How to Set Up Xbox Parental Controls (2026)

Step 1: Set up the family and child account

The parent is the family organizer—an adult Microsoft account with full control. The child needs their own Microsoft account inside that Microsoft family group.

1. Create the family group. Go to family.microsoft.com, sign in with the parent's adult Microsoft account, and create or open the Microsoft family group. This account is the family organizer.
2. Add the child on the console. Press the Xbox button, then go to Settings → Account → Family settings → Manage family members → Add to family → Add new.
3. Use the child's real birth date. Sign in or create the child's Microsoft account with their real date of birth, then complete the adult-consent step. The birth date determines whether Microsoft treats the account as a child.
4. Know the three control surfaces. Use family.microsoft.com for family membership, screen time, content filters and ask-to-buy; account.xbox.com → Xbox settings → Privacy & online safety for chat and privacy toggles; and the Xbox Family Settings app for mobile management, per-game settings, and friend or follow controls.

Tip: 2026 change: Xbox settings were removed from the general Microsoft Family Safety app. Use the Xbox Family Settings app or account.xbox.com instead.

Step 2: ⭐ Lock down chat, friends and online exposure

Do this section before allowing online play. It closes the routes strangers use to contact, invite, follow or profile your child.

1. Open the child's Xbox privacy controls. At account.xbox.com, sign in as the parent, then open Xbox settings → Privacy & online safety → Xbox privacy → select the child → Privacy and Online Safety tabs. On console, use Settings → Account → Family settings → Manage family members → [child] → Privacy & online safety → View details & customize.
2. Kill voice, text and invites. Set Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites → Block. This is the main chat kill-switch for voice, text, party, game and club invites. If you approve every friend, Friends only is the less restrictive alternative.
3. Block cross-network contact. Set You can communicate outside of Xbox with voice & text → Block.
4. Block multiplayer and cross-network play. Set You can join multiplayer games → Block, or Allow only if you want co-op with approved friends. Set You can join cross-network play → Block.
5. Block adding friends. Set You can add friends → Block, or require your approval through the Xbox Family Settings app.
6. Hide the friends list. Set Others can see your friends list → Block.
7. Block clubs. Set You can create and join clubs → Block.
8. Block user-generated content. Set You can see and upload community creations → Block.
9. Hide presence and activity. Set Others can see if you're online → Friends or Block; Others can see your activity → Block; and Others can see your game and app history → Block.
10. Hide profile details and real name. Set Others can see your Xbox profile details → Block or Friends, and Others can see your real name → Block.

Tip: Use the child account to test every restriction. A setting visible on the parent account does not prove the child experience is locked down.

Step 3: Set content and age filters

1. Set the console age level. On Xbox, go to Settings → Account → Family settings → [child] → Access to content and choose the numeric age that maps to the ESRB rating you allow.
2. Turn on family content restrictions. At family.microsoft.com, select the child → Content restrictions, turn Block inappropriate apps, games & media on, then set Allow apps and games rated for to the child's age.
3. Block individual titles. In the Xbox Family Settings app, review the child's games and block any individual title that should not be available even if its rating falls under the general limit.

Step 4: Set screen time by device

1. Open Screen time. At family.microsoft.com, select the child → Screen time. You can also use Xbox Family Settings → Screen Time on your phone.
2. Separate device schedules. Turn off Use one schedule for all devices if you want different limits for Xbox, Windows and mobile rather than one shared allowance.
3. Set allowed hours and duration. Set the daily schedule and time allowance for Xbox, then review weekday and weekend settings separately.
4. Review extra-time requests. Decide requests one by one instead of giving the child the organizer password or changing the base schedule temporarily.

Step 5: Require approval for spending

1. Turn on adult approval. At family.microsoft.com, select the child and set Needs adult approval to buy things → On.
2. Do not pre-load the wallet. For a hard stop, do not add money or gift-card balance to the child's account. A child can still spend gift-card balance or funds you have already added even when purchase approval is on.
3. Review purchase history. Check the child's spending and order history regularly, and remove payment methods that do not need to stay attached.

Tip: Ask-to-buy is not a dollar cap. Existing Microsoft account balance can still be spent, so leave the wallet empty if every purchase must come to you.

Step 6: Filter the web in Microsoft Edge

1. Open Web and search. At family.microsoft.com, select the child → Content filters → Web and search.
2. Filter inappropriate websites. Turn Filter inappropriate websites on. This forces SafeSearch and blocks known adult sites in Microsoft Edge on the console.
3. Use an allowlist for younger children. For the strictest setup, turn on Only use allowed websites and add only the sites your child needs.
4. Test in Edge. Open Microsoft Edge while signed in as the child and try a known adult-content test URL. The family filter should block it.