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Oct 28, 2023 · Does Windows track your location? Why does your PC use your location? We explain how Windows finds your location automatically and more!
- Overview
- How the location settings work
- Manage location settings
- How we build the location services database
- How we help keep you informed: the location icon
Microsoft operates a location service that helps determine the precise geographic location of your Windows device. The precise location of your device allows apps to give you directions, show shops and restaurants that are near you, and more.
Many apps and services request location information from your device, and the Windows location service gives you control over which apps are allowed to access your precise location.
Location services is a device-wide setting that can be controlled by the device administrator. When turned on, it enables certain Windows features—such as auto-setting the time zone or Find my device—to function properly. When this location setting is enabled, the Microsoft location service will use a combination of global positioning service (GPS), nearby wireless access points, cell towers, and your IP address (or default location) to determine your device’s location. Depending on the capabilities of your device, your device’s location can be determined with varying degrees of accuracy and may in some cases be determined precisely.
If you have turned on Location services, your device sends location information (including wireless access point information, cellular tower information, and precise GPS location if available) to Microsoft after removing any data identifying the person or device before leaving the device. This de-identified copy of location information is used to improve Microsoft location services and, in some instances, shared with our location service provider partners, currently HERE and Skyhook, to improve the location services of the provider.
Additionally, with this setting turned on, each user on the device can allow apps to use their device’s location and location history to deliver location-aware services as precisely as their device supports. If you grant a specific app access to your device’s location on the settings page, that app will have access to precise location information. Otherwise the location information provided to the app has lower accuracy. When your location is used by a location-aware app or Windows service or feature, your location information and recent location history are stored on your device.
If an app or feature accesses the device's location and you are signed in with your Microsoft account, your last-known location information is also saved to the cloud, where it is available across your devices to other apps or services that use your Microsoft account and for which you've granted permission. If you are signed in with your Microsoft account and your device cannot reliably determine your current location on its own (such as when you are in a building or basement), apps or services can use your last-known location from your location history that is stored in the cloud if it is available. Data about a Windows device's recent location history is also stored on the device even if no Microsoft account is in use, and certain apps and Windows features can access this location history.
There are some exceptions to how your device’s location can be determined that are not directly managed by the location settings.
Desktop apps are a specific type of app that won’t ask for separate permission to discover your device location information and won’t appear in the list that allows you to choose apps that can use your location. What are desktop apps? They’re usually downloaded from the internet or installed with some type of media (such as a CD, DVD, or USB storage device). They’re launched using an .EXE or .DLL file, and they typically run on your device, unlike web-based apps (which run in the cloud).
Location service
1.Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location. 2.Do one of the following: •If you're an administrator on the device, you can use the Location services setting to control whether the location service can be used on this device. If you're not an admin on this device, you will not see this setting. •To control location for just your user account, switch the Let apps access your location setting On or Off. If "Location services is off" appears on the settings page, you won't be able to turn on the Let apps access your location setting for an individual user account.
Location history
Some Windows apps and services that use location info also use your location history. When the location setting is on, locations looked up by apps or services will be stored on the device for a limited time (24 hours), then deleted. Apps that have access to this info will be labeled Uses location history on the Location settings page. To clear location history, either restart your device, or go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location and under Location history, select Clear. Clearing the location history only clears the history on the device. Apps that accessed the history before it was cleared may have stored it elsewhere. Refer to your apps' privacy policies for more info. To clear location history that's been stored in the cloud and is associated with your Microsoft account, go to account.microsoft.com, and make sure you're signed in to your account. Select Clear location activity, and then select Clear.
Default location
You can set a default location for your device that Windows, apps, and services can use when a more exact location can’t be detected using GPS or other methods. To change the default location for your device, which Windows, apps, and services can use when a more exact location can't be detected 1.Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location. 2.Under Default location, select Set default. 3.The Windows Maps app will open. Follow the instructions to set or change your default location.
If Location services in turned on and your device has GPS capability, Microsoft will record the location of mobile cell towers and Wi-Fi access points to help us provide location services,. Our database might include the MAC addresses of your wireless router or other neighboring Wi-Fi network devices. We don’t associate MAC addresses with you personally or with the devices connected to your network.
To prevent Microsoft from using the MAC addresses of your Wi-Fi access points in our location services database, go to Opt out of location services.
When one or more apps are currently using your device location through the Windows location service, you’ll see the location icon in the notification area of your taskbar. Hover over the icon to see the name of the app or apps using location.
You can also see which apps are currently using your precise location or have recently accessed your precise location on your Windows device by going to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location and under Let apps access your location you'll see the date and time when location was last used.
Oct 4, 2023 · According to Microsoft, your current location is tracked by taking into account all available services: GPS, nearby Wi-Fi hotspots, cell towers, and your IP address. To determine its accuracy, just take a look at how modern your computer is.
Nov 21, 2018 · 1 Answer. Sorted by: 5. There are databases with visible wireless LANs and their coordinates - both commercial and free (like wigle.net). If there are multiple WLANs visible, one could triangulate using field intensity and improve geolocation accuracy. A different approach would be to make educated guesses using your IP address.
Oct 29, 2022 · Windows 11 uses your IP address and WIFI position to predict your location. Depending on the ip of your provider, it may be in a different location. But you can set up the default location. -Press the Start button and click the Settings app. -Next, press Privacy & Security > Location.
Feb 20, 2021 · Does Windows Need to Know Your Location? Now, when we say Windows 10 "knows" your location, we don't really mean that someone is becoming aware of your present surroundings in real-time. It just means that your PC is storing your current location in a database and will share it with apps that request it — as long as the app is authorized to ...
On your Windows 10 device, go to Settings > Update & security > Find My Device or Find My Phone. Find out how to manage your location activity on the privacy dashboard and how to choose which apps and devices can request access to your location.
