Contents
- 1 How to Turn Google Safe Search Off
- 2 How to Turn Bing SafeSearch Off
- 3 How to Turn Yahoo! SafeSearch Off
- 4 How to Turn Google SafeSearch Off on Mobile Devices
- 5 How to Turn Bing SafeSearch Off on Mobile Devices
- 6 How to Turn Yahoo! SafeSearch Off on Mobile Devices
- 7 Extra: How to Clear Browser History on Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera
Reasons to Use SafeSearch
Why you might want to turn off Safe Search
Google SafeSearch might interfere with your privacy and autonomy by allowing Google to monitor and control what you see online. Some users may feel uncomfortable with giving Google such power over their browsing experience. Another reason to turn off Google Safe Search may be that it could affect your critical thinking and awareness by creating a false sense of security and filtering out diverse perspectives that may challenge your views or beliefs.
How to Turn Google Safe Search Off
To disable Google SafeSearch, you need to turn the feature off in “Search Settings” as shown below.
- Navigate to google.com/preferences and uncheck the option “Turn on Safe Search”
- Optional: Check Region Settings
If Google predominantly shows you search results related to another region, you might want to check if the correct region is selected. When you are done, click “Save” and you are ready to go.
How to Turn Bing SafeSearch Off
To disable Bing SafeSearch, you need to turn the feature off in “Search Settings” as shown below.
- Click on the hamburger menu on the top and then on “SafeSearch”
This will open the Bing SafeSearch settings directly.
- Select “Off” and click on “Save”
Bing SafeSearch offers the option “Moderate” as an alternative. The difference between “Strict” and “Moderate” in Bing SafeSearch is that “Strict” filters out both adult text and images from your search results, while Moderate filters out only adult images. If you choose “Off”, you will see all kinds of web content without any filtering.
How to Turn Yahoo! SafeSearch Off
To turn Yahoo! SafeSearch off, you need a few more steps than on Google or Bing, as you can see below.
- Run a search on Yahoo! to show the options menu button
- Click on the Yahoo! options menu button on the top right and choose “Settings”
- Turn off Yahoo! SafeSearch in “Search Preferences” and click “Save”
Yahoo! SafeSearch offers the option “Moderate” as an alternative to just turning it off completely. The difference between “Strict” and “Moderate” in Yahoo! SafeSearch is that “Strict” filters out both adult text and images from your search results, while Moderate filters out only adult images. If you choose “Off”, you will see all kinds of web content without any filtering.
How to Turn Google SafeSearch Off on Mobile Devices
To disable Google SafeSearch on your phone, you need to turn the feature off in “Search Settings” using the Google App.
- Open the Google app
- Tap on your profile picture/account logo on the top right
- Select “Settings”
- Choose “General”
- Disable the “SafeSearch” option to turn Google SafeSearch off
How to Turn Bing SafeSearch Off on Mobile Devices
To turn Bing SafeSearch off on your mobile device, you need to use your web browser, just like on your PC.
- Navigate to Bing.com and tap on the hamburger menu button
- Select “SafeSearch”
- Select “Off” to disable Bing SafeSearch completely
Bing SafeSearch offers the option “Moderate” as an alternative. The difference between “Strict” and “Moderate” in Bing SafeSearch is that “Strict” filters out both adult text and images from your search results, while Moderate filters out only adult images. If you choose “Off”, you will see all kinds of web content without any filtering.
How to Turn Yahoo! SafeSearch Off on Mobile Devices
To turn Yahoo! SafeSearch off on your mobile device, you need to use your web browser, just like on your PC.
- Navigate to search.yahoo.com and tap on “Settings” at the bottom
- Open the SafeSearch options menu
- Turn Yahoo! SafeSearch off
Yahoo! SafeSearch offers the option “Moderate” as an alternative to just turning it off completely. The difference between “Strict” and “Moderate” in Yahoo! SafeSearch is that “Strict” filters out both adult text and images from your search results, while Moderate filters out only adult images. If you choose “Off”, you will see all kinds of web content without any filtering.
Extra: How to Clear Browser History on Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera
If you share a computer, there are instances where you may not want another person to see the websites you've been visiting. In our other guide, we show you how to delete your browsing history in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera so you can hide your previous activity.
