Microsoft Family Safety on Windows: what it does and doesn't do

What does Microsoft Family Safety do?

• Screen time: a time allowance and hours for Windows PCs and Xbox, a different schedule each day or the same all week (Microsoft).
• App and game limits: a daily time for a specific program or game, counted across connected Windows, Xbox and Android devices (Microsoft).
• Activity reports: which apps and games were used and for how long, screen time and web searches (Microsoft). In September 2026 Microsoft said reports now cover more of the apps used on a child's PC (Windows blog).
• Age filter: asks for approval for apps and games above an age rating; this filter works only on Windows and Xbox.

It is free. You manage it from the Family Safety app on your phone or at account.microsoft.com/family.

What do you need to set it up?

You and your child both need a Microsoft account. You add your child's Microsoft account to the Windows PC and make it a standard user; Microsoft notes that family features may not work properly if your child's account is an administrator (Microsoft). Microsoft's documentation only describes setup with Microsoft accounts, so if your child uses a local account on the PC you need to link it to a Microsoft account first.

What doesn't it do?

• The web filter works only in Microsoft Edge. With "Filter inappropriate websites and searches" on, unsupported browsers are blocked; you can allow them, but then that browser is not filtered (Microsoft).
• Web activity is reported only from Edge; web and search activity in other browsers cannot be reported (Microsoft).
• No time limits for websites. App and game limits do not work on websites, so they do not cover YouTube in a browser (Microsoft).
• No Mac. Microsoft's supported devices are Windows, Xbox and Android; on phones, screen time works only on Android.
• No study hours, remote lock or notes to your child; time is set for the whole PC or app by app.

Why is Chrome blocked or closing?

Usually it is a setting, not a bug: with the web filter on, browsers other than Edge are blocked and your child is asked to request access. If you allow Chrome, it opens, but the filter does not work in Chrome.

There was also a real bug in June 2025: new Chrome versions closed by themselves instead of asking for approval. Microsoft listed it as a known issue; after the July 22, 2025 update (KB5062660) and a service-side fix in February 2026, it was marked resolved on 10 February 2026 (Windows release health). If Chrome still closes, run Windows Update first.

Is the Family Safety app leaving Windows?

In November 2026 Microsoft added the Family Safety app for Windows to its list of deprecated features and plans to remove it in a future Windows release (Microsoft Learn). Family Safety itself continues: you manage it from the phone app and at account.microsoft.com/family.

When is it not enough?

Family Safety is free and a good start for many families. You may want to look further if:

• there is also a Mac at home,
• your child has to use Chrome, or you don't want to create Microsoft accounts,
• you want a separate budget for games, a study mode that closes games during homework hours, remote lock, or a lock screen that tells your child why.

KinSentinel does these on Windows and Mac, with local accounts too, and reports time spent on sites in common browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari. It does not block websites yet; if you need that, keep Family Safety's filter in Edge or your internet provider's free filter alongside it.

Sources

Checked against Microsoft's official pages on 15 November 2026.

• Screen time limits
• App and game limits
• Web and search filters
• Activity reporting
• Connect devices in Family Safety
• Windows 11 24H2 resolved issues
• Deprecated features for Windows