Parental controls without a Microsoft account

Updated: November 10, 2026

Windows' built-in parental controls (Microsoft Family Safety) only work if your child signs in with a Microsoft account that's part of your family group. Many families would rather not create an online account for a young child — or already use a simple local account on the PC.

The alternative: child-time

child-time works with ordinary local Windows accounts. Your child doesn't need an email or a Microsoft account — only you, the parent, create a child-time account.

Daily screen time limit and sleep-mode hours
Limits for specific games and apps — daily minutes, allowed hours or always paused
Reports on which apps were used and for how long
Tasks that earn extra minutes, chat and messages on the child's screen
Several children on one computer, each with their own Windows account and rules

What it doesn't do: filter websites. If you need that, you can combine it with a browser's or your router's filtering. Full comparison with Microsoft Family.

Set it up

Create a local account for your child: Settings → Accounts → Other users → “Add account” → “I don't have this person's sign-in information” → “Add a user without a Microsoft account”.
Sign in as your child and install child-time.
Sign in with your parent account in the program and set limits from your phone.

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