How to set up a Windows laptop for a child: accounts, limits and websites

You do the first setup

Turn the laptop on and go through Windows setup under your own name. This sign-in becomes the main one on the laptop: Microsoft says an administrator can change settings, install software and access every file. Pick a password your child doesn't know.

If your child already has the laptop and set it up, you can move the rights later. The steps are the same.

A separate sign-in for your child

Add a second user for your son or daughter now, while the laptop is in your hands. When you create it, choose the Standard User type. Microsoft recommends this for children.

There is one thing to get used to: your child can install a new game only after you type your password. Where to add an account in Settings and how to change its type is in our article on standard accounts for kids.

The built-in family group

Microsoft offers a free family group: you add your child's account, and it limits screen time, games and websites in Edge. While your child has standard rights, it may be all you need. We walk through the setup in a separate article.

Gardion on the laptop

If you want a bedtime, a limit on one game or a filter in every browser, you install a separate program on top. In Gardion we made setup run from the parent's phone. In the Gardion Family app, tap "Add device" and choose Windows. The app shows a link and a code. Open the link on the laptop, run the installer and enter the code. Within a minute, the rules you set on your phone reach the laptop.

What to set on the first evening: a daily limit, bedtime hours, a separate limit for the game your child gets lost in, and the website filter. Gardion blocks forbidden sites at the system level, so the block applies in every browser. While the filter is on, Gardion shuts down known VPN apps right away. Turn on the "New account creation" alert as well: if another account appears on the laptop, you'll hear about it.

When the laptop leaves the house

The laptop goes to school, to a friend's, to a grandparent's. Gardion stores the limits and the schedule on the laptop itself, so they work the same without internet. The internet matters only when you change a rule from your phone: the change arrives once the laptop is back online.

Every couple of months, tap "Check the computer" on the Control page. The report shows whether the drives are healthy, how much space is left and how much of its original capacity the battery holds.

Tell your child what they will see

A rule your child first meets at the moment of the lock feels like a trap. Show them in advance where to check the time left: the Gardion icon next to the clock shows how many minutes remain of the daily limit. Five minutes and one minute before the end, a "Save your work" warning appears. When time runs out, the laptop shows a "Time's up" screen. Open programs stay where they were, and the screen has "Ask for +30 min" and "Message a parent" buttons.

While you are at it, explain how the two limits differ. The daily limit is spent on everything, from an essay in the browser to cartoons. The game limit is spent only by the game itself, so homework and drawing don't eat into it.

What it costs

Gardion covers one computer for free with no time limit: a single daily limit and a lock when the time runs out. Bedtime, game limits, the website filter and bypass protection are part of the Family plan, $25 a year. For the first 14 days every feature is available, no card needed.

Everything Gardion does on a laptop or desktop is on the parental controls page for Windows. If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning during setup, open the installation guide.