Windows 10: Bypass Family Settings by conversion to Local Account

I'm sorry to hear that. My ego got a setback; I was so sure I found the perfect solution...

You should use the Feedback app and let MS know about this.

 

Hi Kari

I'm facing exactly the same problem here.. but mine is only 13 years old *Huh.... did you find a way to fix this? any updates?

Somehow i feel that the whole family setting is useless now when it can be by-passed so easily by switching to local account..

 

No updates. The solution in post #11 is still in my opinion the best working one.

 

yes i tried as a guest user for him..

the problem is with guest account he don't have auto sign in for one drive. he need that to store his work (back and forth from school)

...not a big issue since he still can sign in manually or use local storage

..but some how i think after going thru the whole family account creation process and then hit by this 'easy bypass' issue really a 'joke'.. is this the best we can get from microsoft?

i already started looking into 3rd party apps (with security suites)

 

I have exactly same problem with DQL
... Except the problem child is 13 and has her own PC. We finally got her to join the Microsoft family, reset (wiped) her pc to window 10, and I got activity report for maybe 1 day... not anymore! Coz she switched to a local acct. Now I'm again the one locked out of her pc!!!

I was surprised how easy she can bypass Microsoft family, so I logged into my 8 yr old son's computer with his MS family child acct. Sure enough the option is right there to ditch the "family" and switch to a local account! And I also have a clever 11 yr old with yet another PC...

From reading all above comments I know l'm fighting a losing battle. If it were up to me, kids these age should never have their own PC in the first place. I'm never a fame of Microsoft, Windows, now I'm more disappointed than ever! *Sad

 

You could (if your routers settings allowed it) limit the times his PC can connect to the internet , would that stop the game in it's tracks?

 

I can unplug the router and then everyone and everything including landline is offline , that's about it. Not just time limits, but parents need REAL control what websites/apps kids can access. They have to go online to complete homework but spend most time watching YouTube or play games. I know there's no solution yet, or at least a workaround the average Joe can comprehend. In the meantime I'll put the housework aside, order delivery for dinner, and watch my 3 kids' online activities with my own eyes.

 

The complete and total failure of this "Family Safety" feature in Windows 10 is a very serious corporate credibility issue for Microsoft.

It has taken hours and hours of my time, it doesn't work in the end, and has injected a source of argument and pain into my family. This isn't a "me and the computer" issue. It is a "me and my family" issue.

NOTHING Microsoft has ever done has made me want to turn away from this company more than this.

Hey, twenty-something yahoo programmers that designed this broken feature - all too young and naive to even understand what a family is, and hey, executive leadership at Microsoft that thinks these features are low priority - time to start paying attention.

 

Well said! Yes a lot of hours, tension and tears, yet at the end I got diddly squat out of the Microsoft family. What a joke...

 

Hi DQL! The Windows password could be also bypassed by booting from some third-party live CDs, so I suggest you also set a BIOS password to prevent your children from changing the boot sequence. After that there is no way to break the family settings, I think.

 

I also have the same problem with child account. When the child account is switched to a local one, all my blocked websites and programs become accessible again. This should be a serious bug in Windows 10 and I have to temporarily block the account switching. Hopefully there is a update from Microsoft to fix the family safety issue soon.

 

Have we become any wiser, when it comes to the subject?

My conclusion is that currently there are three workarounds:

• Restricting the child´s user account with guest privileges. The downside to this, parsing above posts, is for example that form auto fill is disabled, besides that some apps do not run.
• Restricting access to Control Panel and settings by means of the Group Policy Editor or a registry hack, as detailed here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...d-319bfff0ffb1 Unfortunately, this also seems to bar every other account on the computer from access. And, moreover, the child really should have the freedom to choose settings and personalize the computer environment at will. Being forced to repeatedly edit policy settings every time at these situations, can further be very tedious. Lastly, this solution might not work in all Windows versions.
• The best option, as I see it, although far from ideal, is to use a Microsoft e-mail account password that’s secret for the child. After inviting that account to the family and having the request answered, setting up the child’s user account can be done either by creating and adding a new Microsoft account or switching an existing local one to this. Then, a PIN needs to be set, for the child to use when logging in. From what I can tell, thereafter it is not possible to revert back or change a Microsoft account to a local account, unless knowing the current e-mail password. A shrewd kid can of course try to reset the password via the reset function, but, as long as two step verification is enabled and correctly set up, that probably won’t be feasible without the parent being notified by an e-mail or a cell phone text message.

Such a pity an otherwise helpful Windows tool is afflicted by this apparent flaw.

 

The other idea is to use a special parental control program.
There are loads of them in the net, so you are free to chose, depending on the age of a child or on the seriousness of control, eg K9 or Time Boss ...
Additionally you get remote access to kids PC, forced breaks, limitation internet sites by time and others...

 

That's what I did.

 

So what 3rd party program did you guys end up going with to resolve this issue. I have the same problem with local account by pass.... I am going to try the 2 step verification - then change their microsoft account password to see if that helps. That is the problem, the password they use to login to the computer is that same password associated with their microsoft account. I knew thats how they removed themselves from family account via local account which they have to type in their password to do. I tried to change thier microsoft account password thinking it was different than the password for their PC login and found out it must be the same. Why if you are setting up a "child" with their user, why would they need to have their own email address, own microsoft account etc.... this is stupid. If they are minors.. esp under 13 they should not have or even need these things... you can't even setup a facebook or google account unless 13.. yet microsoft wants us to set it up for them with a easy work around? The first OS that comes up with a decent way to actually protect my kids with built in parental controls that actually WORK will have my loyalty instead of these Quasi pathetic parental controls.... might as well not even have them at all.

EDIT: Currently 12/11/16 if you create a PIN # for the sign in option you can then change the children's microsoft family password - then they will not be able to change or need to know that password. They will even need to know that password in order to change their pin #. Just make sure when you see it up all you go into "verify" them on each computer it is setup and far as I know the PIN must be setup each time on each computer you set it up. I dont know why it does not snyc. The pin is a local only thing i guess but it does work to safe gaurd them from unlocking the pc via "sign in with local account".... its worth mentioning that there are other options listed they might be able to try that i have not tested, "sign up with new microsoft account" and "sign into teacher or school - something" < those are not exact / just from memory...