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To set a fallback location in Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Location, choose Set default under Default location, enter an address or select a point on the map, then select Save. This fallback is used when Windows cannot detect a more exact location; it does not necessarily override a location Windows detects from other signals.
Set a default location for your PC
- Open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location.
- Under Default location, select Set default.
- Enter the device’s address or choose its actual location on the map.
- Select Save.
- Reopen the app or Windows feature that showed the wrong place and check its result. Apps may not all use the fallback in the same way.
Microsoft describes the default location as a fallback for when Windows cannot determine a more exact location. It is particularly recommended for desktop computers and devices without Wi-Fi. Microsoft’s Windows location service and privacy guidance explains the setting and its use.
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To remove the fallback later, return to Default location, clear the saved address, and save.
Check whether Windows and the app can access location
On the Location settings page, check both the device-level service and the current user’s app access. These are separate controls: enabling one does not automatically grant every app access.
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- Location services: Confirm this is on if you have administrator access. If it is off, the user-level app control cannot turn it back on.
- Let apps access your location: Check this for the current user, then review the individual controls shown for listed apps. Some listed apps also have a precise-location setting.
Windows may estimate location using a combination of GPS, nearby wireless access points and routers, cell towers, IP address, and the configured default location. What is available depends on the PC’s hardware and environment, so a saved city may not correct inaccurate or unavailable detection signals.
Find the cause when the wrong city persists
The fallback address is wrong
Return to Settings > Privacy & security > Location > Default location and update the address or map point. Then check the affected app again.
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Windows detects a different location
The default location is not a forced override. Windows can use detected signals such as wireless networks, GPS, cellular information, or IP address instead. If those signals are unavailable or point elsewhere, the result may remain inaccurate even when the fallback is correct.
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Check the app’s own location settings. Desktop apps may not appear in Windows’ app permission list and may handle location data differently; review the app’s privacy policy as well. For a website, check the site’s location permission in the browser. Microsoft explains these distinctions in its Windows desktop apps and privacy guidance.
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Location controls are unavailable
If Windows says the settings are managed by your organization, a workplace policy may be controlling them. Contact the device administrator rather than trying to change a setting you do not control.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the location setting means for privacy
When location services are enabled, Microsoft says de-identified location information may be sent to improve the service; its support page identifies HERE and Skyhook as provider partners. Some third-party services may also estimate location using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or cellular signals, so turning off an app’s Windows location access does not necessarily govern every way that service might estimate location.
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Microsoft says local location history and its related settings were removed in March 2025. For users signed in with a Microsoft account and with location services enabled, location may still be periodically saved in the cloud. Microsoft account privacy controls can be used to clear cloud activity. See Microsoft’s location service and privacy page for current details.
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