How to Set Up Parental Controls in Windows 11 (2026)

Windows 11 has comprehensive parental controls built in through Microsoft Family Safety, allowing parents to manage screen time, set content filters, approve app purchases and track their child’s location. This guide covers how to set up parental controls in Windows 11 in 2026 — both the built-in Microsoft options and third-party alternatives.

Set Up Microsoft Family Safety

1. On your child’s Windows 11 PC sign in with a Microsoft account or create one for them
2. On your own device go to family.microsoft.com
3. Click Add a family member
4. Enter your child’s email address or create a new Microsoft account for them
5. Select Child and send the invitation
6. Your child accepts the invitation on their device
7. You can now manage their account from family.microsoft.com or the Microsoft Family Safety app

Set Screen Time Limits

1. Go to family.microsoft.com and select your child’s account
2. Click Screen time
3. Toggle on Use one schedule for all devices or set different limits per device
4. Set daily time limits and specify which hours the PC can be used
5. When the time limit is reached Windows 11 will lock the account automatically

Set Content Filters

1. In Microsoft Family Safety select your child’s account → Content filters
2. Toggle on Filter inappropriate websites and searches
3. Set an age rating for apps and games — this blocks content above the selected age from the Microsoft Store
4. Add specific websites to the Blocked sites list
5. Enable Only use allowed websites for younger children to whitelist specific sites only

Set App and Game Limits

1. In Family Safety go to App and game limits
2. You can see which apps your child uses most
3. Set time limits per app — for example limit Roblox to 1 hour per day
4. Enable Require organiser approval to buy things to prevent unauthorised purchases

Parental Controls via Local Group Policy (No Microsoft Account Required)

If you prefer not to use a Microsoft account, you can apply basic restrictions via Local Group Policy. This requires Windows 11 Pro or higher.

# Restrict access to Control Panel and Settings via PowerShell registry edit
# Run as Administrator
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" -Name "NoControlPanel" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWord -Force

# Restrict access to Command Prompt
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System" -Name "DisableCMD" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWord -Force

Third-Party Parental Control Options

• Qustodio — comprehensive cross-platform parental controls, free tier available
• Net Nanny — strong content filtering with real-time alerts
• Circle — router-based parental controls covering all home devices
• Bark — AI-powered monitoring that alerts parents to concerning content without reading all messages

Frequently Asked Questions

About The Author

Andrew Armstrong

Andrew Armstrong is a UK-based IT professional with 26+ years of hands-on experience in Windows, Windows Server, SCCM/ConfigMgr, Active Directory, PowerShell, and enterprise infrastructure. He founded TechyGeeksHome in 2010 and has published over 1,500 practical guides covering real-world IT problems and solutions. When not solving IT problems, Andrew develops free Windows utilities including Ultimate Settings Panel, which has been downloaded over 850,000 times.

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