Parent guide
How to block games during homework on a Windows PC
If homework and games happen on the same computer, a predictable homework window can be easier to manage than deciding whether to block a game every afternoon. Start with a clear agreement, keep school tools available, and test the rules in the account your child actually uses.
Start with a small, clear homework window
Choose the time together where possible: for example, Monday through Friday, 4–5 PM. Decide which games should wait, which websites are needed for school, and how your child can ask for a break. Tell them what happens when focus begins before switching anything on.
A schedule is a boundary around a particular task. It does not need to mean that every app is blocked or every minute on the PC is monitored.
Give each child a standard Windows account
Keep the parent’s administrator account separate from the child’s everyday account. Each child should sign into their own standard Windows account, even when they share a laptop. This lets you assign different schedules and rules to different children.
In Windows Settings, look under Accounts → Other users to add or review accounts. Labels can vary by Windows version. Microsoft explains how to manage Windows user accounts and change account types. Keep at least one parent-controlled administrator account available.
Install, pair, and assign the PC
- Install the ClearGuard Windows app using the parent’s administrator account.
- In the Parent Portal, open Devices and create a Windows PC pairing code. Enter it in ClearGuard Administrator on that PC.
- Accounts and installed apps sync automatically. In Devices, assign the child’s standard Windows account to their child profile.
- Expand Apps blocked during focus time, select the games you want blocked, and save the assignment. Leave homework tools unchecked.
Set a schedule and handle browser games separately
Under Children, edit the child’s weekly focus schedule and confirm its time zone. Installed-game blocking and website rules are separate controls: add distracting browser-game domains to the appropriate website rules too.
Use Focus now when you need an immediate focus period. Turning it off returns the child to their weekly schedule; it does not cancel a scheduled focus period that is still running.
Website rules require a connected extension in the browser your child uses. Check Downloads for current browser availability, then confirm the browser appears in Devices. Other devices, unassigned Windows accounts, and browsers without the extension are outside that setup.
Test before the next homework session
- Sign into the child’s assigned Windows account and allow the PC and browser to sync.
- Turn on Focus now and try a selected game and a configured blocked website.
- Confirm that school websites, document editors, and other needed apps still work.
- End Focus now outside the scheduled window and check that focus-only restrictions end.
Save work before testing. Running blocked apps may close after a warning; unsaved work or game progress can be lost. Do not use an important document or active game as your first test.
Make room for a reasonable break
A connected child can request a focus break. You can approve or decline it from the Parent Portal on your phone. An approved break pauses scheduled focus and Focus now for the chosen time; always-blocked websites and safety blocks remain in effect.
Review the routine after a few days. If homework regularly needs another website or app, adjust the rules together instead of treating every exception as a problem.
For the privacy side of the conversation, read Helping kids focus without reading their messages.