How to check screen time on a Windows PC
Updated:
On a phone, screen time is one tap away. On a Windows computer there is no single “Screen Time” page — but there are a few places that show part of the picture. Here is what each one can and can't tell you.
1. Battery usage (Windows 11 laptops)
Open Settings → System → Power & battery → Battery usage. You'll see screen-on time and which apps used the battery over the last 24 hours or 7 days.
Good for: a quick look at your own laptop. Limits: laptops only, one week of history, it shows battery use rather than minutes per app, and it covers the whole device — not a particular child's account.
2. Task Manager → App history
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and open App history. It lists CPU time and network use per app since the counters were last reset.
Limits: CPU time isn't screen time — a game sitting in a menu and a game being played look very different here — and many classic desktop programs aren't listed at all.
3. Microsoft Family Safety
If your child signs in with a Microsoft account that's in your family group, family.microsoft.com shows their screen time and app use on Windows and Xbox.
Limits: needs Microsoft accounts for you and your child, and reports can lag or stop syncing — what to check if they do.
4. A report built for parents
child-time is a small program for your child's Windows account. It shows you, on your phone:
- how many minutes your child spent at the computer today, with a per-app breakdown;
- day, week and month views, and a weekly chart by category — games, study, browser, chat;
- a log of what was open and when;
- separate numbers for each child, even on a shared PC.
Only time actually spent at the computer is counted — idle minutes aren't. It works with ordinary local Windows accounts, and your child sees their own timer too. What the report looks like.
Once you know the number
Seeing the real figure is usually the moment parents decide to set a limit. How much is reasonable by age · how to set a limit on Windows.