Set up your family

Family makes it faster than ever to add family members to each Windows 10 PC you sign in to with your Microsoft account.

Family also lets adults keep kids stay safer online. Adults in the family can see reports of kids’ online activity, limit how long and when kids use their Windows 10 devices, set smart limits on kids’ spending, and help make sure kids don't see inappropriate websites, apps, or games. If you used Family Safety on an earlier version of Windows, you’ll need to add your family members again for kids’ settings to apply on Windows 10 devices.

Adults in the family can manage family settings online at account.microsoft.com/family, and changes will be applied to any Windows 10 device the child signs in to.

To set up a PC for people already in your Microsoft family, select the Start button, then select Settings > Accounts > Family & other users. Select their accounts to add them to this PC. The first time they sign in, they’ll need to enter the password for their Microsoft account.

1. On your Windows 10 PC, select the Start button, then select Settings > Accounts > Family & other people. (You'll need to be signed in to Windows with a Microsoft account.)

2. Select Add a family member.

3. Select Add a child or Add an adult.

4. Type the email address of the person to send them an invitation to join. If they don't have an email address, select The person I want to invite doesn’t have an email address and follow the directions to set up a new account.

5. After they've accepted the email invitation, have them sign in to Windows 10 using the same email address you sent the invitation to.

   

After you've added a child to your family on Windows, here's how you manage their activity.

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/family and sign in with your Microsoft account.

2. Select the child whose settings you want to manage from the list of children in your Family. If your kids also use Family Safety on older versions of Windows, or My Family on older Windows phones, you’ll see them listed per device.

3. Choose what to turn on or change for your child's account:

• Recent activity allows you to see what websites they've been visiting, what apps and games they've been using, and how much time they've been spending on their devices.

• Web browsing lets you choose what websites your child can and can't see.

• Apps & games allows you to limit the apps and games your child can download from the Windows Store. It also lets you unblock any app or game you’ve blocked previously.

• Screen time allows you to set the maximum amount of time they can spend on their devices.