Microsoft Family Safety Blocks Google Chrome in Windows 11: Workarounds Revealed

In Windows 11, Microsoft offers a parental control and safety feature known as Microsoft Family Safety, which enables users to create secure browsing environments for family members by configuring content filters.

However, following the recent update of Google Chrome to version 137.0.7151.68/69, the browser is being automatically blocked by this security feature. Affected users report that Chrome crashes or shuts down instantly and cannot be relaunched.

At present, this appears to be an intentional move by Microsoft. In theory, once filters are applied, users are restricted to browsing safely via Microsoft Edge. In practice, however, other browsers such as Firefox remain unaffected—leaving Google Chrome as the sole target, which raises concerns about fairness and transparency.

User tests reveal that simply renaming Chrome.exe to Chrome1.exe allows the browser to launch without issue. If this circumvention works against Microsoft’s filtering mechanism, it calls into question the robustness of its security protocols—highlighting their vulnerability to trivial workarounds.

A Google Chrome community manager has since confirmed that the root cause of the crash is indeed Microsoft’s Family Safety controls. The recommended solution is for authorized users to manually unblock Google Chrome via the Family Safety application.

Navigate to the Microsoft Family Safety website or app. Under the child’s profile, locate the option to allow other browsers and disable the filter for inappropriate websites under the Microsoft Edge tab.

Alternatively, switch to the Windows tab, go to “Apps and Games,” and manually grant permission for Google Chrome. Once unblocked, Chrome should launch normally without further crashes or automatic shutdowns.

At this time, it remains unclear when or why Microsoft implemented this policy change. Ideally, such a shift should have been communicated to users in advance, rather than being discovered only after it disrupted normal browser usage—leaving third-party communities to identify and resolve the issue.

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