Guides for a calmer family PC
Practical guides for Windows 10 and 11, checked against current Microsoft documentation. No scare stories, no hidden monitoring. We explain the built-in options first, including where they fall short.
Screen Time Agreement Template — 3 printable examples
Ready-to-print agreements for ages 6–10, 11–13 and 14–17. Limits, homework, bedtime, parent promises and a review date.
Read the guide →How to Limit Screen Time on Windows 11
Microsoft Family Safety step by step, the limitations that matter, and what to do if you use a local Windows account.
Read the guide →Parental Controls on Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account
Standard user, logon hours, a third-party app and DNS filtering — the practical no-account setup, with honest limits.
Read the guide →How to Block Websites on Windows 11 for Kids
Family Safety, the hosts file, DNS filtering or a system-wide app filter: what works in every browser and where the bypasses are.
Read the guide →How to Block Games on Windows 11 (Roblox, Minecraft)
Family Safety app limits, a standard account, firewall rules and a total time limit: what each method actually blocks, and where it fails.
Read the guide →Microsoft Family Safety Not Working? 7 Fixes
The usual causes of broken screen time limits — account, standard user, sync, limit type, time zone and bypasses — in the order worth checking.
Read the guide →Screen Time Contract for Teens: What to Include
Time, schoolwork, sleep, privacy, consequences and a review date. Sample clauses and a free printable contract for ages 14–17.
Read the guide →How to Set a Bedtime or Curfew on a Windows PC
Family Safety schedule, a local-account app, Task Scheduler or a router schedule: what each method does and where it fails.
Read the guide →ScreenRhythm vs Microsoft Family Safety
Free and built-in vs local-account friendly and all-browser filtering. An honest comparison, including where Microsoft wins.
Read the comparison →ScreenRhythm vs Qustodio for Windows
Cross-platform suite vs Windows-only agreement app: per-app limits, browser filtering, price and the cases where each one wins.
Read the comparison →Screen Time Agreement Generator
Fill in the child's age, limits and house rules, then print the agreement or save it as a PDF. No email required.
Open the generator →Coming next
A guide to choosing a parental control app, a comparison for families with phones, and more Windows how-tos. New guides are published twice a week.
Put the rules on the PC
ScreenRhythm is a free Windows app: daily limit, breaks, schedule and screen lock. The child sees the countdown.