Set time limits for apps and websites in Screen Time on Mac
In Screen Time on Mac, you can set time limits for apps and websites for yourself or your children.
Before you can set up app limits, you need to turn on Screen Time. See Set up Screen Time for yourself or Set up Screen Time for a child.
Open the Screen Time App Limits pane for me
Add a limit
On your Mac, do one of the following:
If you’re using Family Sharing: Log in to your Mac user account, then make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID.
If you aren’t using Family Sharing: Log in to a family member’s Mac user account.
Choose Apple menu
> System Preferences, then click Screen Time .If you’re a member of a Family Sharing group, click the pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose a family member.
Click App Limits in the sidebar.
If App Limits is off, click Turn On in the upper-right corner.
If the Turn On button is dimmed, you need to turn on Screen Time.
Click the Add button
to create a new app limit.You can include any combination of apps, categories or websites in each limit you create.
In the “Create a new app limit” window, select the tickbox next to each of the apps, categories or websites that you want to include in the limit.
Search for an app, category or website: Type a name in the search field. The list updates as you type.
See the apps in a category: Click the disclosure triangle next to the category.
Limit all apps in a category: Select the tickbox next to the category in the list.
Limit all apps and categories: Select the tickbox next to the category All Apps & Categories in the list.
Limit an individual app: Select the tickbox next to the app in the list.
Limit a website: Click the disclosure triangle next to the category Websites. If the website has been visited, it’ll appear in the list below the Website category and you can select the tickbox next to it. If the website isn’t in the list, click the Add Website button (below the website list), then type the URL for the website.
Enter a limit in the Time field:
Set up the same app limit for every day: Select Every Day, then enter an amount of time.
Set up a different app limit for each day of the week: Select Custom, then enter an amount of time for each day.
Click Done.
Change a limit
On your Mac, do one of the following:
If you’re using Family Sharing: Log in to your Mac user account, then make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID.
If you aren’t using Family Sharing: Log in to a family member’s Mac user account.
Choose Apple menu
> System Preferences, then click Screen Time .If you’re a member of a Family Sharing group, click the pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose a family member.
Click App Limits in the sidebar.
In the list, select the limit you want to change, then click Edit Limit.
If you want to change the time limit, enter new limits in the Time field:
Set up the same app limit for every day: Select Every Day, then enter an amount of time.
Set up a different app limit for each day of the week: Select Custom, then enter an amount of time for each day.
If you want to change the apps included in the limit, click Edit Apps.
If you don’t want to change the apps included in the limit, click Done.
In the “Edit app limit” window, select or deselect the tickboxes next to each of the apps, categories or websites that you want to include in the limit.
Search for an app, category or website: Type a name in the search field. The list updates as you type.
See the apps in a category: Click the disclosure triangle next to the category.
Limit all apps in a category: Select the tickbox next to the category in the list.
Limit all apps and categories: Select the tickbox next to the category All Apps & Categories in the list.
Limit an individual app: Select the tickbox next to the app in the list.
Limit a website: Click the disclosure triangle next to the category Websites. If the website has been visited, it’ll appear in the list below the Website category and you can select the tickbox next to it. If the website isn’t in the list, click the Add Website button (below the website list), then type the URL for the website.
Click Done.
Turn specific limits on or off
Turn limits on or off to make temporary changes to the limits. If you turn a limit off, the limit remains set up and you can turn it on again at any time.
On your Mac, do one of the following:
If you’re using Family Sharing: Log in to your Mac user account, then make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID.
If you aren’t using Family Sharing: Log in to a family member’s Mac user account.
Choose Apple menu
> System Preferences, then click Screen Time .If you’re using Family Sharing, click the pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose a family member.
Click App Limits in the sidebar.
In the list, select limits you want to turn on, or deselect the limits you want to turn off.
Remove a limit
If you remove a limit, the limit is deleted permanently. If you think you might want to use a limit again later, turn it off instead.
On your Mac, do one of the following:
If you’re using Family Sharing: Log in to your Mac user account, then make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID.
If you aren’t using Family Sharing: Log in to a family member’s Mac user account.
Choose Apple menu
> System Preferences, then click Screen Time .If you’re using Family Sharing, click the pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose a family member.
Click App Limits in the sidebar.
In the list, select one or more limits to remove, then click the Remove button
.
Turn off App Limits
If you turn off App Limits, the limits remain set up but they are not applied. You can turn App Limits back on at any time.
On your Mac, do one of the following:
If you’re using Family Sharing: Log in to your Mac user account, then make sure you’re signed in with your Apple ID.
If you aren’t using Family Sharing: Log in to a family member’s Mac user account.
Choose Apple menu
> System Preferences, then click Screen Time .If you’re using Family Sharing, click the pop-up menu in the sidebar, then choose a family member.
Click App Limits in the sidebar, then click Turn Off in the upper-right corner.