Screen Time has all of your needs covered, whether you want to monitor your consumption, get rid of smartphone or laptop addiction, or apply strict parental restrictions to protect your child from explicit content. The built-in parental control tool is compatible with all Apple devices and provides you with up-to-date information about comprehensive app usage and the frequency of pickups. It doesn’t always function as planned, though. Screen Time not appearing on Mac is one issue that many users frequently lament. Check out these six solutions if Screen Time is not functioning properly on your Mac if this problem is troubling you as well.
7 Methods to Fix Screen Time Not Showing Up on Mac (2022)
Possible Reasons Why Screen Time is Not Showing Data on Your Mac?
A uncommon macOS software flaw that may be blocking Screen Time from revealing data or impairing its functionality appears to be at the root of this problem. Additionally, server problems and out-of-date programmes are additional significant usual suspects that you should investigate. As usual, we’ve provided a range of options while taking into account many potential causes. To fix the Screen Time difficulties on your macOS device, be sure to attempt each of them.
1. Turn Off/On Screen Time
I turn Screen Time on and off as a first step in troubleshooting when it appears to be malfunctioning or does not display accurate statistics on my Mac. It often solves the issue for me. Therefore, I advise you to start with this straightforward yet highly efficient solution.
- Navigate to the System Preferences app on your Mac -> Screen Time.
- Next, click on Options at the bottom in the sidebar.
- Next, click the Turn Off option.
- After that, click the Apple menu at the top left and choose Restart.
- Once your Mac has rebooted, go back to the Screen Time setting and then click the Turn On option to enable Screen Time.
Use your Mac now for about 30 minutes before returning to the System Preferences -> Screen Time setting to see if it has resumed regular operation. Additionally, you can easily keep track of device usage by adding the Screen Time widget to the Notification Center. Check out the many other handy widgets available for macOS as well.
Note:
- To check the usage information for every other device signed in to iCloud with your Apple ID, make sure to select Share across devices on each Mac and turn on this option in the Settings app -> Screen Time setting on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
- To view the usage for only one of your devices, select a device from the menu at the bottom of the window.
- If you want to switch between days, simply click within the weekly chart or use the tiny arrow buttons above the chart.
- To check the total usage by week, select This Week from the date menu at the top of the window.
- To access the usage for a child account, select the child s name from the menu in the upper-left corner of the screen.
2. Check Apple Server to Ensure Screen Time is Working
Apple servers occasionally experience problems, despite the fact that it is uncommon. If Screen Time has always worked for you but is now giving you issues, there may be a systemic issue with Apple. Do you recall the significant outage on March 21? Yes, occasionally that does happen.
Here’s how to verify the state of Apple’s system.
- Open a browser on your Mac and head over to the Apple System Status page. Then, ensure that the circle to the left of Screen Time is green. If the circle is orange or there s a red triangle, that means Screen Time is currently faced with an outage.
Return to the system status page to see if the issue has been fixed after some time has passed. You ought to see a confirmation if it has.
3. Update the Problematic Apps
Are certain apps on your Mac not showing up in Screen Time’s app usage statistics? If so, try upgrading the troublesome applications.
- Open the App Store on your Mac and click Updates in the sidebar.
- Now, click Update next to an app to update that particular app or hit Update All to update all apps at one go.
Use the updated apps for a while, then check Screen Time to see how much time was spent using them.
4. Delete and Reinstall the Ill-Functioning Apps
There is still no answer? Not to worry, there are still some useful suggestions to try. Reinstall those apps if Screen Time isn’t displaying the usage of specific apps.
- Open Finder on your Mac and head into Applications. Then, drag the problematic app and drop it on the Trash icon. If asked, enter your administrator password.
- Next, open the Mac App Store -> find the app, and reinstall it.
5. Sign Out and Sign Back into Your Apple ID
Simply signing out and back in with your Apple ID is another option you can attempt to get Screen Time to function properly on your Mac. To avoid unintentionally losing data, check to see if any sync procedures have finished before proceeding.
Note: To guarantee you have data backups in case you have any hardware or software issues, we advise routinely backing up your Mac.
For keeping routine macOS backups, Time Machine provides a native and user-friendly solution.
- Go to the System Preferences on your Mac -> Apple ID.
- Now, click Sign Out.
- Now, you would be prompted to keep a copy of your iCloud data on this Mac before signing out. Bear in mind that if you don t keep a copy, the data will be removed from this Mac. However, your data will continue to be available on other devices signed in with the same iCloud account. Click Keep a Copy.
- Next, enter your Apple ID password and click Continue.
For many users who experienced the same problem, signing out and back in with their Apple ID worked. Consequently, it makes reasonable to consider this solution as well. Keep a copy of the suggested data to make sure you don’t lose any crucial information.
6. Update Your Mac
Attempt checking back in with your Apple ID after you’ve signed out to see whether Screen Time resumes operating correctly.
- Head over to the System Preferences app on your Mac > Software Update.
- Now, let your Mac check for software updates. When it shows the available update, click Update Now.
If Screen Time continues to function improperly on your Mac, a software defect could be at blame. The best course of action in such a situation is always to update the programme. The good news is that Apple frequently makes performance improvements and bug fixes available in software updates. Therefore, there is a good chance that updating macOS will fix the problem.
7. Completely Reset Your Mac
Continue to the next step if your Mac does not have any available updates.
Reset M1 based Mac or Mac with T2 Security Chip running macOS Monterey
If you’re here, it means that all other attempts have failed and that you need to completely reset your Mac to factory settings. For both Intel Macs and M1-based Macs, different procedures must be followed. We’ll talk about both possibilities.
- Open System Preferences on your Mac. Once the app is open, click on System Preferences in the menu bar.
- Here, you will see the option to Erase All Content and Settings . Just click on it, and follow the steps to completely reset your Mac.
All data and settings on Macs with Apple Silicon or Macs with the T2 security chip can be easily erased because to Apple’s user-friendly design. What you must do is as follows.
Reset Mac with Apple Silicon
- Turn on your Mac, and continue pressing the power button until you see Startup Options .
- You may be asked to enter the admin password as well as your Apple ID and password.
- Now, click on Disk Utility and select Continue .
- Select your SSD (normally called Macintosh HD) and click the Erase button.
- Choose a name for the drive as well as the format.
- Name: Macintosh HD
- Format: APFS
Note that only users of macOS Monterey will see this option. If not, keep reading to learn how to reset an Intel Mac without the T2 security chip and an Apple Silicon Mac without macOS Monterey.
- Once you have erased your Mac, you will be able to activate it again. Then, just click on Exit to Recovery Utilities .
- Here, click on Reinstall macOS .
Note: You are free to give your hard drive any name you choose, however Apple advises Macintosh HD.
Reset Mac with Intel Processors
Be aware that the error Computer Account Creation Failed may occasionally appear after resetting an M1-based Mac. Check out our linked page for instructions on how to resolve the computer account creation failed error.
- Turn on your Mac and immediately press and hold command + R on the keyboard. Keep pressing the keys until you see the Apple logo.
- You will now be in the Recovery Utilities screen on your Intel Mac. From this point forward, you can follow the steps mentioned for the M1 Macs above. Or, you can go through Apple s official guide for erasing an Intel based Mac (website).
Fixed Screen Time Not Showing Up on Mac Issue
Similar to how an M1 Mac is reset, an Intel-powered Mac can also be restarted. The manner of inputting Recovery Utilities is where the distinction lies. To reset a Mac with an Intel processor, follow these steps:
