Location Services
Posted : admin On 4/14/2022Note: This article is for the new Microsoft Edge . Get help for the legacy version of Microsoft Edge.
Some websites can give you more accurate results when you share your location with them. For example, if you share your location, search engines can give you more relevant results for restaurants and coffee near you.
Location services can even be used to help find your device if you lose it. But a number of people find having their location tracked invasive. While these features can be of value for laptops, it’s unlikely that anyone will ever need to track the location of their desktop computer – they tend to not move much. The Location Services screen is also where you can adjust access for your device’s apps—either allowing them to use your location whenever they want, only when you’re using the app, or never.
By default, the new Microsoft Edge will always ask your permission when a site wants to know your location. When a site requests your location, you’ll see a prompt like this:
To allow the site to access your location, select Allow. Before sharing your location with a website, always review the site’s privacy policy.
Control if websites can access your location in Microsoft Edge
To block Microsoft Edge from sharing your location with websites:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more > Settings .
Select Site permissions > Location.
Turn off Ask before accessing. Microsoft Edge won’t share your location with any website.
To allow Microsoft Edge to share your location with websites:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more > Settings .
Select Site permissions > Location.
Turn on Ask before accessing. Microsoft Edge will prompt you whenever a website wants to access your location.
Even when you’ve blocked Microsoft Edge from sharing your location with websites, some sites can use information such as your IP address to determine your device’s location with varying degrees of accuracy.
Control specific websites from accessing your location
You can also allow or block specific sites from accessing your location:
Visit a website in Microsoft Edge.
In the corner of the address bar, select the Lock , Info , or Dangerous icon and select Site permissions.
Next to Location, choose Ask (default), Allow, or Block from the list.
How Microsoft Edge interacts with operating system permissions when sharing your location with a website
If you allow your location to be shared with a site, Windows can use info such as your IP address, nearby Wi-Fi access points, and GPS data, if available, to estimate your location coordinates and pass this info to Microsoft Edge. This information is then shared with the site requesting your location.
Windows 10 and Windows 8
If you turn on Allow access to location on this device and Allow apps to access your location in Location settings in Windows, Microsoft Edge can provide sites with a more precise location. This information will only be shared with sites you’ve allowed to see your location.
Note that websites can use other methods such as looking up your IP address to estimate your location if Location settings in Windows are turned off.
To learn more about Windows location and privacy settings, see Windows 10 location service and privacy.
Other operating systems
For operating systems other than Windows 10 and Windows 8, Microsoft Edge will use the permissions in Settings and more > Site permissions > Location to determine whether to share your location with a website.
Microsoft Edge can use information such as your IP address and nearby Wi-Fi access points to estimate your location. This information is then shared with the site requesting your location.
Location Services Chrome
Protecting your privacy while sharing your location
You should review a website’s privacy policy carefully before allowing it access to your location.
Microsoft respects your privacy, and Microsoft Edge includes several built-in checks to ensure that we access your location only when we have your permission and do so in a manner that protects your privacy:
Enable Location Services On Browser
Microsoft Edge does not collect and store location information with your Microsoft account.
Microsoft Edge always respects the site permissions of the signed-in profile to control access to your location:
If you’re using InPrivate browsing, Microsoft Edge will use the location permission setting of the profile from which the InPrivate session was launched.
If you’re using Guest mode, Microsoft Edge will always ask for your permission before granting the site your location.