Windows 11 S mode on a kid's laptop: keep or switch out

What S mode is

Microsoft's S mode FAQ describes it as a version of Windows 11 "streamlined for security and performance." In practice, it comes down to one rule: apps can only be installed from the Microsoft Store. An installer downloaded from a website won't open, no matter how useful the app is.

The second restriction is about the web. In S mode, Microsoft Edge is always the default browser and Bing is the default search engine. You can add another browser only if it's in the Store.

S mode exists only on Windows 11 Home, which is why laptop listings often say "Windows 11 Home in S mode."

Does S mode keep your kid safe?

Partly. Your child can't download a "free" game from a sketchy site and run it. S mode is good at that.

It does nothing about the rest. The Store has plenty of games, Roblox included, and S mode doesn't count the hours your kid spends in them. Any website opens in Edge. Time limits, schedules and web filtering are set up separately, either with Microsoft's family group or with a parental control app.

So S mode decides where apps come from. How long your kid stays on the laptop and what they open is up to you and your settings.

Keep it or switch out?

We'd keep S mode if your child gets by with Store apps and Microsoft's family group is enough for you. For a younger kid who needs a browser, Office and a couple of games, that can work fine.

You'll have to switch out if you need even one app that isn't in the Store: Chrome, a coding tool a teacher shared as a download link, a parental control app. There's no point waiting, because S mode has no exceptions for single apps.

Two things to know first. Switching out is free: Microsoft says "there's no charge to switch out of S mode." And it's one-way, so you can't turn S mode back on the same way.

How to switch out of S mode

These steps come from the same Microsoft FAQ.

1. Open Settings > System > Activation.

2. Find the Switch to Windows 11 Pro section and select the Go to the Store link.

3. The Microsoft Store opens a page called Switch out of S mode (or something similar). Select Get and confirm.

Don't select the link under Upgrade your edition of Windows. Microsoft warns that it's a different process and the laptop will stay in S mode.

If the laptop was issued by your child's school and switching is blocked, the school's IT admin makes that call: an organization can choose to keep all of its devices in S mode. If the Store shows an error at this step, people on forums suggest opening the Microsoft Store app settings and selecting Repair, then Reset if that doesn't help.

What to do right after

The laptop now accepts apps from anywhere. That's what you wanted, but your kid can also install whatever they like if their account has administrator rights. So first make sure your child has a standard account and you're the administrator. Then every install will ask for your password.

While you're at it, open Settings > Apps > Advanced app settings and look at Choose where to get apps. Keep it on Anywhere while you install your apps. The Microsoft Store only option blocks installers from websites again, much like S mode. Microsoft's page lists all four options.

Gardion on that laptop

We haven't put Gardion in the Microsoft Store: on Windows, it installs with a regular installer from our website. The installer asks for administrator rights and runs Gardion as a Windows service that starts with the system. S mode won't let that file run, so the order is fixed: switch out first, then install.

Everything else happens on your phone. In the Gardion 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. If Windows shows a blue SmartScreen warning along the way, our installation guide walks you through it.

One computer is free in Gardion with no time limit: a daily limit and a lock screen when time runs out. Web filtering in every browser, bedtime and a limit for a single game come with a paid plan. Everything else Gardion does on a PC is on the Gardion for Windows page. All features are open for the first 14 days, no card needed.