Parental controls for Windows 10
Updated:
Plenty of family computers still run Windows 10 — often the older PC that was handed down to the kids. Parental controls work on it just as they do on Windows 11. Here is how to set them up, and what to keep in mind on an older system.
Step 1. Give your child their own account
Open Settings → Accounts → Family & other users and choose Add someone else to this PC. Create a standard account — not an administrator — and keep the administrator password to yourself. Every kind of parental control depends on this step. Detailed guide with both options.
Step 2. Choose how to set the limits
Option A. Microsoft Family Safety
Built into Windows 10. Your child signs in with a Microsoft account that you add to your family group at family.microsoft.com; then you set screen time and app limits there.
Keep in mind: it needs Microsoft accounts for you and your child, and limits sometimes stop syncing — what to check if they do.
Option B. child-time
child-time is a small program you run under your child's Windows account. It works with an ordinary local account — no Microsoft account for the child — and you manage it from your phone:
- a daily screen time limit with warnings at 15, 5 and 1 minute left;
- bedtime hours when the computer can't be used;
- rules for single games and apps — minutes a day, allowed hours, or a pause;
- reports: which programs were used and for how long;
- separate rules for each child on a shared PC.
It runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11, so nothing changes if you upgrade the computer later. Installation takes a few minutes.
Step 3. Look after the older system
Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 in October 2025, so the system itself may no longer receive security fixes. That makes a few habits more important on a child's PC:
- keep the browser updated — it's where most risks come from;
- leave Windows Security (the built-in antivirus) turned on;
- your child's account stays standard, so programs can't be installed without your password;
- if the computer supports Windows 11, plan the upgrade — your child-time rules stay in your account.