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Use the Microsoft Edge management service in the Microsoft 365 admin center to enforce Bing SafeSearch for managed users. Create a configuration policy, add Enforce Bing SafeSearch (the ForceBingSafeSearch Edge policy), select Strict, assign the policy to a Microsoft Entra group, and confirm receipt at edge://policy.
What the policy controls
ForceBingSafeSearch is an Edge browser policy, not a general Bing account or Microsoft Search setting. Strict mode filters adult text, images, and videos in Bing results. Moderate mode filters adult images and videos but not adult text, while No restrictions lets Bing’s own setting apply. Microsoft documents the policy and its values at ForceBingSafeSearch.
The policy is mandatory when enforced, so users cannot change the selected SafeSearch mode. It only governs Bing searches in Microsoft Edge; it does not block every adult website, direct URL, another search engine, another browser, or an unmanaged device.
Before you start
- You need the Microsoft Edge Administrator role or an equivalent supported role.
- The Edge management service requires Microsoft Edge 115.0.1901.7 or later.
- Microsoft documents the service as unavailable to customers with GCC plans.
- This specific policy supports Windows and macOS Edge 77 or later. It is not supported on Android or iOS.
- Create a Microsoft Entra security group for the users who should receive the policy.
- Users normally must be signed in to Edge with the correct work or school account for user-assigned cloud policy to download. See Microsoft’s Edge management enrollment documentation.
These service prerequisites and limitations are described in Microsoft’s Edge management service documentation.
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Create a pilot Microsoft Entra group
Use a narrowly scoped group first, such as Edge-Bing-SafeSearch-Strict or Students-Edge-Restricted. Add a few test users, validate the result, and expand membership only after verification. A configuration policy can be assigned to multiple Microsoft Entra groups.
Configure Enforce Bing SafeSearch
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
- Open Settings, then select Microsoft Edge.
- Open Configuration policies. The documented direct route is https://admin.cloud.microsoft/?#/Edge.
- Create a configuration policy, or open the policy intended for your pilot group.
- Choose Add a browser policy and search for Enforce Bing SafeSearch.
- Select the policy corresponding to
ForceBingSafeSearch. - Set the value to Strict, then save the policy.
The portal normally shows the friendly label. The underlying value is BingSafeSearchStrictMode, numeric value 2. Do not choose No restrictions if your goal is enforcement: that value falls back to the Bing.com setting.
Assign and deploy the policy
- Assign the configuration policy to the pilot Microsoft Entra group.
- Confirm that the policy is deployed or enabled, not merely saved as a draft.
- Check that the intended policy priority is higher than any conflicting cloud policy. In the Edge management service, priority
0is highest. - Confirm that pilot users are members of the selected group and are using their work or school Edge profiles.
A Group Policy Object (GPO) or mobile-device-management policy such as Intune can override a conflicting cloud setting. Choose one authoritative owner for this policy, or configure the same intended value in the higher-precedence system. Microsoft describes precedence and deployment behavior in the Edge management service documentation.
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Wait for delivery and verify Edge
Microsoft documents an immediate configuration check after a first Edge sign-in, another check at approximately 90 minutes for users in an assigned group, and application of changes the next time Edge opens. These are service behaviors, not guaranteed deadlines.
- Confirm the correct work or school profile is active.
- Close and reopen Edge.
- Open
edge://policy. - Search for
ForceBingSafeSearch. - Confirm that the policy appears without an error and reports Strict (or the equivalent value
2). - Open Bing and confirm that SafeSearch is enforced and cannot be changed by the user.
Microsoft recommends edge://policy for viewing policies applied to Edge; additional browser configuration guidance is available at Configure Microsoft Edge. Policy receipt and content testing are separate checks: a correct policy does not affect another browser, another Edge profile, a personal account, or a search engine other than Bing.
Troubleshoot a missing or ineffective policy
The policy is absent from edge://policy
- Update Edge to at least 115.0.1901.7 for the management service.
- Verify that the active profile is signed in with the intended work or school account.
- Confirm group membership and policy assignment.
- Ensure the policy was deployed and Edge has been restarted.
- Check connectivity to Microsoft services and allow time for cloud retrieval.
- Look for tenant, group, or higher-priority policy exclusions.
The policy appears, but users can still change SafeSearch
Check that the value is Strict rather than No restrictions, that the user is testing the profile containing the policy, and that no GPO or MDM policy is conflicting. A personal account, another browser, another search engine, or a different device can produce a different result.
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A local policy overrides the cloud policy
Remove the conflicting setting, or make the intended value consistent in the authoritative GPO or MDM system. On Windows, inspect the applied result at edge://policy after resolving precedence.
Alternative deployment methods
| Method | Best fit | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Edge management service | Cloud-first Microsoft 365 tenants targeting Entra groups | Requires supported access, Edge sign-in, and is unavailable for GCC plans; conflicts can occur with GPO or MDM. |
| Microsoft Intune | Organizations already managing Windows or macOS endpoints with Intune | Do not independently configure the same setting in Intune and the Edge management service without a precedence plan. See Microsoft’s Edge configuration guidance. |
| Active Directory Group Policy | Established domain-joined Windows environments | Uses device/domain administration rather than Entra user targeting. |
| Local registry policy | Testing or isolated Windows devices | Requires local administrator rights and lacks centralized group deployment. |
Active Directory policy path
In the Edge administrative templates, go to Computer Configuration → Policies → Administrative Templates → Microsoft Edge → Enforce Bing SafeSearch. The registry location is HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftEdge, with a REG_DWORD named ForceBingSafeSearch set to 2. After a GPO change, run gpupdate /force, restart Edge, and inspect edge://policy.
Local registry example
For a test Windows device, create HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftEdgeForceBingSafeSearch as a REG_DWORD with value 2. This is an alternative to the Microsoft 365 procedure, not an additional cloud deployment mechanism.
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When SafeSearch is not enough
SafeSearch filters Bing search results; it is not a complete web-security control. If the requirement includes website categories, direct navigation, other browsers, or other search engines, evaluate Microsoft Edge Web Content Filtering or a network, DNS, endpoint, or firewall control. Microsoft’s broader filtering documentation is at Microsoft Edge Web Content Filtering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I enforce SafeSearch for every Edge user?
Yes, assign the configuration policy to a Microsoft Entra group containing all intended users. Validate with a pilot group first and remember that users need the correct work or school Edge sign-in context.
Does Strict block adult websites?
No. Strict filters adult text, images, and videos in Bing results. It does not block every website or direct URL.
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Does the policy work in Chrome or on iPhone?
No. ForceBingSafeSearch is an Edge policy and Microsoft lists this specific policy as unsupported on Android and iOS. It does not govern Chrome.
Is Microsoft Edge management available in GCC?
Microsoft’s Edge management service documentation says GCC plans are not supported.
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