How often do you use the Windows taskbar to check for active applications and services running in the background? You may have noticed a round dot (location icon) that says “your location is currently in use”. That doesn’t mean your Windows PC or laptop is tracking you, just keep a tab of it to know where you are with your computer. Here’s everything you need to know about location services working on Windows.
When an app or service continuously tracks your location in the background, you’ll continue to see the location services icon in the bottom right corner of the taskbar. Learn about the behavior first, and then check how to disable it for unrelated apps.
Your location is currently being used on Windows
Unlike mobile platforms like iOS and Android, Microsoft doesn’t provide precise control over location access on Windows. You can’t tell an app to track your location while it’s in use – thankfully, that’s how in-app location access works. However, when you enable location services, any app can track your location in the background. When an app sends you a request to track your location, you’ll see a dot appear on the taskbar. Before you turn off location access on Windows, first understand why some apps ask for your location in the first place.
Why apps track your location on Windows
Weather, Maps and news widgets regularly use your location to provide accurate results. When you frequently travel from place to place with your Windows laptop, location services help these apps show accurate information. After all, you won’t want to see the weather conditions in New York when you’re in California.
Windows location services also work when you use Google Earth, Amazon (to locate your delivery), and other web services that require your current location to function properly. Using third-party YouTube apps on Windows (such as myTube) requires your location to display local content on the home page.
However, not all third-party apps track your location with good intentions. Some apps may always track your location for advertising purposes. Thankfully, Windows has a handy Privacy menu for turning off location access for unknown apps on your PC.
Disable location permission for selected apps
You can always turn off location access on your PC completely. But it can affect useful apps like Weather and News. Instead, you can just turn off the same for unrelated apps. Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open Settings on your Windows PC.
Step 2: Select ‘Privacy & Security’ from the left sidebar. Scroll to App Permissions and click Location.
Step 3: Check which apps have permission to access your location.
Disabling location access for apps seems unnecessary. You can see which apps have accessed your location in the last seven days. Click ‘Recent Activity’ from the same menu to see the app’s name, date and time of location access.
Turn off location access completely
If you don’t want any applications to access your location, you can completely disable this function on your Windows machine. Here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Open the Location menu in Windows Settings (refer to the steps above).
Step 2: Turn off the ‘Location Services’ toggle.
Delete location history on Windows
When device location is turned on, Windows stores your location data and makes it available for a limited time on your PC. Apps can access stored location even with location access turned off. Follow the steps below to clear saved location history on Windows.
Step 1: Open Privacy & Security in Windows Settings (check the steps above).
Step 2: Select Location.
Step 3: Scroll down and select Delete next to ‘Location History’ and you’re good to go.
Windows will display a check mark next to the Clear button.
Set default location on Windows 11
When the Windows OS, apps, and services can’t detect the location more accurately, they can use the default location set to get the job done. This is how you can set the default location on Windows 11.
Step 1: Open the Location menu under Privacy & security (check the steps above).
Step 2: Scroll to ‘Default Location’ and select ‘Set Default.’
Step 3: It will open the default Maps application on Windows.
Step 4: Use the search bar in the top left corner to pin your exact location.
Understanding location permissions on Windows
We recommend enabling location permissions on Windows for your safety and keeping tabs on your computer, especially for laptops. But you should regularly check which apps unnecessarily request location access in the background.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
