Screen Time Not Working on Mac? Here is the Fix!
Whether you want to keep a track of your usage,overcome smartphone/laptop addictionorimplement strong parental controlsto safeguard your child against explicit content, Screen Time has got you fully covered. The built-in parental control feature works seamlessly across Apple devices and keeps you updated with detailed insight including in-depth app usage and the number of pickups. However, it doesn’t always work as expected. One common issue that many users often complain about is “Screen Time not showing up on Mac”. If this issue is troubling you as well, check out these 6 ways to fix Screen Time not working on Mac.
7 Methods to Fix Screen Time Not Showing Up on Mac (2022)
Possible Reasons Why Screen Time is Not Showing Data on Your Mac?
At the heart of this issue seems to be a raresoftware bug in macOSthat could be either preventing Screen Time from showing data, or hindering it from working properly. Besides, server outages and outdated apps are other major usual suspects that you should check out. As always, we’ve mentioned a variety of solutions keeping in mind multiple possible reasons. Hence, make sure to try each one of them to resolve the Screen Time issues on your macOS device.
1. Turn Off/On Screen Time
When Screen Time does not show accurate data on my Mac or seems to be ill-functioning, the first thing that I try to troubleshoot the issue is to turn it off/on. Many a time, it fixes the problem for me. Hence, I would recommend you start with this simple but very effective solution.
Now, use your Mac for some time (around half an hour) and then head back to theSystem Preferences -> Screen Timesetting to check if it has started to work normally. Moreover, you can also add the Screen Time widget to the Notification Center in order to keep a track of device usage with ease. There are a lot of otheruseful widgets for macOSas well, so check those out as well.
Note:
2. Check Apple Server to Ensure Screen Time is Working
Even though it’s a rare occurrence, Apple servers do tend to face issues every now and then. If Screen Time has always worked for you, but is suddenly giving you problems, it could be a fault with Apple’s systems. Remember themassive outage on Apple serviceson March 21? Yeah, that happens sometimes.
Here’s how to check Apple’s system status.
After waiting for some time, go back to the system status page to check if the problem has been resolved. If it has, you should see a confirmation.
3. Update the Problematic Apps
Is Screen Time not showing app usage data for specific apps on your Mac? If yes, try updating those problematic apps.
After you have updated the apps, use them for some time and then check their usage in Screen Time.
4. Delete and Reinstall the Ill-Functioning Apps
No solution as yet? Bother not, we still have some viable tips to try. If Screen Time is not showing the usage of certain apps, delete and reinstall those apps.
5. Sign Out and Sign Back into Your Apple ID
Another solution you can try to make Screen Time work properly on your Mac is to simply sign out of your Apple ID and then sign back in. However, before you do this, make sure that any sync processes have completed so you don’t accidentally end up losing data.
Note:We recommend backing up your Mac regularly to ensure you have data backups in case you run into any hardware or software issues.Time Machine is a native, and easy to use method for maintaining regular macOS backups.
Signing out/in Apple ID has worked for many users who had run into the same issue. Therefore, it makes sense to give this solution a chance as well. To ensure you don’t lose any important data, make sure to keep a copy of the suggested data.
Once you have signed out of your Apple ID, try signing back in, and see if Screen Time starts working normally again.
6. Update Your Mac
If Screen Time still seems to be broken on your Mac, there might be a software bug behind the issue. In such as scenario, updating the software is always the right way to go. The good thing is that Apple often releases software updates with plenty of bug fixes and performance enhancements. So, there is a high possibility that updating macOS could resolve the issue.
If there are no available updates for your Mac, move on to the next step.
7. Completely Reset Your Mac
If you’re here, it means nothing else has worked and it’s time to go for the hail mary pass and completely reset your Mac as new. The steps to do this differ for Intel Macs and M1-based Macs. We will discuss both of the options.
Apple has made it very easy to erase all content and settings on Macs with Apple Silicon or Macs with the T2 security chip. Here’s what you need to do.
Note:This option will only show up if you’re using macOS Monterey. If you’re not, read on to discover how to reset a Mac with Apple Silicon without macOS Monterey, and how to reset Intel Macs without the T2 security chip.
Note:You can name your hard disk whatever you like, but Apple suggests using the name Macintosh HD.
Note:Do note that sometimes, after resetting an M1-based Mac, you might see the error “Computer Account Creation Failed”. You can check outhow to fix the ‘computer account creation failed’ errorfrom our linked article.
The process to reset a Mac with an Intel processor is pretty much the same as that on an M1 Mac. The difference lies in the method of entering Recovery Utilities. Here’s how to reset a Mac with an Intel processor:
Fixed Screen Time Not Showing Up on Mac Issue
So, that wraps up this troubleshooting guide about fixing Screen Time issues on Mac. From what I have experienced, this issue often gets resolved by turning off/on Screen Time and rebooting the Mac. If it doesn’t do the trick, updating the outdated apps or macOS come in handy more often than not. By the way, which one of these solutions has resolved Screen Time not working problem on your Mac. Be sure to share your feedback with us.
Rajesh Mishra
An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.
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