How to Manage Location Permissions in Windows 11

Step by step

1. 30 sec

   Open the Privacy & Security settings

   Press the Windows key to open the Start menu and select the Settings gear icon. Once the Settings window opens, click on Privacy & security in the left-hand navigation sidebar.

   Note: Win + I
2. 1 min

   Access location service settings

   Scroll down to the App permissions section and select Location. This menu displays the master switch for location services on your machine.

3. 30 sec

   Disable location for the entire system

   To stop all apps and services from accessing your location, click the toggle switch next to Location services to Off. This overrides individual app settings.

   Note: Disabling this will prevent Maps and weather widgets from providing local information.
4. 1 min

   Manage individual app permissions

   With Location services turned On, scroll down to the Let apps access your location section. Review the list of installed applications and toggle the switch to Off for any app you wish to restrict.

   Note: Only apps that have requested location access will appear in this list.
5. 30 sec

   Clear location history

   Windows caches location data for improved accuracy. Scroll to the Location history section and click the Clear button next to Clear location history for this device to purge cached coordinates.

   Note: Clearing history does not affect current app permissions.