Home / Tutorials / Windows & Mac
Parental controls on the computer
The family computer is where kids meet Discord, browsers and PC games. Windows uses Microsoft Family Safety; Mac uses the same Screen Time as the iPhone.
Steps verified — July 2026Windows — create the family group
family.microsoft.com- Go to family.microsoft.com, sign in with your Microsoft account and add a member → child account.
- On the PC, your child signs into Windows with that account — the controls follow the account, not the machine.
- Remove admin rights: your child's account must be a Standard user, never Administrator.
Windows — screen time and apps
family.microsoft.com → child → Screen time / Apps & games- Set screen time schedules per day (works on Windows and Xbox).
- Set an age limit for apps and games — anything above the rating asks for your approval.
- Block specific apps if needed (e.g., a browser you don't monitor).
Windows — web filtering
family.microsoft.com → child → Web and search- Turn on Filter inappropriate websites and searches — enforces SafeSearch and blocks adult sites in Microsoft Edge.
- Optionally turn on Use only Edge: other browsers (Chrome, Firefox) get blocked, because the filter only works in Edge.
- Turn on activity reports to receive a weekly summary.
Mac — Screen Time
System Settings → Screen Time- If your child has an Apple Account in your Family Sharing, the same limits from the iOS tutorial apply to the Mac automatically.
- On a shared Mac, create a separate standard account for your child and enable Screen Time on that account with a parent passcode.
- Turn on Communication Safety and Limit Adult Websites exactly like on the iPhone.
Official video tutorials
Straight from the manufacturer's official channel (in English).
Tip: keep the computer in a shared space (living room, kitchen). Position in the house is the oldest parental control — and still one of the best.