turn off safesearch

Question

My system will not allow me to turn off safesurch.

Answer 1

SafeSearch can be enforced from several places. To turn it off, each layer that might be forcing it needs to be checked.

1. Check Bing SafeSearch on the web
   1. Open a browser and go to Bing.com.
   2. Select the icon in the upper-right corner, choose Settings, then More.
   3. Under SafeSearch, select Off and then select Save.
2. Check Windows Search SafeSearch (Windows 10/11) If web results from the taskbar are still filtered, Windows Search may be enforcing SafeSearch:
   1. On Windows 10: Start > Settings > Search > Permissions & History.
   2. On Windows 11: Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions.
   3. Under SafeSearch, choose Off or Moderate.
      • If Strict is selected, that setting is shared with Bing and will override the Bing.com SafeSearch setting on that device.
3. Check Microsoft Family Safety (for child/family accounts) If the account is part of a Microsoft Family group, a family organizer may be enforcing filtered search and blocking mature content:
   1. Family Safety web and search filters only work with Microsoft Edge.
   2. If Filter inappropriate websites is enabled for the account, mature websites are blocked and Bing searches are filtered by default.
   3. In that case, only a family organizer can change or disable those restrictions.
4. Check policy/administrative enforcement (work/school or managed devices) On work, school, or managed devices, SafeSearch can be enforced by policy (for example, via Group Policy or device management). If SafeSearch is locked on and the above settings cannot be changed or keep reverting, contact the organization’s IT administrator, as only they can change or remove those policies.
5. Advanced: change SafeSearch via PowerShell (Windows Search) On a Windows device where administrative control is available, Windows Search SafeSearch can also be changed with PowerShell:

      Set-WindowsSearchSetting -SafeSearchSetting Off
   

   Accepted values are Strict, Moderate, or Off. This affects Windows Search web previews and how they use Bing.

If SafeSearch still cannot be turned off after these checks, it is likely being enforced by Microsoft Family Safety or by an organizational policy that only an organizer/admin can change.

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References:

• Turn Bing SafeSearch on or off
• Filter websites and searches using Microsoft Family Safety
• Windows Search and privacy
• Set-WindowsSearchSetting

Answer 2

Hello Billy Hill,

To help narrow down what's going on, could you share a few details?

• What browser are you using (Edge, Chrome, etc.)?
• When you try to change SafeSearch on https://www.bing.com/account/general, what exactly happens — is the option greyed out, does it revert back after saving, or do you get an error? A screenshot of what you see on that page would be very helpful.
• Is your Microsoft account part of a Microsoft Family group?
• What Windows edition are you on? You can check by pressing Win + R, typing winver, and hitting Enter.

These will help determine whether it's a Family Safety restriction, an account-level setting, or something else entirely.