Windows parental controls

Configure Microsoft Family Safety to complement WhitelistVideo on Windows devices.

Required on Windows: (1) a separate Standard Windows account for each child; (2) the WhitelistVideo extension in Chrome or Edge inside that account; (3) the desktop installer from whitelist.video/download (opens in a new tab), run as administrator (it locks the extension and blocks Incognito, Guest mode and new browser profiles); (4) every other browser blocked in Family Safety. Don't block youtube.com. Optional: block google.com (Google results play video snippets) and set DuckDuckGo (privacy-focused) as the default search engine.

Video tutorial

Overview

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Before you start

You'll need:

• A Microsoft account for yourself (parent/organizer)
• A Microsoft account for your child (create one here if needed)
• Your child's Windows 10 or 11 device
• About 15-20 minutes for setup

Step 1: set up Microsoft Family Safety

Create a Family Group

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/family (opens in a new tab)
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account
3. Click Add a family member
4. Enter your child's email or click Create one for a child
5. Select their role as Member
6. Click Next and send the invitation

Your child must accept the invitation by signing into their Microsoft account.

Install the Family Safety App (Optional)

For easier management from your phone:

• Android: Google Play Store (opens in a new tab)
• iPhone: Apple App Store (opens in a new tab)

Learn more: Get the Microsoft Family Safety app (opens in a new tab)

Step 2: Block Other Browsers

To ensure YouTube is only accessed through Chrome or Edge with WhitelistVideo, block all other browsers. The installer protects Chrome and Edge but doesn't block other browsers, so this step is required.

Block Browsers in Family Safety

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/family (opens in a new tab)
2. Select your child's profile
3. Go to Apps and games
4. Find and block these browsers:
   • Firefox
   • Opera
   • Brave
   • Any other browser installed except Chrome and Edge

Allow Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge

Make sure the browser your child uses with WhitelistVideo (Chrome or Edge) is allowed in the app list.

Optional: block google.com and use DuckDuckGo

1. In Family Safety → your child's profile → Content filters → Web and search, add google.com to Blocked sites (Family Safety's web filter applies in Edge). Google results play video snippets.
2. In Chrome or Edge on the child's account, set DuckDuckGo (privacy-focused) as the default search engine (Settings → Search engine).

Don't add youtube.com to Blocked sites: the extension needs it to play approved videos.

Official guide: Block or unblock apps with Microsoft Family Safety (opens in a new tab)

Step 3: Restrict App Installation

This is critical to prevent your child from installing alternative browsers.

Enable App Approval for Microsoft Store

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/family (opens in a new tab)
2. Select your child's profile
3. Go to Spending
4. Turn on Require organizer approval for app purchases and downloads

Block Desktop App Installation (Advanced)

To prevent installation of programs downloaded from the web:

1. On your child's Windows device, go to Settings → Apps → Apps & features
2. Under Choose where to get apps, select The Microsoft Store only (Recommended)

This prevents installing .exe files downloaded from websites.

Learn more: How to stop new programs being installed (opens in a new tab)

Step 4: Set Screen Time Limits

Control how much time your child spends on their device.

Configure Daily Limits

1. Go to account.microsoft.com/family (opens in a new tab)
2. Select your child's profile
3. Go to Screen time
4. Turn on Use one schedule on all devices or set per-device limits
5. Set daily time limits (e.g., 2 hours on weekdays, 4 hours on weekends)
6. Set allowed hours (e.g., 8 AM - 8 PM)

App-Specific Time Limits

You can also set time limits for specific apps:

1. Under Apps and games, select an app
2. Set a daily time limit for that app

Official guide: How to block apps, set limits & boost family time (opens in a new tab)

Step 5: Additional Security Settings

Disable Guest Mode

Prevent your child from using guest accounts to bypass restrictions:

1. Press Windows + R, type netplwiz, press Enter
2. Ensure the Guest account is disabled
3. Remove any additional user accounts your child could use

Keep Devices Updated

Microsoft regularly patches vulnerabilities in Family Safety. Keep Windows updated:

1. Go to Settings → Windows Update
2. Click Check for updates
3. Install all available updates

Recommended Configuration Summary

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Troubleshooting

My child installed a browser I didn't approve

1. Check if the app was installed from outside the Microsoft Store
2. Set Windows to Microsoft Store only apps
3. Ensure your child's account is Standard User, not Administrator
4. Block the newly installed browser in Family Safety

Family Safety settings aren't applying

1. Make sure your child is signed into Windows with their Microsoft account
2. Check that the device appears under your child's profile in Family Safety
3. Restart the device after making changes
4. Ensure the device has an internet connection

Chrome is being blocked

Microsoft Family Safety may sometimes block Chrome. If this happens:

1. Go to your child's app list in Family Safety
2. Find Google Chrome and explicitly allow it
3. If issues persist, check for Family Safety updates

Official resources

• Set up Microsoft Family Safety (opens in a new tab)
• Block or unblock apps (opens in a new tab)
• Filter websites and searches (opens in a new tab)
• Family options in Windows Security (opens in a new tab)

Next steps

After configuring Microsoft Family Safety:

1. Install WhitelistVideo Advanced Protection (the desktop installer from whitelist.video/download, run as administrator) to lock the extension in Chrome and Edge
2. Test that your child cannot install new browsers
3. Test that blocked browsers cannot be opened
4. Verify screen time limits work as expected