How to Turn On SafeSearch and Lock It So It Stays On

Key takeaways

• Google SafeSearch has three settings: Filter blocks explicit results, Blur blurs explicit images, Off shows everything.
• Blur is the default for adults: it blurs explicit images, but explicit text and links can still show.
• Chrome and Edge can lock SafeSearch on with the ForceGoogleSafeSearch policy, and Edge can also lock Bing SafeSearch.
• CleanBrowsing's Family and Adult filters set Google and Bing to SafeSearch for every browser on the device or network.
• SafeSearch only filters search results: it does not block a website typed into the address bar.

Methods compared

1. Turn on Google SafeSearch

On a computer

1. 1.Go to google.com/safesearch.
2. 2.Select Filter.

In the Google app on a phone

1. 1.Tap your profile picture in the top right.
2. 2.Tap SafeSearch.
3. 3.Select Filter.

To block explicit images on Google, choose Filter rather than Blur. Google states that Blur blurs explicit images, but explicit text and links can show if they are relevant to the search. Limits: anyone using the browser or account can switch it back. A lock icon next to the setting means it is managed by a parent, a school, or a device or network administrator.

2. Turn on Bing SafeSearch

1. 1.Go to Bing.com.
2. 2.Select the menu icon in the upper right, then Settings and More.
3. 3.Choose Strict, Moderate or Off.
4. 4.Select Save.

Moderate filters adult images and videos but not text. Strict filters adult text, images and videos. Limits: like Google's setting, it can be switched back from the same menu.

3. Lock SafeSearch in Chrome or Edge with a browser policy

Chrome and Edge both support a ForceGoogleSafeSearch policy. When it is on, SafeSearch in Google Search is always active and cannot be changed. Edge also has ForceBingSafeSearch, where 1 locks Moderate and 2 locks Strict.

1. 1.Press Windows + R, type regedit and press Enter.
2. 2.For Chrome, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome. For Edge, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge. Create the keys if they do not exist.
3. 3.Create a DWORD (32-bit) Value named ForceGoogleSafeSearch and set it to 1.
4. 4.In Edge, also create ForceBingSafeSearch and set it to 2.
5. 5.Restart the browser and open chrome://policy or edge://policy to confirm the policy is active.

Limits: it only covers the browser you set it for, and anyone with administrator access can delete the values.

4. Lock SafeSearch for every browser with DNS

A DNS filter applies to every browser and app on a device, or every device on a network if you set it on the router.

On Windows 11

1. 1.Open Settings, then Network & internet.
2. 2.Select Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then Hardware properties.
3. 3.Next to DNS server assignment, select Edit, choose Manual and turn on IPv4.
4. 4.Enter the two addresses, then select Save.

In Chrome, keep Settings > Privacy and security > Security > Use secure DNS on your current service provider, or turn it off. A different provider there sends lookups past the filter. If you run your own DNS server, Google's documented method is to point www.google.com and any country Google domains your users visit to forcesafesearch.google.com with a CNAME record. Limits: Google notes that on a single computer, a user who is an administrator can undo the change. A VPN or a different network is not filtered.

5. Lock SafeSearch for a child with Family Link

A parent using Family Link can keep SafeSearch on Filter for a child's Google account. The child cannot change it while signed in to that account.

What SafeSearch does not cover

SafeSearch only works on Google Search, and Bing SafeSearch only on Bing. It does not affect:

• Websites typed directly into the address bar or opened from a link.
• Other search engines.
• Images and videos inside a website that is not blocked.

That is why SafeSearch works best as one layer, with a blocker for adult websites underneath it.

6. Block adult websites with a hard-to-bypass blocker

A website blocker stops adult sites from opening at all, whatever search engine or link led there. Ascension is a Windows blocker built for this.

1. 1.Install Ascension and add its extension to the web browser.
2. 2.Load the premade Adult Content list.
3. 3.Add words you want blocked in web addresses and search terms.
4. 4.Set the block to Always block and add an Until date lock.

While a block is locked, it cannot be edited, deleted or uninstalled before the date you chose. Limits: Windows only (iOS and Mac in development). Ascension blocks websites, keywords and search terms: it does not filter images inside a page that is allowed.

Which method should you use?

• For a child: Family Link, plus CleanBrowsing Family Filter on the home router.
• For yourself: Google SafeSearch on Filter, locked with the ForceGoogleSafeSearch policy or CleanBrowsing DNS, and a locked blocker for adult websites if you have switched softer settings off before.

Frequently asked questions