How to Filter Out Adult Content in Bing With SafeSearch

Bing is the default search engine in Microsoft Edge and Windows, and it powers search in a number of other places too. If your child uses a Windows PC, there's a good chance Bing is where their searches end up. Its SafeSearch filter helps keep explicit text, images and videos out of results. Here's how to turn it on, what each level does, and how to make it stick.

Bing's three SafeSearch levels

Microsoft says that, to comply with local laws, SafeSearch for Bing users under 18 may be automatically set to Strict. Don't rely on that. Set it yourself.

How to turn on SafeSearch in Bing

On a computer

1. Go to bing.com.
2. Open Bing's settings. You can go directly to bing.com/account/general, or select the menu at the top right of the Bing page and choose Settings.
3. Under SafeSearch, select Strict.
4. Select Save.

On a phone or tablet

1. Open bing.com in the browser your child uses, or open the Bing app.
2. Open the menu and go to Settings.
3. Find SafeSearch and choose Strict.
4. Save your changes.

The catch

This setting is saved in that browser, or with the Microsoft account that's signed in. If your child switches browsers, uses a private window, clears cookies or signs out, the filter may revert to Moderate. A child can also simply change it back. For real protection you need to lock it.

How to lock Bing SafeSearch

Option 1: For your whole home network

Microsoft provides a special address, strict.bing.com, that always returns Strict results and disables the SafeSearch controls. Microsoft's recommended method is to add a DNS record that maps www.bing.com to strict.bing.com.

1. Open your router's admin app or web page.
2. Look for DNS settings, custom DNS records, or a "SafeSearch" or "parental controls" option. Some routers and family DNS services offer a one-click "force SafeSearch" toggle that does this for you.
3. Add a CNAME record pointing www.bing.com to strict.bing.com.
4. Microsoft also advises mapping edgeservices.bing.com to strict.bing.com so searches from the Edge sidebar are covered.
5. Test it: open bing.com on any device on your Wi-Fi and try to change SafeSearch. The option should be unavailable.

Microsoft cautions against blocking Bing's IP address outright, because that can break other Microsoft services.

Option 2: For a single Windows PC

If your router doesn't support custom DNS, an administrator can edit the Windows hosts file to point www.bing.com (and edgeservices.bing.com) to the IP address of strict.bing.com. Only someone with administrator rights can undo it. This requires some technical comfort, and the IP address can change, so check it periodically. Microsoft's SafeSearch help page has the full instructions.

Make sure your child's Windows login is a standard account, not an administrator.

Option 3: Microsoft Family Safety

If your child has their own Microsoft child account in your family group, turn on Filter inappropriate websites and searches in Microsoft Family Safety. This filtering works in Microsoft Edge. When it's on, other browsers are blocked on your child's Windows device unless you choose to unblock them, so the filter can't simply be bypassed by installing another browser.

Loopholes to close

• Other search engines. Locking Bing does nothing for Google, Yahoo or DuckDuckGo. Lock SafeSearch on every engine your child might use. See our guides for Google and Yahoo.
• Cellular data. Network-level settings stop at your Wi-Fi. A phone on mobile data isn't covered, so use device-level controls too.
• VPNs and alternative DNS. These can route around router settings. Block VPN apps through your child's device controls.
• Image and video search. Strict filters these, but Moderate doesn't filter text. For kids, Strict is the right choice.
• Direct links. SafeSearch filters search results; it doesn't block websites. Pair it with a web filter.

Remember what SafeSearch can't do

Even Strict SafeSearch isn't perfect. Microsoft itself says no filter catches everything. It's one layer in a broader plan that includes device controls, a web filter and conversations with your kids about what to do if they see something upsetting. Our roundup of SafeSearch in Yahoo, Bing and Google shows how the three compare.

SafeSearch in Edge and on Xbox

Because Edge uses Bing by default, the network-level strict.bing.com setting covers most searches from Edge on your Wi-Fi. If your kids use an Xbox with a browser, those searches also go through Bing, so the same router setting applies there. Microsoft Family Safety settings for your child's account add another layer, since Family Safety covers Windows, Xbox and Edge.

Test that it's working

After you change anything, test it from your child's device. Open bing.com, check that SafeSearch shows Strict (or that the option is unavailable if you used the network lock), and try a search you'd expect to be filtered in image results. Do the same on mobile data, which will show you what is and isn't covered away from your Wi-Fi.

Quick checklist

1. Set Bing SafeSearch to Strict on every browser your child uses.
2. Map www.bing.com and edgeservices.bing.com to strict.bing.com on your router.
3. Turn on web filtering in Microsoft Family Safety for Windows PCs.
4. Lock SafeSearch on other search engines too.
5. Make your child's computer account a standard user.
6. Tell your kids to close the page and come to you if something inappropriate appears.