Microsoft has a parental control and safety feature called “Microsoft Family Safety.” This feature allows users to create safe spaces for their family members to browse the web, setting filters to block and filter inappropriate content and restrict browsing to content that is child- and family-friendly.
However, after Chrome updates to versions 137.0.7151.68And 137.0.7151.69, its browser Google is automatically excluded from Microsoft Family SafetyAffected users report that the browser closes automatically and then does not reopen.
If you use Edge, you won't have any problems with the Family Safety app, but not if you use Google Chrome. It's probably just a coincidence.
The issue appears to primarily affect Windows 11 devices, but Windows 10 or macOS may also be affected.
A post on Microsoft's official Windows forum by Peter Priestley1 he says:
“As of late last night, we had students discovering that their Chrome browser has been blocked by Microsoft Family Safety.”
The post has been upvoted by 122 people so far.
There are many such posts online, and users have reportedly tried a bunch of things, like refreshing cookies and app data, to no avail. Of course, no one is very happy about this.
But there is a solution that works, renaming chrome.exe to something else, like chrome1.exe, for example.
A Chrome community manager, Ellen T, confirmed that Microsoft's Family Safety feature is indeed causing the problem, and the only way to fix it is to "unblock Chrome" within the Family Safety app.
Ellen says:
Our team investigated these reports and determined the cause of this behavior. For some users, the Chrome cannot run when Microsoft Family Safety is enabled.
Parents can adjust settings to restore access to Chrome:
Open the URL: https://familysafety.microsoft.com or open the Family Safety mobile app.
Choose the child.
To allow other browsers:
Disable “Filter inappropriate websites” or “Filter inappropriate websites” in the Edge tab,
or in the Apps & Games tab → unblock Chrome
Although the press releases will range from very select to rare, I said I'd pass...because sometimes the editors hide.
