I want to remove family safety from my PC

Question

I want to remove family safety from my PC

Mark Lucas 5

I am unable to update my PC antivirus software as i get the "microsoft family safety" webpage open saying i need to ask permission. When i click on that link it says a fault. I have gone to the family settings page but am unable to delete it or me from the account. There is only mysself set up. I have tried the help section but cant locate right way to remove it

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Tophernugget 0 Reputation points

2026-11-07T04:28:08.71+00:00

it was already disabled but I was still getting the family safety things any help?
JuliaMarvin 23,890 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-11-07T05:12:23.9566667+00:00

@Tophernugget
Please start your own thread. Do not resurrect old threads.

2 answers

Tophernugget 0 Reputation points

2026-11-07T04:28:08.71+00:00

it was already disabled but I was still getting the family safety things any help?
JuliaMarvin 23,890 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-11-07T05:12:23.9566667+00:00

@Tophernugget
Please start your own thread. Do not resurrect old threads.

Answer 1

John Jefferson Doyon 90,560 Independent Advisor

Hi, I'm John! I will help you with this.

To stop that from happening, you can temporarily disable Parental Control services. This will help refresh/restart the service.

First open Task Manager by clicking Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
Click "Services" tab.
In the list of services, find "WpcMonSvc".
Right-click on WpcMonSvc and click "Stop".

Next go to Services by following this steps:

Press Windows key + R to open Run dialog.
Type this and press Enter: services.msc
Find "Parental Controls".
Right-click on Parental Controls service and click "Properties"
In Startup type, click it and change it to "Disable".
Click "Apply" and click "OK".

Finally, restart your computer, sign in again if prompted, and monitor whether the issue persists.

1000005568

If all is resolved, feel free to mark the answer for this thread. Otherwise, please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T19:52:07.9066667+00:00

Done the above and still get this
John Jefferson Doyon 90,560 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-06-18T19:54:50.7666667+00:00

Thank you for letting me know.

Before this happened, were you part of the Microsoft Family Safety group?

Also, what age is set in your Microsoft account?
Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T19:59:16.91+00:00

Tbh i dont know. I assume I set the family safety up when i bought the PC. I am the only person on my microsoft account and am the only person in the family group. I can see I am the Administrator in my microsoft account and the organiser in the family app. My DOB is on my microsoft account and it is way over 18!. I have looked on youtube and it says click the 3 dots next to your name in the family safety settings. My name is the only name there but there are no dots next to me
John Jefferson Doyon 90,560 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-06-18T20:30:42.3866667+00:00

Thanks, could you try the steps from earlier again, but make sure you restart your PC before installing it again?

Also, are other files or programs running without any issues asking for Family Safety approval, or just this one?
Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T20:37:20.08+00:00

I will repeat the above steps and restart again.

I do get the above screenshot occasionally, its not the first time and just work around it - only because this is anti virus that i have paid for that i want to download
Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T20:49:29.3933333+00:00

Restarted PC ..... WpcMonSvc was on stop and Parental Controls are disabled - i didnt need to change them this time as had done it earlier.

Get same Microsoft screen when i try and download AV software
John Jefferson Doyon 90,560 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-06-18T20:53:45.8933333+00:00

Thank you for trying those steps again and letting me know.

Is the TotalAV antivirus downloaded via Microsoft Store? There's a Microsoft Store version of it. Could you try uninstalling the app, restarting your PC, and reinstalling it via Microsoft Store? Don't worry, Microsoft Defender will automatically take over once you test uninstalling.
Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T21:05:16.4133333+00:00

No i bought it via their website. I have mcAfee but they want £119 to renew. If i go via the store would i have to purchase again?
Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T21:05:42.4666667+00:00

AV is not downloaded yet so i dont need to uninstall
Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T21:18:19.0266667+00:00

i havent restarted the PC but can download from the store. I cannot download from the link in the email that i paid for!
John Jefferson Doyon 90,560 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-06-18T21:51:37.6033333+00:00

If your Microsoft Account or signed in using an account when you purchased it online, you can use those same credentials when it prompts you to activate or activate pro features.

Let me know how it goes after installing it from the Microsoft Store.
Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T21:53:23.2066667+00:00

ok - will be in the morning - thank you
John Jefferson Doyon 90,560 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-06-18T22:00:58.9833333+00:00

Glad to assist! Feel free to reach out when you're ready.
Mark Lucas 5 Reputation points

2026-06-24T15:47:10.2366667+00:00

Been away for a couple of delays, hence delay .....

Instaled Total AV and logged in - i assume this is good enough protection and is live

wont let me install any add ons as takes me to the site that is still then blocked by family security?

it really is annoying this family blocker - any further suggestions or where to go to try and sort?

Cant install the below for example

Answer 2

Follow these steps to remove Family Safety restrictions from the PC so antivirus updates are no longer blocked.

Check if the account is in a Family group
- Go to https://account.microsoft.com/family and sign in.
- If no family members are shown, the account is not currently in a Family group but the device may still have old Family Safety settings applied.
If in a Family group and you are the only member (Organizer)
Remove the family group so no Family Safety settings apply:
1. Sign in at account.microsoft.com/family with the organizer account.
2. If there are any other members, click the three dots next to each name and select Remove from family group, then Remove to confirm.
3. When only that organizer remains, click the three dots next to that organizer name and select Leave family group, then Remove to confirm.
4. The family group will be deleted when there is no organizer plus another member.
Run a Family Safety reset on the affected PC (clears stuck restrictions) Perform this on the PC where antivirus updates are blocked:
1. Press Windows key + R to open Run.
2. Type cmd and select OK.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type or paste:
```
      schtasks /run /tn "Microsoft\Windows\Shell\FamilySafetyRefreshTask"
```
  then press Enter.
4. Restart the PC.
  These steps must be run on each device that still enforces Family Safety settings.
If still seeing restrictions after the reset
- Open the Windows Security app → Family options → View family settings and confirm the account is not in a Family group or that no limits/filters are configured for it.
- If the account is a child account and cannot be changed to adult, an organizer must manage or remove restrictions; the child account itself cannot bypass them.

After the above, Family Safety should no longer block antivirus updates on the PC.

References: