How to lock a Windows PC until homework is done

Last reviewed: September 2026

If the family PC is where homework happens and where games happen, you already know the problem. The laptop opens, the game launches, and homework becomes "after this round." This guide walks through the realistic ways to keep a child's Windows PC closed until the work is done — starting with the free tools already built into Windows — and is honest about what each one can and can't do.

The short answer: no built-in Windows tool knows whether homework is finished. Microsoft Family Safety can set when and how long a child's PC can be used, block specific apps and games, and send you requests for more time. To make the PC wait for homework, you combine a schedule with a simple rule at home — or use a tool that opens the PC to learning first and unlocks it when you say so.

Option 1: Microsoft Family Safety (free, built in)

Microsoft Family Safety is Microsoft's free parental-control service for Windows, Xbox and mobile. It needs only a Microsoft account for you and one for your child — no subscription. For most families it's the right place to start, and many families will keep using it whatever else they add.

What it does well (as of September 2026)

• Screen time schedules for Windows. For each day you can set a total number of hours and the time ranges when the PC can be used. You can use one schedule all week or a different one each day.
• App and game limits. You can limit or block individual apps and games on Windows, so the browser can stay available for schoolwork while a game stays closed.
• Web and search filters. Filtering works in Microsoft Edge. When filtering is on, other browsers are blocked on the child's device unless you unblock them.
• Activity reports. You can see which apps and sites were used and for how long. Microsoft's September 2026 update says activity reports now include every desktop app, with more precise time tracking rolling out.
• Asking for more time. When time runs out, your child can ask for more, and you can approve it from the Family Safety app or the email Microsoft sends. Microsoft says these requests now arrive almost instantly.
• Works across devices. The same family group covers Windows, Xbox and Android, with a more limited app on iPhone.

What it can't do

• It doesn't know about homework. Limits are based on the clock and on apps, not on whether a task is done. There is no "unlock after homework" condition.
• Extra time is mostly reactive. Parents on Microsoft's own forums report there is no simple way to add time for today in advance; the usual path is to wait for your child's request.
• Filtering is Edge only. If your child needs Chrome for school, you'll need to unblock it, and it won't be filtered.
• It's only as strong as the account. If your child can sign in to an unrestricted account on the same PC, the limits don't apply.

How to set it up, step by step

Menu names below match Microsoft's help pages as of September 2026. Microsoft does rename things, so if a label looks different, the Family Safety help pages are the reference.

1. Give your child their own account on the PC. On the child's PC, sign in as yourself (an administrator), then open Settings → Accounts → Family and choose Add someone. Choose to create an account for a child, or enter the child's existing Microsoft account. Use a personal Microsoft account, not a school account.

2. Make sure you're the family organizer. Sign in at account.microsoft.com/family. Your child should appear as a Member. If you invited an existing account, your child accepts from the email Microsoft sends; younger children will prompt you for consent.

3. Set a Windows schedule. In the Family Safety app or at account.microsoft.com/family, select your child, choose Screen time, then the Windows tab. Pick a day, set the allowed hours and time ranges, then apply it to other days or Every day.

A schedule that fits a homework-first rule: on school days, make the PC available only from, say, 4:00 to 7:30 pm with a total of 90 minutes — enough for homework and some play, not enough for play instead of homework.

4. Limit or block games. Under Apps and games, set a daily limit on specific games, or block them on school days. Leave the browser and any school apps unrestricted so homework is never blocked by accident.

5. Turn on filters and check reports. Under Edge, switch on Filter inappropriate websites and searches. After a week, look at the activity report to see whether the schedule is actually working.

6. Remove the back doors. Make sure your child isn't an administrator on the PC, that other accounts have passwords, and that any unmanaged local account is removed.

Option 2: Other ways to lock the PC

A separate child account with a password only you know

The low-tech version: the child's account has a password you type in when homework is checked. It works, it's free, and it needs no software. The cost is that you have to be there every time, and it quietly turns you into the gatekeeper for every session.

Router schedules

Many home routers, and most internet providers' apps, let you pause the internet for a device on a schedule. This is useful for phones and consoles too. It won't stop offline games, and it will stop online homework, so it's a blunt tool for this particular job.

Third-party parental-control apps

Paid parental-control apps generally add stronger web filtering across more browsers, more detailed reports and cross-platform management. They're worth a look if you need filtering beyond Edge or manage a mix of devices. Like Family Safety, they limit time and content; none that we know of ties unlocking to learning being done.

Option 3: Dad's Academy's Windows companion

This is our product, so read this section with that in mind.

Dad's Academy is an adaptive learning app for children in kindergarten to grade 9 (Year 1 to Year 10), with daily one-question-at-a-time reviews in Math, English and Reading, Science and Life Skills. The optional Windows companion changes the order of things: the PC opens to learning first. Screen time is earned by finishing practice, or granted by you from the parent Command Center or your phone. Earned screen time is part of the paid plan.

How it fits alongside homework:

• It can't check your child's school homework. It makes sure a short, adaptive review happens first. Many parents pair it with a rule — practice unlocks the PC, and play time is granted once they've looked over the homework.
• Practice can match class. With "This Week at School," you or your child submit what was covered in class (a photo or text), and next week's Math, English and Science reviews match it.
• You see what's happening. The parent Command Center shows accuracy by subject, trends, weak spots and time on task.
• Windows only. No Mac, Chromebook, iPad or phone.
• Use a standard child account. Like any lock, it's only tamper-resistant if your child isn't an administrator on the PC, so set them up with a standard Windows account, as in step 6 above.
• It doesn't replace Family Safety. Family Safety is free and strong for schedules, web filters and managing several devices. Plenty of families use both: the companion runs alongside Family Safety on the same child account without conflicting lock screens.

The free plan (5 questions a day, one subject a day) doesn't include earned screen time. The paid plan is priced per child, shown in your local currency, with 25% off additional children — see pricing.

A "homework first" routine that works without any software

Tools enforce rules; routines make them feel normal. Many families find the software matters less once the order is predictable.

1. Same order, every school day. Snack, homework, then screens. Say the order once and keep it; the fewer exceptions, the fewer negotiations.
2. Homework somewhere visible. A kitchen table makes "done" easy to check and makes help easy to ask for.
3. Define "done." Done means shown to a parent, not "basically finished." For Maya, that might mean showing her math page; for Theo, reading his paragraph aloud.
4. Keep screen time predictable. A set amount after homework is easier to accept than time that depends on your mood that day.
5. Plan for no-homework days. A short review, reading or a chore takes homework's place, so the routine doesn't fall apart on Fridays.
6. Review the setup monthly. Check the activity report together and adjust. Older children often accept limits better when they help set them.

Which option should you choose?

• You mainly want time limits and filtering: Microsoft Family Safety, free.
• You're home at homework time and want zero setup: a separate child account with your password.
• You also need to manage phones and consoles: Family Safety plus a router schedule.
• You want the PC to open to learning before anything else: Dad's Academy's Windows companion on the paid plan, alongside Family Safety if you use it.

For more on the earn-first approach, see how earned screen time works and our roundup of earn-screen-time apps.