Adding my (parent) registered laptop to my child's account as well as a connected device.

Hi Jarno Miedema,

Thank you for reaching out.

If the laptop is already showing under the parent account, there is usually no separate manual “transfer” option for a standard Windows PC. Microsoft’s device guidance notes that most Windows PCs are automatically added to the account that signs in, and it can take up to 24 hours for the device list to refresh.

If the goal is to have the laptop show under the child’s account for Family Safety, the most practical workaround is to make sure the child signs in with their own Microsoft account on that PC, then allow time for the device association to update.

You can consider trying these checking steps:

1. Sign out of the parent account on the laptop and sign in with the child’s Microsoft account so Windows can register the device against that user.
2. If the device is still only listed under the parent later, go to Microsoft Devices list on the parent account and remove that PC there, then sign back in on the laptop with the child account and allow the device list to sync again.
3. If this is for Family Safety, wait a little after the child signs in because connected devices may not appear immediately.

I hope this helps clarify the easiest path forward. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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The two views are showing different things:

• The Devices tab on the Microsoft account shows devices that are registered to that Microsoft account (for warranty, support, Find my device, etc.). A Windows 10/11 PC is added there automatically when someone signs in with that account, or can be registered manually with the serial number.
• The Digital safety / connected devices section in Microsoft Family Safety shows devices that are actively used by the child account and connected to the Family Safety group for activity reporting and screen time.

Because of this, a laptop can appear as a device under the parent’s or child’s Microsoft account but still show “0 connected devices” under Digital safety if:

• The child has not signed in to Windows with the child Microsoft account on that PC, or
• The child account on the PC is not the standard (non‑admin) child account that is in the Family group.

To have the laptop show under Digital safety and allow screen time limits for the child:

1. On the laptop, sign out of all accounts.
2. Sign in to Windows with the child’s Microsoft account that is in the Family group (or add that account under Settings > Accounts > Family & other people and then sign in with it).
3. Ensure the child account is a standard user, not an administrator.
4. After the child signs in, the device will appear as a connected device for that child in Family Safety.

This does not remove the laptop from the parent account’s device list; a single physical device can be registered to one Microsoft account for device management and still be used by multiple user accounts (parent and child) on Windows. Family Safety ties screen time and activity reporting to the child’s Windows sign‑in, not to which account the device is registered under at account.microsoft.com.

References:

• How to connect a device to a Microsoft account
• Set up Microsoft Family Safety
• Manage devices used with your Microsoft account
• Fix screen time limits not working