To see screen time on Windows 10, add the person as a child in Microsoft Family Safety, then sign in at account.microsoft.com/family, select their name, and open Screen time. There you can see how long they’ve used the PC and set daily limits. Windows 10 doesn’t have a built-in screen time report for your own adult account.
Applies to: Windows 10. Keep in mind that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. Security updates now come only through the Extended Security Updates program, which stops on October 12, 2027.
Set up Family Safety
- Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
- Select Add a family member and add the child’s Microsoft account, or create one.
- Have the child sign in to the PC with that account.
- Select Manage family settings online.
See and limit screen time
- At account.microsoft.com/family, select the child’s name.
- Open Screen time, then the Windows tab.
- See their daily use, and set the hours allowed and the time range for each day. Select Turn limits on if limits are off.
You can also use the Microsoft Family Safety app on a phone. Screen time only counts while the child is signed in to the PC.
Set limits for specific apps and games
Instead of limiting the whole PC, you can limit one app or game.
- In Family Safety, select the child.
- Open Screen time, and select Apps and games.
- Choose an app and select Set a limit.
- Pick how long it can be used each day.
The child can still use other apps after that one runs out.
Get a weekly report
Turn on Activity reporting for the child in Family Safety. You’ll get a weekly email that shows their screen time, the apps and games they used, and websites visited in Microsoft Edge.
Check your own PC use
There’s no screen time total for adult accounts, but you can get an idea of how you use the PC:
- Battery usage by app (laptops): Settings > System > Battery > See which apps are affecting your battery life shows app use over the last 24 hours, 48 hours, or week.
- Focus: Focus assist hides notifications during set hours so you can take breaks.
- App history: open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), select More details if needed, and open the App history tab. CPU time shows how hard each Store app has worked over the last 30 days, which hints at the apps you use most.
- Time since you started the PC: on the Performance tab in Task Manager, select CPU and read Up time. Fast startup can make this longer than your actual session.
- Daily use on a laptop: open Command Prompt, run
powercfg /batteryreport, and open the battery-report.html file it saves. The Usage history table shows how long the laptop was active each day.
If screen time doesn’t work
- The limits don’t apply. Check that the child signs in to the PC with the same Microsoft account that’s in your family group, not a local account or a different one.
- The PC doesn’t show up in Family Safety. Have the child sign in once while connected to the internet, then wait a little while. Installing the latest Windows updates can help.
- The child keeps asking for more time. They can send a request when time runs out. You can approve or deny it from the Family Safety app or the email you receive.
- Time on another device counts too. If you chose one schedule for all devices, time on an Xbox and the PC shares the same daily limit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I set screen time for an adult account?
No. Family Safety limits work only for accounts added as children in your family group.
Does screen time work if the child uses a local account?
No. The child needs to sign in with their Microsoft account on the PC.
How do I add a user to the PC?
Use Add a family member for a child. For anyone else, add a regular user in Windows 10.
Does the child see a warning before time runs out?
Yes. Windows shows notices as the limit gets close, so the child can save their work. When time is up, Windows locks the screen until you give them more time or the next allowed time starts.
Is Family Safety free?
Yes. Screen time limits, app limits, and activity reports are free with a Microsoft account. You don’t need a Microsoft 365 subscription.
Can I see screen time on Windows 11 the same way?
Yes. Family Safety works the same way on Windows 11, and the limits can cover both Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs.
Microsoft’s guide is Set screen time limits across devices.
Related: parental controls on Windows 10 and on Windows 11.
Matt Jacobs writes and maintains the guides on Support Your Tech, which he started in 2017. He spent most of his career keeping small-business PCs running and still takes the occasional consulting job, so the steps here come from fixing the same problems on other people’s computers. Every guide is checked on his own Windows 11, Windows 10, Mac, iPhone and iPad before it goes up.