How to Manage Location Services in Windows 11

Step by step

1. 30 sec

   Open Privacy & Security settings

   Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon, or press Windows + I on your keyboard. In the left-hand navigation pane, select Privacy & security.

   Note: Win + I
2. 30 sec

   Navigate to Location permissions

   Scroll down to the App permissions section. Click the Location entry to view and modify specific location settings for your system.

3. 30 sec

   Toggle global location services

   Use the Location services toggle switch to enable or disable location tracking for the entire device. When disabled, all apps and services will be unable to access your precise location.

   Note: Disabling this will also prevent Windows from setting your local time automatically.
4. 1 min

   Modify individual app permissions

   Scroll down to the 'Let apps access your location' list. Toggle the switch to Off next to any specific application that does not require your location data.

5. 1 min

   Clear location history

   Locate the Location history section and click the Clear button. This removes the cached location data stored on your device that Windows uses to provide location-based services.

   Note: This does not delete your location data stored in the cloud by Microsoft accounts.
6. 30 sec

   Verify default location

   Under the Default location section, click the Set default button. This opens the Maps application, allowing you to manually designate a location for apps to use when your precise coordinates cannot be detected.