Set a daily time limit for an app or website on your Mac

Why it happens

Screen Time keeps track of how long each app and website is used each day. An App Limit uses that count to warn you, or block the app, once the time you chose is used up. It only works when Screen Time's App & Website Activity is switched on.

How to fix it

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings and click Screen Time. If you're setting a limit for a child in your family, pick their name from the pop-up at the top first.

2. If Screen Time isn't counting yet, click App & Website Activity and switch it on. On macOS 27, click Manage Screen Time first, then Turn On App & Website Activity.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Screen Time›App & Website Activity

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Screen Time›Manage Screen Time›Turn On App & Website Activity

3. Go back, click App Limits, and turn App Limits on. Then click Add Limit.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Screen Time›App Limits›Add Limit

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Screen Time›App Limits›Add Limit…

4. Tick what you want to limit. You can tick a whole category like Games or Social, or open a category to tick single apps. For a site like YouTube in a browser, scroll to Websites and add its address.

5. Set the time, such as 1 hour. Choose Every Day, or Custom to give weekends a different amount, then click Done.

6. If you want the app to really stop at the limit, not just warn, turn on Block at End of Limit. That needs a Screen Time passcode, so others can't simply click past it.

On macOS 26 the button reads Add Limit, and on macOS 27 it reads Add Limit…. On macOS 27, limits for children have moved to the new Family pane: open Family, click your child's name and use Time Allowances. That needs every family device on version 27; otherwise use Screen Time as on 26.

Still not fixed?

1. If the limit is easy to ignore, set a passcode with Lock Screen Time Settings. It's separate from your Mac password, so choose one your child doesn't know.

   Screen Time›Lock Screen Time Settings

2. If the limit works on the Mac but not the iPhone or iPad, turn on Share across devices in Screen Time so the time counts everywhere you're signed in.

   Screen Time›Share across devices

3. If the limit never kicks in, check that the app isn't in Always Allowed. Apps listed there ignore limits.

   Screen Time›Always Allowed

4. When the limit is reached, a Time Limit screen appears. Click Ask for More Time. A child's request goes to you to approve, and with the passcode you can allow more time on the spot.

5. If limits are set, the passcode is on and an app still runs past its limit day after day, contact Apple Support.