Getting Started with Windows 10 Parental Controls:

In order to apply Windows 10 parental controls, you’ll need to add a “child account” to your own through the Windows Settings menu. Once their account is set up, you’ll be able to set limitations and content controls through your Microsoft account.

1. Open Windows settings and select Accounts. 

2. Select Family & Other People from the left-hand menu. 

3. Click on Add a Family Member. 

4. Select Add a Child. 

5. “Add a Child" is selected by default. Enter the email address of their Microsoft Account below if you have it. (Remember that you’ll need access to their email to confirm they are your child.) If your child already has a Microsoft account, click through the remainder of this dialog and skip to Step 11. If not, click “The person I want to add doesn’t have an email address” and we’ll walk you through creating one for them.

6. Create a Microsoft account if you don’t already have one. 

7. If you need to create a Microsoft Account, fill in your child’s email address (or one you create for this purpose) and demographic information here. Write down the password you choose for them and keep it safe, in case you need to modify their account settings later.

8. Uncheck these two boxes before continuing, to minimize junk mail. 

9. Microsoft will then prompt you to sign in to your own account. 

10. You’ll have to sign in here with your own Microsoft password in order to confirm it’s you. This is to prevent unauthorized users (or curious toddlers) from making account changes if you’ve left your system unattended.

11. Confirm that your child can use the account to access online services. 

12. Before completing the process, you will have a $0.50 charge to an adult’s credit card for validation. This is mandated by the Child’s Online Privacy Protection Act and unfortunately not optional. Microsoft donates this fee to charity.

13. Complete set-up. 

Confirm Email & Accept Parental Supervision

Open up your child’s email account. If you're setting up their Microsoft account for the first time, you’ll find two confirmation requests from Microsoft waiting for their attention – one to verify their email address and one accept parental supervision of their account.

If they already have a Microsoft account, you should only see the second email. Complete the email verification first, if required, then accept parental supervision by clicking the blue button in this email:

You may need to log out of your own Microsoft Account first, to avoid confusing your web browser.

Accessing Parental Control Settings

Now that your child’s Microsoft account is activated and you’re recognized as their responsible adult, it’s time to set up and apply parental controls for your Windows 10 devices.

To get started, head back to your Accounts menu under Settings. Under Family & Other People, you’ll see your child’s account and a new option to Manage Family Settings Online.

Click Manage Family Settings Online to open the Microsoft Family parental control page in your web browser.

If your child’s account was set up successfully, your parental control page should look like this, with an entry for each child under your supervision:

The menu options on the right are where you can monitor each child’s activity and set parental control limits. To get you started, let’s take a look at the three most important control areas: Web Browsing, Apps, Games, & Media, and Screen Time.

Blocking Mature or Inappropriate Web Content

By default, Windows will block search results and filter websites known to contain potentially inappropriate content. You can add sites to always allow always block.

Selecting Appropriate Applications, Games, and Media

By default, no child is allowed to use their Microsoft account to download adult games or movies. With Windows 10 parental controls, you can fine-tune which content is available through the Windows and Xbox stores by specifying an age range for your child's account. (This is set to your child's calendar age by default, but can be adjusted as you think best.)

Only material rated as appropriate for that age range will be available for download.

Setting Screen Time Limits and Schedules

Finally, even appropriate computer use should be subject to healthy boundaries. Windows 10 parental controls allow you to set appropriate access schedules and limit total use for each day of the week.

Each day has two options: a total time limit and access schedule.

• Time limits can set from zero to twelve hours in half-hour increments. There is no limitation on total access time by default.

• The default access schedule is between 7:00 am and 10:00 pm. Clicking on the blue bar will allow you to set one or more custom access schedules per day.

If your child needs to use their devices outside the screen time limits you set, they have the option to request additional time. You will receive an email with the option to approve or deny their request.