When changing privacy settings and saving the settings reset and are never saved

Changes to privacy and communication settings for Minecraft Java Edition are controlled by the Microsoft account and Xbox / online safety system, and can be affected by family and account controls.

Based on the provided information, there are two main patterns that commonly cause issues similar to this:

1. Family / child account controls overriding settings
   • If the account is part of a Microsoft family group (even if it is believed to be an adult account), organizer/parent settings can silently override or lock privacy and communication options.
   • In one documented case, joining a Microsoft family caused required settings to be set to Block by default, even for an adult account. After the family organizer changed those settings to Allow, access to Minecraft Realm Stories and related features started working, and the settings remained correct even after leaving the family.
   • In another case, a child’s multiplayer permissions (“You can join multiplayer games”) were set to Allow on the organizer’s side but still showed Block on the child account for some time. The change took more than 24 hours to propagate before the child could play online.
2. Propagation delay of safety/privacy changes
   • Even when settings are changed to Allow on the organizer/parent or account settings page, it can take time (e.g., over 24 hours) before those changes take effect on the child/member account and in games like Minecraft.

To address the issue where privacy/communication settings appear to reset or not save and prevent typing/chat in Minecraft Java Edition:

1. Check if the account is in a Microsoft family
   • If the account is part of a family, have the family organizer sign in to the family / safety settings and ensure all relevant online safety and communication settings are set to Allow for this account (for Xbox / games and communication).
   • If the account is unexpectedly treated as part of a family, one workaround shown in the documentation is to temporarily join a Microsoft family with a trusted organizer, have them set the required permissions to Allow, then leave the family once everything works.
2. Allow time for settings to propagate
   • After changing the relevant privacy and online safety settings to Allow, wait up to 24 hours and then try again in Minecraft Java Edition. In documented cases, settings that initially appeared stuck on Block eventually updated and allowed online/multiplayer features.

If settings continue to revert or not save after confirming family/organizer controls and waiting for propagation, contact the family organizer (if applicable) to re-verify the settings, as organizer-level restrictions can override personal changes.

References:

• Troubleshooting Microsoft Family Safety
• Your Microsoft account, your data, your choices
• Change privacy settings in Windows
• Where can I find privacy settings in Microsoft products?
• Change account settings in Microsoft 365 for business
• Privacy settings for managed apps and desktops
• My Microsoft account is blocked. - Microsoft Q&A
• Allowing my child to play online multiplayer in minecraft - Microsoft Q&A
• Cannot access Minecraft Realm Stories but I have an adult account - Microsoft Q&A
• how to change date of birth child to adult - Microsoft Q&A
• Why can't I find my child's tag when trying to add them to a Minecraft realm? - Microsoft Q&A