Minecraft parental controls
Minecraft has no parental controls of its own. Everything runs through Microsoft Family Safety, which is why parents hunt through its menus and find nothing.
- Time
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- A few steps
- Where
- account.microsoft.com/family, or the Xbox Family Settings app
- Checked
- 2026-08
Before you start: A Microsoft child account in your Family Group.
Do this
- Open account.microsoft.com/family and sign in as the adult
- Add the child to your Family Group if they are not already in it
- Set their Xbox privacy and online safety permissions
- Confirm multiplayer and Realms access matches what you intend
The settings that matter
| Setting | Younger child | Teenager |
|---|---|---|
| Multiplayer and Realms accessControls whether the child can play with others online at all. | Realms with known friends only | Allow, with friend-request approval on |
| Marketplace spendingControls purchases of skins, worlds and coins. | Require approval | Require approval |
| Friend and social permissionsControls who can add and message the child. | Friends only | Friends only |
What this does not do
- Java Edition LAN play and third-party community servers largely sit outside these controls. A child can join an unmoderated server regardless of what you set here.
What people get wrong
- Looking for parental controls inside Minecraft itself. There are none — the settings live in the Microsoft family account.
Checked against Minecraft family groups
in 2026-08. Platforms change these settings often — if what you see does not match, the platform’s own
page is the authority, and we would be glad to be told.