How to Disable Google's Safe Search Feature

This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to turn off Google's SafeSearch mode – a service that blocks sensitive content from appearing in search results on both computers and mobile devices. Unfortunately, while some internet service providers enable SafeSearch settings by default, in certain areas, it is enforced by law. For these cases, you won't be able to disable Google SafeSearch, but you could try using a different browser.

Open Google by tapping the app with the 'G' logo on a white background. This action will open Google's search tool.

Tick the box "Show most relevant results" near the top of the screen.

• If this box is checked, SafeSearch is disabled.

Tap DONE at the top right corner of the screen. You will be redirected back to the Google search page.

Perform a search. Search for any word or phrase of your choice to check if SafeSearch has been disabled. If you come across sensitive (or other) results that you didn't see before, you've successfully disabled Google's SafeSearch.

• If you don't see sensitive content, it might be because your network provider or local authorities have blocked such results. You may contact your network provider for more information or use a VPN or proxy to view blocked content on your computer.

Open Google by tapping the app with the white background and the 'G' icon. This action will launch Google's search tool.

Perform a search. Simply tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen and search for any word or phrase of your choice to verify if SafeSearch has been disabled. If you encounter sensitive (or other) results that you didn't see before, you've successfully disabled Google's SafeSearch.

• If you don't see sensitive content, it's possible that your network provider or local authorities have blocked those results. You can contact your network provider for more details or use a VPN or proxy to view the blocked content on your computer.

Open Google's Search Settings page by visiting https://www.google.com/preferences in any browser.

• Your browser must have cookies enabled in order to save your settings after you exit.

Uncheck the "Turn on SafeSearch" option at the top of the page.

• If SafeSearch is locked in your browser, you'll need to enter your password when prompted.
• If the box is unchecked, SafeSearch has already been disabled on your computer.

Tick the "Use private results" box in the middle of the page. This setting is not directly related to SafeSearch, but it ensures you see a variety of images related to your search terms.

• If the box is already checked, the setting is enabled.

Scroll down and click the blue Save button at the bottom of the page. This will save your settings and take you back to Google.

Perform a search. Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen, then search for any word or phrase to check if SafeSearch has been disabled. If you see sensitive (or other) results that were previously hidden, you've successfully disabled SafeSearch on Google.

• If you don't see sensitive content, it may have been blocked by your internet provider or local authorities. You can contact your provider for more information or use a VPN or proxy to view blocked content.

Search on Bing. Since the changes to Google SafeSearch, many have turned to Bing for more unrestricted access to sensitive content. You can disable SafeSearch on Bing by following these steps:

• Go to https://www.bing.com/
• Click on the ☰ in the upper right corner.
• Select SafeSearch
• Mark the "Off" checkbox
• Click Save
• Press Agree

Use DuckDuckGo to avoid tracking. DuckDuckGo is a private search engine that doesn't track your web browsing history. To turn off SafeSearch in DuckDuckGo, follow these instructions:

• Go to https://duckduckgo.com/
• Click the ☰ button in the top right corner.
• Click Other Settings
• Click "Safe Search" in the options menu.
• Select Off
• Scroll down and click Save and Exit

Join DeviantArt for non-explicit art and sensitive content. DeviantArt can be a good choice for finding tasteful nudity and various body shapes in artistic forms, as long as you sign up using an email address before you can disable the Mature Content filter.

• Google users in many countries cannot fully disable SafeSearch for all searches. Although it was previously possible to bypass this by searching on a different country's Google site, Google has now detected this loophole and activates SafeSearch automatically.
• Some network providers will enable filters if you have turned on the "anti-phishing" setting in their account control panel. This can be confirmed by using an international VPN service to access google.com and check if SafeSearch can be disabled. If SafeSearch can be turned off via a VPN connection to google.com, it means your network provider is automatically routing your searches through Google's filtering system.

• You cannot disable the locked SafeSearch feature without knowing the password to the Google account in use.