Your location data is useful to other apps and services when it comes to figuring out what types of content might be of interest to you. However, not everyone uses your data responsibly, and this can leave you vulnerable to cyberattacks. To make sure this doesn’t happen, you can spoof or change your location in Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox, and make your location data private. Read on to know more.
While privacy is slowly becoming a myth, there are a few ways you can ensure that your information, such as location data, isn’t completely compromised. To do this, you can use a VPN or a browser extension. However, did you know that you can also change your location in Edge, Chrome and Firefox and even disable it?
There are 3 easy ways to successfully change your location in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox: using a VPN, a browser extension, and a browser menu option. Let’s have a brief look at it all.
1. Use a VPN to Spoof Your Location in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox
VPN or Virtual Private Network does what its name suggests. It makes your private network truly private when you connect to its servers. This way, others will only be able to see your location as a server of whatever location you are currently connected to. Also, most VPN apps come with a switch that disconnects your network if your VPN fails midway.
On that note, let’s take a look at how to connect to a VPN to change your IP address and spoof your location.
Note: For demonstration purposes, we will be using the free version of Proton VPN.
Step 1: Download and install Proton VPN app using the link below. Once done, open it and log in.
Step 2: Here, find the location you want to connect.
Step 3: Then, click Connect. Alternatively, you can also click Quick Connect to let Proton VPN decide the location and quickly connect to it.
Once the VPN is connected, instead of Quick Connect, your app will show a Disconnect button.
Tip: You can also use any of these available VPN apps for Android and iOS to change or spoof your location in the Chrome, Edge, and Firefox mobile apps.
2. Spoof your location with an extension
While VPN apps come with extra functionality, such as a kill switch, the browser extensions are no exception. Using these, you can easily change your location in Firefox, Chrome, or Edge without affecting the rest of the apps and services on your device.
Furthermore, they can be easily accessed from the browser’s menu option and usually do not require a separate application to function. Here’s how to install extensions on Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
Note: The following extensions are free to use and do not require registration. However, the options for connection locations may therefore be limited.
For Chrome
Step 1: Open the Snap VPN page in the Chrome web store.
Step 2: Here, click ‘Add to Chrome’.
Step 3: Click Add extension to confirm.
Step 4: Once the extension is installed, click on the Extensions icon.
Step 5: Here, click on Snap VPN.
Tip: You can also click the pin icon to pin the extension to Chrome’s toolbar.
Step 6: Here, click on the arrow icon to open the list of available locations.
Step 7: Select the desired location.
Now, wait for the extension to connect to the selected location. Once done, try to open another website such as Google or YouTube and check if your location has changed.
for edge
Step 1: Open the Snap VPN page on the Edge web browser.
Step 2: Here, you click Get.
Step 3: Then, click on Add extension.
Step 4: Once the extension has finished installing, go to the Edge menu bar and click on the extension icon.
Step 5: Here, click on Snap VPN.
Step 6: Click the arrow icon to open a list of all available locations.
Step 7: Then click on the location you want to connect.
Just like Chrome, when the VPN status says Connected, open any website to confirm.
For firefox
Step 1: Open the CyberGhost VPN add-on page in Firefox.
Step 2: Here, click ‘Add to Firefox’.
Step 3: Then, click Add.
Step 4: Here you can check the option ‘Allow this extension to run in a Private Window’ if you also want the CyberGhost VPN extension for incognito mode.
Step 5: Then, click OK.
Step 6: Click on the Extensions icon and when the list opens, click on CyberGhost VPN.
Step 7: Here, click on the Connection field to open the list of available countries.
Step 8: After selecting the country, press the power button to connect.
The CyberGhost VPN extension will show an option to disconnect after the VPN connection is successful.
3. Use Browser Settings
While using a VPN or browser extension is a more reliable option for spoofing your location, you can also change your browser location using your browser settings. However, certain apps may still receive your changed location while others may just show your location as unknown. While this is not a perfect method, you can give it a try if you just want to mask your instantaneous location data.
Here’s how to use it:
Note: Closing browser windows will expose your actual location.
For Chrome and Edge
Note: The method of changing location using the settings menu is the same as Chrome and Edge. So for the demonstration, we’ll be using Chrome.
Step 1: Go to Search and type Google Chrome. Open Google Chrome from the search results.
Step 2: Then, click on the three-dot icon.
Step 3: Here, click More Tools and then Developer Tools.
Step 4: Now, in the developer console menu, click on the three dots icon on the right side.
Step 5: Then go to More tools and select Sensors.
Step 6: Here, click on the Do Not Overwrite drop-down list and select any of the locations provided first.
Tip: Alternatively, you can add latitude and longitude coordinates to select the desired location manually.
This will change your browser location.
For firefox
Step 1: Go to Search, type firefox, and open the browser from Search Results.
Step 2: Here, type About: config in the address bar and press enter.
Step 3: Click ‘Accept the risk and continue’.
Step 4: Now, in the search bar, type geo.enabled and make sure it is set to True.
Step 5: Then type geo.provider.network.url in the address bar.
Step 6: Here, click on the pencil icon.
Step 7: When the editing window opens, delete the previous text and add the following instead:
data:application/json,{“location”: {“lat”: 40.7590, “lng”: -73.9845}, “accuracy”: 27000.0}
Note: This will change Firefox’s location to Times Square, New York. If you have any other specific locations in mind, you can change the location coordinates accordingly.
Step 8: Once done, click on the checkmark icon.
Bonus: Disable location access using browser settings
In addition to spoofing your location in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, you can also turn off location access so apps can’t access your current geo-location. While this won’t provide geo-restricted services, it will ensure the services don’t have access to your precise location data.
For Chrome
Step 1: Open Chrome.
Step 2: Here, click on the ellipsis icon.
Step 3: Then, click on Settings.
Step 4: From the menu tab, click on ‘Privacy and security’.
Step 5: Scroll down and click Site Settings.
Step 6: Here, go to Permissions section and click on Location.
Step 7: Select the option ‘Do not allow sites to see your location’.
This will ensure that websites cannot access your location in Google Chrome. Also, if any site has been added as an exception, be sure to remove it as required.
for edge
Step 1: Click Search and type The edge. Then, open Edge from the search results.
Step 2: Here, click on the ellipsis icon and then click Settings.
Step 3: From the menu sidebar, click ‘Cookies and site permissions’.
Step 4: Scroll down and click on Locations.
Step 5: Here, turn on the “Ask before accessing” switch.
This will ensure that websites always ask for your permission before accessing your location data.
For firefox
Step 1: Open Firefox.
Step 2: Click on the three-dot icon and then click Settings.
Step 3: Here, click on ‘Privacy & Security’.
Step 4: Then scroll down to Location and click on the Settings option in front.
Step 5: Here, tick the option ‘Block new requests asking to access your location’.
Step 6: Then, click Save Changes.
This will block websites from asking for your location in Firefox. You can also browse through sites that may have been added as exceptions and remove them before saving changes in Firefox.
FAQ about changing your location on Chrome, Edge and Firefox
1. Can you change the location again in Chrome, Edge and Firefox?
Yes, if you’re using a VPN or extension to spoof your location in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, just open the app and change the location server. This will ensure your location is also changed in the respective browser.
2. How do I go back to my own location in Chrome, Edge and Firefox?
Turning off your extension or disconnecting from your VPN server will ensure that your browser shows your actual location.
Hide your location
While turning off your location seems to keep you incognito mode, certain websites can still access your location information. This is why we recommend using a VPN or some trusted location spoofing extension to change your location in Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
