An important feature of most browsers is the included SafeSearch feature. When it comes to Bing, it is possible to enable their strict search setting in such a way that it can't be easily turned off. This is extremely valuable if you are trying to ensure your own self-control while online, or if you just want to lock down a device for better safety.
In this guide, we will provide techniques that not only turn on strict mode, but also enforce it in a way that can't be easily disabled.
Setting Bing SafeSearch to Strict
The first step is learning how to enable Strict Mode.
Strict mode should now be enabled.
Forcing Bing SafeSearch on a Home Network or Router
The first protection layer that you can enable is at the network level. If you force SafeSearch on home Wi-Fi, then any devices connected to that Wi-Fi are also protected, regardless of their device configurations.
The network layer of protection increases your filtering surface area and will be the widest form of protection that you can enable for your home devices. It is very strongly recommended that you enable these protections.
One of the best ways to force SafeSearch is by using a DNS Filtering Service. There are many different services that specialize in different areas. In most cases, there is a pre-defined category for SafeSearch that be enabled in a dashboard.
Sign up to and configure a DNS Filtering Service
Sign up to a DNS Filtering Service, such as Tech Lockdown , and choose which categories you want to filter.
In our case, we want to enable the category marked: "Enforce SafeSearch".
In addition to this, we can also enable the "Proxy and Filter Avoidance" category to prevent devices from using a VPN connection on our network that will bypass network protection.
Once you have the proper categories enabled, you can then connect your Router to the service.
Most DNS Filtering services require you to change your Router's DNS settings, so that it points to their servers. In addition to setting up your Router, you will also need to point the filter to your Router. To learn about how to do this, check out our guide about setting up a content filter on your router .
Forcing Bing SafeSearch on Windows
On Windows, there are many different ways to enforce SafeSearch. Whether its through the Hosts file, or by enforcing the SafeSearch policies using the Windows registry.
Force Bing SafeSearch on Windows by Using a DNS Filtering Application
You can use the same DNS Filtering service you installed on your router directly on your Windows computer. Doing this will allow you to enforce SafeSearch the same way all devices on a filtered network are enforced. Most filtering services have a filtering application that can use your filter settings, and enforce them on a device. For Tech Lockdown, here's how you can download the filter application.
Updating the Windows Registry to Enforce Bing's SafeSearch Preferences
The Windows Registry is a special set of records on the PC that keeps track of certain settings that different programs use. It stores records, which are called keys, for various types of both software and hardware settings.
Some of the settings we can change for Edge include forcing SafeSearch for Bing. This will make it so all searches made on Edge will have SafeSearch on, even if the user decides to change their SafeSearch settings.
reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge /v ForceBingSafeSearch /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f
Note
Another setting to look into is preventing InPrivate on the Edge browser , which will prevent a user from hiding their online activity.
Force SafeSearch on Bing on Windows using the Hosts File
The Hosts file is a special file on your computer that allows you to change certain network settings. You can use it to force Bing Strict Mode at the most fundamental level on your system.
Check out our article about how to edit your Hosts File on Windows to learn more about how to do this.
On your Hosts file, add the following entries:
## Bing Safe Search ## 204.79.197.220 www.bing.com 204.79.197.220 bing.com 204.79.197.220 www2.bing.com 204.79.197.220 www3.bing.com
Now, when you search for anything on that device using Bing, you will get filtered results.
The drawback of this approach is that maintaining the hosts file is a manual process and can be a bit technical sometimes. However, this is a great enforcement layer to use.
Forcing Bing SafeSearch on a Mac
For setting up a Mac, there are different options available to a Mac user that are not natively available on a Windows device, such as device supervision. Device supervision, and device management, are ways to lock down a device entirely, and change certain settings in a way that can only be changed with a device manager.
Enforcing Google Chrome browser settings with Mobile Device Management
Tech Lockdown provides instructions for how to set up a managed Mac. There is usually an payload option that you can enable in order to set up a device.
Using the Hosts file to Enforce Bing SafeSearch in all Browsers
For more information about how to access and modify the hosts file, take a look at our Hosts File guide for Mac . An added benefit is that any web browser that is using Bing will have the SafeSearch enforced on that device.
The entries that you can now add to your Hosts File do enforce SafeSearch can be copy/pasted below:
## Bing Safe Search ## 204.79.197.220 www.bing.com 204.79.197.220 bing.com 204.79.197.220 www2.bing.com 204.79.197.220 www3.bing.com
Make sure to properly save your changes. Your connection will now see SafeSearch enforced like the image below:
The drawback of this approach is that maintaining the hosts file is a manual process and can be a bit technical sometimes. However, this is a great enforcement layer to use.
Forcing Bing SafeSearch on a Mac using a DNS Filtering Application
You can use the same DNS Filtering service that enforces SafeSearch across a home network on your own device. For example, Tech Lockdown allows install their filtering program on you Mac device to filter your internet locally. The added benefit is that search engines that do not support SafeSearch will be blocked on that device.
Using Terminal to Configure Bing to Force SafeSearch
You can run a command using the Terminal Application that enforces Bing SafeSearch on your Mac.
defaults write com.microsoft.edge.plist ForceBingSafeSearch -int 2
The drawback of this approach is that SafeSearch is only enforced when using the Edge browser, so you should combine this method with another SafeSearch enforcement technique.
Forcing Bing SafeSearch on an Android
Forcing SafeSearch on an Android device can be a bit trickier, since many of the settings available on either a Windows or Mac computer are not normally available. However, there are a few things that can be done for an Android.
Forcing Bing SafeSearch on an Android using a DNS Filter Application
You can configure the same DNS Filtering service you installed on your router directly on your Windows computer to enforce SafeSearch when away from your home network. The advantage of using a DNS Filter on your Android device is that there is one option that will enforce SafeSearch for all browsers, and block search engines that don't have a SafeSearch feature.
Each service will have different ways for you to install these applications, but for Tech Lockdown , this is how it works:
Forcing Bing SafeSearch on an iPhone
Forcing SafeSearch on an iPhone is a little tricky, but is still possible.
As with a Mac, the most effective way to enforce content filtering is to make a managed device.
Using Screen Time to Enforce SafeSearch on a Standard iPhone
You can use the screen time content filter that comes preinstalled on iOS to turn on SafeSearch.
The downside of the screen time approach is that it has limited browser compatibility. Furthermore, screen time can be bypassed if you are setting it up for yourself and not for another person.
Using Apple Configurator to Enforce SafeSearch on a Supervised Device
Configuring a supervised device allows you to enforce content filtering settings on an iPhone in a way that is difficult to bypass or disable. This approach is similar to enabling content filtering with screen time, but it's much harder to bypass it if you are setting up the device for yourself.
Similar to screen time, enabling the content filter will automatically activate SafeSearch. However, browser compatibility might be limited.
Enforcing SafeSearch with Mobile Device Management
Managing an iOS device is a more complicated process compared to screen time or device supervision. However, configuring a managed device gives you the most control and bypass prevention available on iOS devices.
For example, you can use a Mobile Device Manager to enforce content filtering settings
You can also configure a DNS Filtering service you installed on your router directly on your iPhone to enforce SafeSearch when away from your home network.
Closing Thoughts
This article has gone over various techniques you can use to enforce Strict Mode settings on your devices.
The most effective way to blocking all content is to use a multilayer protection approach. This means that you have many different layers of protection. Each layer offers a small yet important piece of a full blocking solution.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can improve your online safety and create a stronger sense of self control, check out our free guides that explain more about how to lockdown your devices. You can also check out our Blog , which provides more information about how to develop self-control online.
