Settings — Account, security, and preferences
The Settings screen groups all settings related to your personal account and to how the system works overall. Some changes only affect your experience in the panel; others affect the whole family.
How to access Settings
Section titled “How to access Settings”Click Settings in the sidebar (or use the Ctrl+7 shortcut). You will see several tabs at the top of the screen, each with a different category of settings.
System tab
Section titled “System tab”Shows the general status of the LocalGuard server and technical system parameters. In most cases, you do not need to change anything here. It is useful for troubleshooting when support asks for information about the system status.
Appearance tab
Section titled “Appearance tab”This tab controls how the panel looks and which language it displays in.
Visual theme
Section titled “Visual theme”Choose between light (white background, dark text) and dark (dark background, light text). You can also select “automatic”, which uses the same theme your device has configured in the operating system.
Panel language
Section titled “Panel language”Changes the language of all text in the panel. LocalGuard is available in Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.
The language you select here does not affect the language of the supervision screen your child sees or the Windows agent — those have their own configuration.
Time zone
Section titled “Time zone”The time zone is important because it affects:
- The night profile schedules in Protection
- The study mode time windows in Time
- Activity timestamps (records are shown in the correct local time)
- Time requests and when the daily counter resets
If you are in the United States, select your region’s time zone (for example, “America/New_York” or “America/Los_Angeles”). If you are elsewhere, choose the corresponding time zone.
Tip: If the night profile activates at a different time than expected, the first thing to check is the time zone in this tab.
Visual accessibility
Section titled “Visual accessibility”Options to improve panel readability: increase text size, improve contrast, or enable more visible focus indicators. Useful if you have vision difficulties or use the panel with assistive technologies.
Privacy tab
Section titled “Privacy tab”Controls how long your family’s activity records are kept and what data you can export.
Data retention
Section titled “Data retention”Defines how many days activity records are kept (websites visited, blocks, processes). When a record is older than the configured retention period, it is automatically deleted.
By default, LocalGuard keeps records for 30 days. If you want to keep them longer to have a longer history, you can increase this value. If you prefer records to be deleted faster for privacy reasons, you can reduce it.
Data export
Section titled “Data export”Generates a downloadable file with all your account data: profile, devices, rules, and recorded activity. Useful if you want to save a history before making major changes or if you need the data for another reason.
Trusted devices
Section titled “Trusted devices”Manages the devices from which you have signed in to the panel. You can see which devices have accessed recently and revoke access to any you no longer recognize or that should no longer have access.
Action audit
Section titled “Action audit”A record of important actions performed in the panel: configuration changes, rule creation and deletion, sign-ins, and so on. Useful if you share panel access with your partner and want to know what changes each person made.
Profile tab
Section titled “Profile tab”Basic account data: username, email address, and personal preferences. From here you can also update your profile picture if that feature is available.
Security tab
Section titled “Security tab”Manages how you protect access to your LocalGuard account.
Change password
Section titled “Change password”To change your password, you need to enter the current password as verification. Choose a password you do not use elsewhere and that has at least 12 characters combining letters, numbers, and symbols.
Two-factor authentication (2FA)
Section titled “Two-factor authentication (2FA)”Two-factor authentication adds an extra security layer to your account. When you have it enabled, in addition to the password, you need a temporary code generated by an authentication app (like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy) to sign in.
To enable it:
- Click “Enable 2FA”.
- Scan the QR code with your authentication app.
- Enter the 6-digit code the app shows to confirm the connection works.
- Save the recovery codes that are displayed. These are the only codes you can use if you lose access to your authentication app. Store them somewhere safe (not on the same device).
Recommendation: Enable 2FA if the LocalGuard panel contains sensitive information about your family’s browsing. It is the most effective protection against unauthorized access.
Active sessions
Section titled “Active sessions”List of active accesses to your account: from which devices and browsers you have signed in. If you see an access you do not recognize, close it immediately from here and change your password.
Sign-in history
Section titled “Sign-in history”Your most recent account accesses with date, time, and device. Useful for detecting unauthorized access attempts. If you see repeated failed attempts from unknown IPs, consider changing your password and enabling 2FA if you have not already.
Notifications tab
Section titled “Notifications tab”Define which alerts you want to receive and through which channel.
Available notification types
Section titled “Available notification types”| Alert | When to receive it |
|---|---|
| Extra time request | When your child asks for more screen time |
| Agent without contact | When a device has not communicated for a long time |
| Unrecognized browser | When the agent detects a new browser on a device |
| Agent update available | When a new version of the agent is available |
| Integration error | If email or Telegram stop working |
Notification channels
Section titled “Notification channels”Notifications always appear in the panel (shown in the bell icon in the header). If you want to also receive them outside the panel, configure one of these channels in Settings → Integrations:
- Email: Requires SMTP configuration.
- Telegram: Requires connecting the LocalGuard bot to your Telegram account.
Integrations tab
Section titled “Integrations tab”Connect LocalGuard with external services to receive notifications outside the panel.
Email (SMTP)
Section titled “Email (SMTP)”Configure an outgoing mail server so LocalGuard can send you emails when important events occur. You need your email provider’s SMTP server details (server, port, username, and password).
After saving the configuration, use the Send test email button to verify it works before considering the configuration complete.
Telegram
Section titled “Telegram”The Telegram integration is the most convenient for receiving quick alerts. To configure it:
- Start a conversation with the LocalGuard bot on Telegram.
- The bot will give you a linking code.
- Enter that code in the Telegram integration field in the panel.
- From that point on, you will receive notifications directly in Telegram.
Webhooks
Section titled “Webhooks”If you use automation tools like Zapier, Make, or your own application, you can configure a webhook URL. LocalGuard will send a request to that URL whenever an important event occurs (block, time request, agent without contact…).
Subscription tab
Section titled “Subscription tab”Shows the status of your plan: whether you are in a trial period, which plan you have active, when it renews, and what limits apply (number of devices, available features).
From here you can also manage your payment method or cancel the subscription if needed.
Family tab
Section titled “Family tab”The Family tab lets you share panel access with your partner or another adult responsible for supervision.
Adding a family member
Section titled “Adding a family member”When you invite someone, that person receives an email with a link to create their own LocalGuard account. Once they accept the invitation, they can access the panel with their own credentials and see and manage the devices you have shared.
Role difference: The main administrator (whoever created the account) has full access. Invited members may have limited access to certain features depending on the permissions you assign them.
When to share access
Section titled “When to share access”It is highly recommended to add the other parent as a family member if you both participate in supervision. That way, either parent can approve time requests, review activity, or make adjustments without depending on the other to access the panel.
What to check before making changes in Settings
Section titled “What to check before making changes in Settings”Some settings affect the entire system. Before saving an important change:
- Identify whether the change affects only your user or the whole family.
- If you change the time zone, verify that the night profile and study mode will still activate at the correct time.
- If you change data retention, remember that records older than the new period will be deleted.
- If you add a new family member, clearly define what that person can do in the panel.
- After any important change, reload the affected screen to confirm the change was applied.