent or guardian account, not the child's). Press the Windows key and type "Settings," then click the Settings app.
Go to Accounts in the left sidebar, then select Family. You will see a list of family members already added to your Microsoft account. Find the child's name and click on their entry.
Look for the toggle labeled Parent or Guardian and turn it on. Once you do, additional options appear below it: you can now set screen time limits, manage app restrictions, and view activity reports. Save your changes.
The child will see a notification that parental controls are now active on their account. They cannot disable this setting themselves, but they will know it is there.
What you can actually see and control once it is on
Once Parent or Guardian is enabled, you get access to a dashboard that shows screen time by app and website. You can see how many minutes the child spent in Microsoft Edge, YouTube, Roblox, or any other program they used. This report updates throughout the day, though there is usually a delay of a few hours.
You can set a daily screen time limit — for example, two hours per day — and choose what time the device locks. If the child hits their limit, the device will not let them open new apps, though apps already running will stay open until they close them. You can also set a bedtime window, like 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., when the device locks automatically.
You can block specific apps entirely or set time limits on individual apps. For example, you might allow TikTok for 30 minutes a day but block Discord completely. Changes you make take effect on the child's device within a few minutes if it is connected to the internet.
One important limit: you can see what websites they visit in their browser history, but you cannot block specific websites. You can only block entire apps. If you need website-level blocking, you would need to use your router's parental controls or a separate DNS filtering service instead.
Why the child's device needs to stay online
Screen time limits only work if the child's device is connected to the internet. If they are offline, the device will not enforce the limits you set — they can keep using apps past their time limit. Once the device reconnects to the internet, it syncs with your settings and enforces them again.
This matters if your child uses their device in places without wifi, like at a friend's house or on a car trip. The limits are not foolproof during those times. If preventing offline use is important to you, you would need to set a wifi password they do not know or use router-level controls.
What happens if the child has a Microsoft account vs. a local account
Parent or Guardian settings only work if the child is using a Microsoft account — the kind that syncs across devices and requires a password tied to an email address. If the child has a local account (one that only exists on that one device), you cannot enable guardian controls for it at all.
If you created a local account by mistake, you will need to convert it to a Microsoft account first. Go to Settings on the child's device, select Accounts, then Your info, and look for an option to sign in with a Microsoft account instead. This process requires an email address and will ask the child to verify it.
Common reasons the settings do not appear or do not work
If you cannot find the Parent or Guardian toggle, check that you are in the right place: Settings > Accounts > Family. If the child's name does not appear in the Family list at all, they have not been added to your family group yet. You need to add them first by inviting their Microsoft account email address.
If the toggle is there but grayed out, the child's account may not be a Microsoft account, or there may be a sync delay. Wait a few minutes and refresh the page. If it stays grayed out, try signing out of your Microsoft account and signing back in.
If you set a screen time limit but the child can still use apps past that time, their device is probably offline or has not synced recently. Ask them to connect to wifi and restart their device. If the device is online and limits still are not working, try toggling the Parent or Guardian setting off and back on.
What the child sees on their end
The child will see a notification that parental controls are active, usually in the form of a banner or popup when they first log in. They can see their own screen time report by going to Settings > Accounts > Your info and looking for an activity or screen time section. They cannot change any of the limits you set, but they can see what those limits are.
When they hit a screen time limit, they get a message saying their device is locked and will unlock at a specific time. They cannot bypass this by restarting the device or logging out and back in. The only way to unlock it early is for you to adjust the limit from your account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see what my child is typing or reading on their device?
No. Parent or Guardian settings show you which apps and websites they use and how long they spend on each, but not the actual content — not messages, emails, search terms, or what they type. If you need that level of monitoring, you would need a separate monitoring app, though those raise their own privacy and trust concerns.
What if my child creates a new account to get around the limits?
If they create a new local account, parental controls do not explore to it. If they create a new Microsoft account, you can add that account to your family group and enable controls on it too. The most reliable way to prevent account-switching is to require a password to create new accounts, which you can set in Settings under Accounts > Sign-in options.
Can I set different limits for different days of the week?
No. Windows Family Settings applies the same daily screen time limit every day. You can manually adjust the limit on specific days if needed, but there is no way to set a schedule like "two hours on school days, three hours on weekends." You would need to change it by hand each time.
Will the child know if I am looking at their activity reports?
They will know parental controls are on, but they will not get a notification each time you check their activity. However, they can see their own screen time report in their Settings, so they know what data you have access to.
What if the child is using a shared device with other family members?
Screen time limits explore only to the specific account they are set on. If multiple people use the same device with different accounts, each account has its own limits. If your child logs into a different account, those limits do not explore. The most reliable setup is one account per person.