Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesUse the mechanism that matches the signal you need to test. A region-specific IP changes where a website believes your network is located. Browser geolocation supplies latitude and longitude to pages that request device location. Locale and timezone change formatting and clock behavior, but neither routes traffic through another country. Configure the required signal, verify what the session actually applied, and only then interpret prices, redirects, language, nearby results, or geo-blocks.
Choose the regional signal first
“Run the browser from France” can mean several different tests. They are not interchangeable.
| Approach | Signal changed | Useful for | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrowserStack Automate IP geolocation | Network egress IP country | Country pricing, currency, listings, redirects, and IP-based blocks | Enterprise-only on the cited Playwright page; country selected with a two-letter code |
| BrowserStack Test Companion | Network egress IP from a named supported country or state/province | Exploratory cloud sessions and generated regional tests | Feature available on request; public target required for the described web workflow; one location session at a time |
| Playwright browser-context geolocation | Latitude and longitude reported by the browser | Maps, nearby stores, delivery areas, and other device-location UI | Requires permission and does not change the request IP |
| Playwright locale and timezone | Language preferences, formatting, and local clock | Translated copy, date/number formatting, and time-sensitive UI | Separate from IP origin and device coordinates |
BrowserStack explains the distinction plainly: “IP Geolocation changes the address your traffic appears to come from. It does not set GPS coordinates.” Its Test Companion documentation also describes the task as running web sessions from a named country or region to check geo-blocking, local currency, and translated pages.
Run a cloud browser with a country-specific IP
BrowserStack Automate with Playwright
For automated tests that depend on the site seeing a foreign IP, use BrowserStack Automate’s Playwright capability. Set browserstack.geoLocation to an ISO two-letter country code such as FR for France. BrowserStack’s documentation reports coverage of more than 45 countries; treat that as a vendor-reported figure and confirm the current country list and account eligibility before designing a matrix. The cited page marks the capability Enterprise-only.
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import { chromium } from '@playwright/test';
const browser = await chromium.connect({
wsEndpoint: `wss://cdp.browserstack.com/playwright?caps=${encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify({
browser: 'chrome',
browser_version: 'latest',
os: 'osx',
os_version: 'ventura',
name: 'France IP check',
'browserstack.geoLocation': 'FR'
}))}`
});
const page = await browser.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' });
console.log(await page.title());
await browser.close();The exact connection format and supported capability names can change, so use the current BrowserStack Playwright IP Geolocation documentation when adapting this example. The essential setting is the two-letter value assigned to browserstack.geoLocation.
Use Test Companion for exploratory checks
Test Companion is suited to a one-off investigation: name a country or supported state/province in the task, open the target in the supplied cloud Chrome session, and read the location that the session reports. The generated script can preserve the location capability. The documentation gives DE for Germany and DE-BY for Bavaria in configuration examples.
Start another country only after the current session ends; the documented workflow runs one geolocation session at a time. If you request an ambiguous place, the workflow asks you to clarify. If the place is unsupported, it identifies supported locations and asks you to retry.
Set device coordinates with Playwright
Use browser-context geolocation when the page calls the browser’s location API. This changes the coordinates exposed to JavaScript; it does not move your network traffic to that country.
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import { chromium } from 'playwright';
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const context = await browser.newContext({
geolocation: { latitude: 48.8566, longitude: 2.3522 },
permissions: ['geolocation']
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('https://example.com', { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });
// Interact with the page that requests navigator.geolocation here.
await browser.close();Coordinates alone are not proof that the site accepted them. The page must request location, and the context must grant the geolocation permission. If the application uses an IP database instead, this technique will not affect its result.
Emulate locale and timezone separately
Locale controls browser language preferences and formatting conventions; timezone controls the browser’s local clock. Configure them independently when a test needs translated text, currency formatting, or date-sensitive behavior in addition to an IP or coordinate signal.
const context = await browser.newContext({
locale: 'fr-FR',
timezoneId: 'Europe/Paris',
geolocation: { latitude: 48.8566, longitude: 2.3522 },
permissions: ['geolocation']
});Playwright documents these settings as emulation features, distinct from network origin and coordinates. See Playwright’s Emulation guide for current option names and supported timezone identifiers.
