Parental control for Windows PCs · Public beta
Lock the screen, block games and websites, and set a bedtime the PC keeps by itself — from your browser, your Windows PC or your Android phone. Rules keep working even when the PC is offline.
One family of apps
Manage from whichever screen is closest. Every parent app talks to the same child PC and shows the same rules.
Windows desktop app
A desktop control room that holds both Cloud and Direct children in one list, with screen-time reports for Direct PCs.
Android phones
Lock the PC from the dinner table. An overview, the apps list, bedtime, websites and activity — all one thumb away.
Any browser · Cloud plan
Your family's PCs in one control room. See who is online, what is running, and change rules from any computer.
Installed on the child's Windows PC
A Windows service that starts with the PC, enforces your rules and reports back. A small window shows the pairing code, then gets out of the way.
How it connects
The child PC always reaches out — nothing to open on your router, no inbound connection to the child.
Cloud modeFamily plan
Parent apps and the web dashboard talk to the PCGuard cloud. The child PC keeps an outbound connection to it, picks up commands within seconds and reports results back.
Direct modeStarter plan
The Windows and Android parent apps reach the child PC over your own private Tailscale network. Commands and reports go straight between your devices.
Setup
Install once on the child PC. A six-digit code links it to your account — no network settings, no passwords typed on the child's PC.
Run the Windows installer on your child's PC with an administrator account. The protection service starts right away and on every boot.
The installer opens the pairing window, which shows a fresh six-digit code. It renews itself when it expires.
Choose “Pair a device” in the web dashboard, “Add child” in the Windows app or “Add a PC” on Android, and type the code. The window on the child closes by itself.
The PC appears online within seconds. Lock it, set bedtime, block apps and websites — the rules are saved on the PC too.
Take the tour
Real screens from PCGuard Parent for Windows and Android. Names and numbers are sample data.
Apps are grouped by program with their window count, memory and icon. Close one now, or block it so it is closed within seconds every time it starts — even while the PC is offline.
Features
No add-ons. Every plan gets the same protection on the child PC; the Family plan adds the cloud.
Download
Installers live in your account, so you always get the current version. Install PCGuard Child first, then a parent app.
For each child PC. Needs administrator approval once.
Get the installerCloud and Direct children, reports and limits.
Get for WindowsControl and pair from your phone.
Get for AndroidNothing to install. Included with the Family plan.
Open the dashboardiOS parent app planned — not available in this beta.
Simple monthly plans
Start with one PC or bring the family together. Add extra child PCs to either plan from your account, without buying a second subscription.
A simple start for one child PC.
$2.99 / month
1 child PC in your account
More PCs. Cloud access included.
$6.99 / month
4 child PCs in your account
Proposed beta prices in USD, billed monthly. Choose your device count in your account. Your Parent phone and laptop do not use child-PC slots. Stripe shows the final total, taxes, and any mid-month adjustment before confirmation.
FAQ
From pairing your first PC to choosing a plan, here's what to expect.
PCGuard Child runs on Windows. Parents can use the web dashboard (Cloud), PCGuard Parent for Windows, or PCGuard Parent for Android. An iOS parent app is planned but not available in this beta.
In Cloud mode the child PC keeps an outbound connection to the PCGuard cloud, so you can manage it from anywhere — including the web dashboard. In Direct mode the Windows or Android parent app talks to the child PC over your own private Tailscale network, with no PCGuard server in the middle. One parent app can hold both kinds of PC.
In Cloud mode the PC sends its online status, the list of running programs, command results, and daily website totals (site name, time and visits) so you can see them in the dashboard. It never sends full web addresses, page content or keystrokes. In Direct mode, usage reports are read straight from the child PC over your Tailscale network.
Yes. Blocked apps, bedtime and website rules are saved on the child PC and enforced there. Commands such as lock or restart need the PC to be online; they are rejected — and shown as rejected — when it is not.
Website blocking and limits use the PCGuard browser extension in Chrome and Edge on the child PC, which counts only site names. During the beta the extension is added to the browser by hand; other browsers are not covered.
Parent sign-in and remote control require an active paid subscription. Scheduled rules, blocking, and enforcement that already live on the child PC continue locally; you will not be able to manage devices from parent apps until billing is restored.
Yes. Choose the extra child-PC slots you need in your account, review the recurring total in Stripe, and confirm. Managing the same child PC from several parent apps counts as one device. Your own phone and laptop never use a slot.
PCGuard is in public beta. Setup and device compatibility are still being tested before a wider release. PCGuard makes getting around rules harder, not impossible: a child with an administrator account on the PC can still change system settings.
Public beta access
One account brings your Parent apps and subscription together. Choose a plan and manage your payments securely through Stripe.
Local child protection keeps running on the PC even when parent apps cannot sign in. Windows child agent · Web, Windows or Android parent · iOS parent app planned later.