To enable location on a computer, allow it in the operating system and then allow it for the browser or app—and, for a website, for that specific site. These are separate controls. Follow the Windows 11 or macOS steps below, then check the browser permission if a website still cannot access your location.
Turn on location services in Windows 11
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Open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location.
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If you administer the device, turn on Location services. This is the device-level control. If it is off, a user cannot enable the account-level location control.
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Turn on Let apps access your location for your user account. If the app you need appears in the list, enable its access there too.
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On the same page, review which apps have precise-location access and when they last used it. A location icon appears in the taskbar while an app or service is using Windows location services.
Windows location can draw on GPS, nearby Wi-Fi access points, cell towers, an IP address, and a user-set default location. The available hardware and signals affect how precise an estimate can be. For a desktop that cannot determine a useful location, set a default location in Windows; it is a fallback for Windows, apps, and services, not a way to automatically pinpoint the desktop’s actual position. If a work- or school-managed device says settings are managed by your organization, you may need its administrator to change them. Microsoft explains Windows location settings and privacy.
Turn on Location Services on a Mac
macOS 13 or later
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Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
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Turn on Location Services, then review the app list and enable access for the app you want to use. You may need to enter your password or unlock the settings.
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macOS 12 or earlier
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Choose Apple menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Location Services.
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Unlock the preference pane if prompted, turn on Location Services, and choose which apps may use it.
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Apple also groups system features such as Location-Based Suggestions and Significant Locations with location controls. These are separate from granting an ordinary app access. Review the system services list there; you can turn off Significant Locations & Routes, and Apple says Significant Locations are encrypted and cannot be read by Apple. You can inspect or clear the locations identified by the feature. See Apple’s Location Services guide for Mac.
Allow a website in Edge or Chrome
Even when Windows or macOS lets a browser use location, the browser can still block an individual website. Check the site permission as well as the operating-system setting.
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Microsoft Edge
To manage Edge’s overall location behavior, open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All permissions > Location. Leave Ask before accessing on if you want Edge to prompt when a site requests precise location. Turn it off to prevent Edge from sharing precise location with sites.
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To change just one site, open it, select the site information icon beside the address, choose Permissions for this site, and set Location to Ask, Allow, or Block. On Windows 10 or 11, Edge can provide more precise location only if Windows device location and app access are enabled and you have allowed the site. On other operating systems, Edge uses its site permission and may estimate location using IP address and nearby Wi-Fi. Microsoft’s Edge location and privacy guidance describes these controls.
Google Chrome
Chrome asks a site visitor before sharing location by default. When a site asks, allow it only if you trust the site and have reviewed its privacy policy. Use the site’s permission controls to change access for that site later. Google says Chrome sends information to Google Location Services to estimate your location when you allow a site request, and Chrome can then share that estimate with the requesting site. Check the computer’s Windows or Mac location settings too if Chrome says system location is turned off. See Google Chrome’s location access help.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If a site still cannot get your location
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Check both permission layers. Confirm that the operating system allows location for the browser or app, then confirm the browser allows the particular site. Retry after changing either setting.
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Check whether the site is blocked. In the browser’s site permissions, change Location from Block to Ask or Allow as appropriate.
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Consider device signals. Accuracy depends on the computer’s capabilities and available signals. A desktop without GPS or nearby Wi-Fi may not provide the same estimate as a device with those signals; a Windows default location can provide a fallback.
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Distinguish approximate inference from precise permission. Turning off Windows location prevents Windows and apps from accessing device location, but it does not guarantee that a website cannot infer a broad area from your IP address. Microsoft notes that some third-party services may use other methods as well.
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Check device management. If location settings are unavailable on an employer- or school-managed Windows device, the organization may control them.
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What enabling location means for privacy
Granting access lets the approved app or site receive location information, subject to the platform and browser controls described above. Windows provides a recent-use view on the Location settings page. Microsoft also notes a separate cloud consideration: as of its current guidance, local location-history storage and its associated settings were removed in March 2025, but a signed-in Microsoft account may still have last-known location periodically saved to the cloud when Location services are enabled and an app or feature uses device location. Microsoft documents an emergency-call exception: Windows will attempt to determine and share precise location during an emergency call regardless of location settings. Read Microsoft’s location and privacy details if those behaviors matter to you.
Windows 10: legacy route
Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. If you still use it, open Start > Settings > Privacy > Location and review the device and app location controls there, then check the browser’s site permission as described above. Microsoft’s current Windows location guidance covers the setting, but an unsupported Windows installation no longer receives ordinary support and security updates. Microsoft’s Windows 10 end-of-support information.
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