How To Enable Windows 11 Parental Control Step By Step?

If you have given your kid a PC of their own then it’s essential to keep account of what they do on their device. The Internet is full of stuff and you don’t want your child to go on exploring everything online.

Keeping a check on your child now and then is not possible, well this is what parental control is for. With Parental Control, you can monitor what your child does on their device, get their total screen time, and set limits to what sites they can visit and what apps they can install.

But is that possible on Windows 11? You can get the Family app on Windows 11 which allows you to add family members to your space and set up parental controls. In this article, we will be guiding you on how you can enable Windows 11 Parental Controls.

Step By Step Guide to Enable Windows 11 Parental Control

Before you continue ahead, your child must have a Microsoft Account. You will have to add your Child to your Family space and for that, you need your Microsoft Account. Given below is the step-by-step guide to help you enable and setup Windows 11 Parental Control-

1. Install and Setup the Family App

You need a Family app on your PC to enable Parental Control. Here’s how you can do that:

Press the Windows key to launch the Start Menu.
Type Microsoft Store and open it.

Search for the Microsoft Family Safety app and open it from the search result.
Click on the Install button to install the app.

Once the app is installed, launch it on your system.
Click on Get Started to get into the dashboard of the app.

When you launch the Family app, you will be automatically signed into your account.

2. Add Family Member to the Group

Once you have set up the Family app, it’s time to add your family members to the group. Below are the steps to do so:

Click on the Add a Family Member option now.

You will be asked to assign a role to the family member, i.e., Member or Organizer. As we have to enable parental controls, select Member.

Now, click on Next.

After this, you will have to enter the phone number/email of the family member you want to add to the group. Add email and click on Next.

On the next screen, verify the captcha and click on Invite.

3. Accept Family Group Invite

The next part is to accept the family group invite. This is to be done by your child who you have invited to your family group in the previous step, but you can do it for them. To accept the family group invite, follow the steps given below-

Login to the email account that you have invited to the family group.
Look for the Microsoft invite mail in the inbox and open it.
Now, click on the Accept Invitation.

Once done, log in to the Microsoft account with the same email and accept the invite.

4. Connect the Device

The next part is to connect your child’s device to the account. The steps for this will vary depending on whether your child uses your PC or has a different device.

On Same PC

If your child is using your PC and you want to set up parental controls when they use your PC, then you can create a separate profile for them. Here’s how to do so:

Press the Windows + I key combo to launch Settings.
Click on Accounts on the left pane.
Now, click on Other Users.

After this, click on the Add Account button.

Now, click on the Start icon on the taskbar.
Click on your profile name, then click on three dots, and then on Sign Out.

After this, select your child’s new account and continue with the setup.
Once done, the device will be successfully connected.
Now, log in back to your profile on your PC.

On Different Device

The Microsoft account should be linked to your child’s PC if they are using a different device. Parental controls don’t work with local accounts, so confirm whether their Microsoft account is logged in on their device or not. Here’s how you can do that:

Launch Windows Settings by pressing the Windows + I key combo.
On the left pane, select Accounts and then select Your Info.

Under Account Settings if you see Microsoft Account then Microsoft account is an account to the PC; if not then click on Sign in with a Microsoft Account instead.

Now, follow the on-screen instructions and sign into your Microsoft Account.

5. Share Activity of Child’s PC

Next, you will have to share the activity of the child’s device. This is essential to get screen time on your child’s device and also set up parental controls. This can be done from privacy settings in Family App; here’s how:

Sign in to your Child’s device.
Press the Windows key, type Family and press Enter to launch the app.

Click on You option.

Click on the Windows tab.
Now, click on the Share My Activity button.

Click on Okay to confirm the sharing activity.

Now, click on the Edge tab.
After this, click on the Share My Activity option and then on Okay.

6. Setup Parental Controls

The last part of this guide is to set up parental controls. You can set up controls like limiting screen time, restricting app usage, blocking certain websites, etc. For this, you must launch the Family app on your PC and click on your child’s account from the main screen.

Limit Screen Time

Click on the Windows tab on the top.
Now, select the Devices tab.

After this, click on Turn Limits On.

Now, click on the three dots, and then on Edit Limits.

From the drop-down menu, select the day.
Now, set the time limit in hours using the slider; you can also set the time manually.
After setting the limit, click on Done.

Now, click on Turn on Activity Reporting. This will show you the screen time of your child on their device.

Set Limit on Installed Apps

Click on the Windows tab on top.
Click on the Apps and Games tab.
Turn on the toggle under Apps and Game Limits.
You will see the list of all the apps.
Click on the three dots next to the app you want to set the limit for.
You will get two options-
- Block App- This will block the app and your child won’t be able to use it.
- Set Limits– Use this option to set the limit for how long your child can use the app.
If you select Set Limits, then select the day, and time limit, and click on Done.

Set Limitation on Browser (Only on Edge)

Click on the Edge option at the top.

Now, click on Turn on Activity Reporting and then on Okay. This shows you all the sites your child visits and all the searches they have made.

Turn on the toggle saying Filter Inappropriate Websites and Searches. This will restrict the blocked websites (you will have to manually add blocked sites).

Click on the text field under Blocked Sites, enter the URL of the site you want to block, and press Enter. Similarly, you can block multiple sites.

If you want your child to visit only particular sites, then turn on the toggle for Only Use Allowed Websites.

Click on the text field under Allowed Sites and add the sites that your child can visit. This way your child will only be able to visit certain sites.

Note- Restrictions on websites are only limited to the Microsoft Edge browser. If your child uses Edge, then you can set up these restrictions, but if they use any other browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox then these restrictions won’t work. However, there’s a workaround for that too, i.e., you can block any third-party browser installed on the device so your child will only be able to use Microsoft Edge.

Bottom Line

If you are worried about your child’s time spent online then it is essential to set up parental control. When you give a PC to your device, you are exposing them to the online world. Some restrictions must be set on the device so your child does not go around lurking in the corners of the online world they shouldn’t be exploring. This is what parental controls can help you with.

You can set up parental controls to monitor your child’s activity on their PC, such as their screen time, apps they use, and even the websites they visit. Not only this, but you can put limitations on what apps or sites they can visit and also for how long they can use their device. The above guide should help you with enabling and setting up Windows 11 Parental Controls so your child is always in check.