Entrepreneurial orientation is an effective element that contributes to the success of firms. In this regard, this paper attempts to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial autonomy, a component of entrepreneurial orientation, on the performance of family firms in Algeria. Data from a randomly selected sample of 103 family businesses were gathered using a self-administered survey form. The impact of entrepreneurial autonomy was estimated using descriptive, correlational, and regression methods. Our research reveals that entrepreneurial autonomy significantly affects the performance of family enterprises in Algeria. 12.6% of the performance variance of family businesses may be explained by the varying levels of entrepreneurial autonomy. A modest proportion is to be expected and may partially explained by the presence of extra elements as well as the nature of the family business environment in Algeria, the confidentiality and privacy in running the family enterprise, family dynamics, succession planning and governance structures.