How to Turn On SafeSearch (and Keep It On) on a Windows PC

To turn on SafeSearch, set it to Filter on Google, or Strict on Bing and DuckDuckGo, in each search engine's settings. That takes seconds. The hard part is keeping it on: SafeSearch is stored per browser and per account, so a cleared cookie, a private window or a second browser quietly undoes it. This guide covers the quick setting for each search engine, then how to enforce SafeSearch for every browser on a shared Windows PC.

How to turn on SafeSearch in Google

1. Go to google.com/safesearch, or open Settings ▸ Search settings from any Google results page.
2. Choose Filter. It hides explicit images, text and links.
3. If you're signed in, the setting follows your Google account. If not, it's saved in that browser only.

Google's other options are Blur, which blurs explicit images but can still show explicit text and links, and Off.

If an account says SafeSearch is locked by a parent or administrator, it's managed by Family Link, a school, or a work account, and only that manager can change it.

How to turn on SafeSearch in Bing

1. Open Bing and click the menu at the top right, then Settings (or SafeSearch).
2. Choose Strict to filter adult text, images and videos. Moderate filters images and videos only.
3. Save. Like Google, it's stored in the browser, or your Microsoft account if signed in.

How to turn on SafeSearch in DuckDuckGo

1. Open DuckDuckGo's settings from the menu.
2. Set Safe Search to Strict.
3. Settings are saved in that browser.

Why SafeSearch keeps turning off

Every one of those settings lives in a cookie or an account. So SafeSearch quietly stops working when:

• cookies are cleared, or a private/InPrivate window is used;
• someone signs out, or signs into a different account;
• a different browser is opened (Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Brave each have their own);
• a different search engine is used.

On a shared family PC, that's most days.

How to lock SafeSearch on

There are two durable approaches.

Per account: supervision. Google's Family Link locks SafeSearch on for a supervised child's Google account. It follows the account, not the device.

Per device or network: DNS enforcement. Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo each publish a "safe" address for their search. A DNS filter that answers lookups for those search engines with the safe address enforces SafeSearch no matter what the browser's own setting says. It's the same mechanism behind DNS filtering in general, and it works in every browser at once.

You can set this up on a router (covering every device on the network) or on the PC itself.

Enforce SafeSearch for every browser on a Windows PC

AdBolish includes this as a single switch, alongside its ad and tracker blocking:

1. Install AdBolish and click Restart as administrator, approving the Windows prompt. That routes the PC's DNS through AdBolish so it covers every app. Rights don't carry over, so this is needed after each Windows sign-in.
2. Open Settings ▸ Protection and turn on SafeSearch. It filters explicit results on Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo for every browser on the PC.
3. While you're there, consider YouTube Restricted Mode (Off, Moderate or Strict). Our YouTube Restricted Mode guide explains what it does and doesn't hide.
4. Optionally, under What to block, switch on the Adult content filter to block pornography and other adult sites in every app, not just search results.

The full set of switches is on the content and family filters page.

The limits, stated plainly

• It's a filter, not parental-control software. Anyone with administrator rights on the PC, or access to AdBolish's settings, can turn it off.
• A browser using its own secure DNS skips it. If one browser still shows unfiltered results, check its secure DNS setting. Our secure DNS explainer shows where it is in each browser, and AdBolish shows a banner naming any browser bypassing it.
• Only Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo. Other search engines aren't covered by the SafeSearch switch.
• It installs per Windows account. Install it on the account the PC is actually used from, and approve the administrator prompt after each sign-in so every app is filtered.
• It covers this PC only, not phones or tablets.

One reassurance for a family setup: SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode keep working even if AdBolish's bandwidth sharing (which is how it stays free) is switched off, although ad and tracker blocking pauses.

What SafeSearch doesn't do

SafeSearch filters search results. It doesn't block a site someone types in directly, content inside chat or social apps, or images shared by link. Treat it as one layer, alongside content filters, a standard (non-administrator) Windows account for children, and honest conversation about what they might run into.

AdBolish enforces SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode across every browser on a Windows PC, and blocks ads, trackers and malware while it's at it. It's free and needs no account.