Validate the location before trusting the result
- Confirm the configured value. Check that the country code, state code, coordinates, locale, and timezone are the values intended for this run.
- Read the provider’s status. Test Companion names the location it used and reports when geolocation was not applied. A session that ran without the requested location is not evidence of regional behavior.
- Check the application’s observed signal. For an IP test, inspect the site’s country-specific response, redirect, currency, or block page. For device location, verify the map marker or nearby-results response.
- Record the test conditions. Save browser, country or coordinates, locale, timezone, target URL, account state, and timestamp. Regional output can vary by cookies, consent choices, login, and campaign settings.
- Repeat critical checks. Compare countries sequentially and keep all other inputs stable. Do not start a second Test Companion geolocation session while the first is still active.
Public and private targets
Test Companion’s public-site requirement
The documented Test Companion web workflow requires the target to be reachable from the public internet. A localhost or intranet page reached through a tunnel back to your computer will see your own network origin, not the named region. Deploy a testable staging build to a publicly reachable URL for this workflow.
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Do not assume Local Testing solves regional egress
BrowserStack separately documents Local Testing for localhost, staging, and private sites in its capabilities guide. The Test Companion location workflow specifically warns about the tunnel-to-localhost behavior described above. Check the exact product combination and account configuration before assuming a private target will both remain private and appear to originate in another country.
Common failures and fixes
The site still shows my home country
- Likely cause: You changed locale or coordinates but not the egress IP.
- Fix: Use an IP-geolocation capability for IP-based pricing, redirects, or blocks. Keep locale and device coordinates as separate settings.
A map ignores the selected country
- Likely cause: The map reads browser geolocation, not the request IP.
- Fix: Supply latitude and longitude, grant the
geolocationpermission, and verify the page requested location.
The requested region was not applied
- Likely cause: Unsupported or ambiguous location, unavailable account feature, or a failed capability.
- Fix: Use a supported two-letter country code, resolve the prompted place name, verify account access, and rely on the provider’s explicit status rather than page content.
The private staging site reports my own IP
- Likely cause: The target was reached through a tunnel to your local network.
- Fix: Use a publicly reachable staging URL for the documented Test Companion workflow, or confirm a supported private-site setup with BrowserStack before testing regional egress.
A second country session closes the first
- Likely cause: Test Companion allows one geolocation session at a time.
- Fix: Run countries sequentially and save each result before starting the next.
Performance, coverage, and cost decisions
The consulted documentation does not establish latency, accuracy percentages, prices, or independent coverage measurements. Plan around the signals and access rules that are documented instead: Automate’s page marks IP geolocation Enterprise-only, reports 45-plus supported countries, and requires the current country list to be checked; Test Companion is available on request and has the one-session and public-target constraints.
For a broad matrix, define the minimum set of countries that can answer the product question, run identical scripted assertions, and store the provider’s applied-location result with every artifact. For exploratory work, Test Companion avoids writing setup code but still requires explicit validation. For device-location features, Playwright’s local context emulation is usually the most direct path because it does not require network routing.
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r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.FAQ
Does an IP location change my GPS position?
No. IP geolocation changes apparent network origin; browser geolocation supplies coordinates to pages that request them.
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Can locale alone test country pricing?
No. Locale changes language and formatting preferences. Country pricing may depend on IP, account, cookies, or other server-side signals.
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Can I test a localhost site from another country with Test Companion?
The documented web workflow warns that a tunneled localhost target sees your own network. Use a publicly reachable target or verify a different private-site configuration.
How should I compare several countries?
Keep browser, account, URL, cookies, and test steps constant; run the supported locations sequentially and record the location confirmation for each session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which setting should I use for a geo-block test?
Use a provider capability that changes network egress to the required country, then verify the applied location. Coordinates and locale do not substitute for an IP-origin test.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
What does BrowserStack report when location setup fails?
Test Companion reports when the intended geolocation was not applied; treat that run as unconfirmed rather than interpreting the page as regional evidence.
The Bottom Line
Regional browser testing is reliable only when the changed signal matches the behavior under test: IP egress for server-side country decisions, coordinates for device-location UI, and locale or timezone for presentation details. Validate the applied location and target reachability before drawing conclusions.
Quick Recap
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