Minecraft parental controls, set up properly
Minecraft has no parental controls menu of its own. Everything runs through Microsoft and Xbox family settings, even if your child plays on an iPad, a Switch or a PlayStation and has never touched an Xbox. That catches most parents out, and it is why these settings are so often left untouched. Here is the whole thing in one go.
Cost
Free, built into Microsoft family settings
Age rating
PEGI 7
Key controls
Multiplayer, chat, friends, Marketplace spending
Set up via
account.xbox.com or the Xbox Family Settings app
Set Up Minecraft Parental Controls
You need two accounts: your own adult Microsoft account, and a child account inside your family group.
Steps:
- 1Go to account.microsoft.com/family, sign in with your own Microsoft account, and create a family group if you do not already have one.
- 2Add your child, creating a child account for them if they do not have one. Only a parent account can change any of the settings below.
- 3Go to account.xbox.com/settings, sign in as the parent, and select your child’s account.
- 4Under Xbox and Windows 10 devices Online Safety, set “You can join multiplayer games” to Allow or Block. That one setting covers public servers and Realms together.
- 5In the same place, set “You can join cross-network play” and “You can add friends and follow others” to suit their age.
- 6Under Privacy, set “Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites” to Friends or Block to control who can talk to them.
- 7Back in Microsoft Family Safety, open your child’s Spending settings and turn on ask-to-buy, so Minecoins and Marketplace purchases need your approval.
- 8Sign out of Minecraft and restart the game, or the new settings will not take effect.
Tip:
Two things catch people out. The controls only apply while your child is signed in as themselves, so an adult account left logged in on the family tablet bypasses the lot. And Mojang only supports parental controls on Minecraft 1.16.4 or later, and not at all on modded versions.
The UK age check, new in 2026
Since February 2026, Minecraft players in the UK on an adult account have been asked to confirm they are 18 or over to keep social features such as chat. Mojang announced it in January 2026 as part of Microsoft’s compliance with the UK Online Safety Act, and the check itself is handled by the age verification service Yoti. Declining does not touch worlds, purchases or the ability to play, but it does restrict who your child can talk to. Worth knowing if your teenager set their account up with an invented birthday, because this is the point at which that catches up with them.
Bedrock or Java, and why it matters
Bedrock Edition is the version on consoles, phones, tablets and Windows, and it is the one Microsoft family settings cover most completely. Java Edition is PC only and popular with older children who want mods. It uses the same Microsoft account for friends and chat, but mods and third-party servers sit outside anything Mojang controls. Java does have a useful extra: pause the game, choose Player Reporting, and you can hide a player’s messages or report them to Minecraft’s moderators, on any server including a private one.
Where the risk actually sits
Single-player Minecraft is about as calm as gaming gets, and a private Realm with school friends is not far behind. Large public servers are a different game: open chat with strangers, and user-made content the PEGI 7 rating never described. So the useful question is not really whether Minecraft suits your child, it is which mode they are playing in. Plenty of families start with single player and a Realm, then open multiplayer up as the child gets older.
Frequently asked questions
Related guides
Last reviewed: August 2026. Providers and platforms change their settings screens often, so if a step looks different, the official help page linked above has the latest wording.