What Does “Your Location Is Currently in Use” Mean on Windows

With privacy being at the forefront of every other smart device, managing location information is the single most crucial aspect of it. Most devices you use, be it your smartwatch, smartphone, or even your PC/laptop, come with a GPS chip to aid features that require location access of your device. Even if your device doesn’t have one, location information can still be retrieved through geolocation data captured using the Wi-Fi network you are connected to or your device’s IP address.

Naturally, you would be petrified after learning about this, but fret not; for Windows PCs and laptops, you have complete control over your location information as you can choose how other apps and services access it. “Your Location Is Currently in Use” – is probably the message you are bothered about, and this article outlines seven ways to tackle it. Let’s get going!

What Does “Your Location Is Currently in Use” Infer?

While the literal meaning is relatively straightforward, there is a lot more to this mere message. First and foremost, no, you are not being spied by anyone. Except for a few one-off cases, your PC or laptop cannot be spied upon unless it’s compromised due to some virus or malware, which is a pretty rare phenomenon. With that out of the way, here is a more logical reasoning.

Windows displays the “Your Location Is Currently in Use” message when some service, be it an app or a system functionality, is accessing your device’s location information. Apps and Windows often use your device’s location to provide location-specific services, which is not possible otherwise. Displaying the message is an essential privacy feature that lets the user know about the activity and allows them to act accordingly.

What All Apps and Services Require Accessing Your Device’s Location Data

There are a plethora of apps and services that can access your device’s location data. After all, we give out permission to apps and services to access our location as if it’s a gift with a McDonald’s Happy Meal. You may not even realize the number of apps that have your permission to access your device’s location data.

To begin with, the core system services, such as the clock and the weather app, need location information to set the time according to your time zone and update the weather standings. The “Set time zone automatically” option in Windows settings uses none other than your device’s active location. Another obvious use case is when you are using navigation services, or in other words, maps.

Your device’s browser may also access location information if a website asks for it and you allow it subsequently. Websites often require location data to set addresses and show targeted ads. Additionally, third-party on-board apps may require location data for the very same reason. Games may also request location access to connect to the nearest cloud server.

Lastly, basic system functionalities like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi scanning require location information to connect to the nearest network or device. It is, thus, essential to give out permissions after thorough consideration. Many apps don’t necessarily require location access but end up requesting permission regardless to show targeted adverts and location-specific content.

How To Know Which Apps Have Accessed Your Device’s Location

Now that you know what apps can potentially use your device’s location data, it’s worth checking out which recently accessed the data. This allows you to take action, if needed, against unwanted apps that you don’t want to have location services enabled. Here is how you can view the list of apps that have accessed your device’s location –

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard and enter your device’s Settings by searching for it.
2. Enter your device’s Privacy & Security Settings from the left pane.
3. Scroll down and select the Location column.
   
4. Expand the list beside Recent Activity, which will show you the list of apps that have recently accessed your device’s location.
   

How To Deal With It?

Now that you know the what and why, here is how you can tackle the “Your Location Is Currently in Use” message on Windows.

Disable Location Access Altogether

The most logical step after knowing an app or service is accessing your device’s location would be to cut the location access entirely. It is also a good measure if your workflow doesn’t include apps or services that require location access, and in that case, staying off the grid is highly recommended. To do so –

1. Open your PC/laptop’s Settings page.
2. Enter the Privacy & Security settings from the left pane.
3. Scroll down and enter the Location settings.
   
4. Turn off the toggle beside Location services. This will cut off the location access altogether for all apps and services.
   

Disable Location Access for Selected Apps

If you don’t wish to cut off the access entirely, you can instead restrict certain apps from accessing your device’s location. Here is how you can do so –

1. Open your PC/laptop’s Settings page.
2. Enter the Privacy & Security settings from the left pane.
3. Scroll down and enter the Location settings.
   
4. Click the arrow beside Let apps access your location to view the dropdown menu. Disabling the toggle beside it will cut off location access for all the system apps on your PC.
5. Disable the toggles beside the requisite apps to prevent them from accessing your device’s location data.
   

You may notice that not all apps are on the list because Windows only allows you to revoke permissions for apps installed from the Microsoft Store. For third-party apps, you must disable location tracking within the app settings. Additionally, app descriptions include the permissions required by the app for apps installed from the Windows Store, so you can be aware of whether you need to provide location access before onboarding the app on your laptop/PC.

Hide the Location Icon From the Taskbar Using Registry Editor

If all you want is to hide the icon from your visual field, you can remove it from the taskbar using the Windows Registry Editor. If you are on Windows 10, the taskbar settings includes a dedicated option to do so. For Windows 11 users, here is how you can do so –

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor using the keyboard shortcut Win + R and type regedit. Hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
   
2. Type the following address in the search box at the top:
   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lfsvc\Service\Configuration
   
3. Right-click the Status option and select Modify.
   
4. Edit the Value data and change it to 0 (zero). Click on OK and exit the Registry Editor.
   

Set a Default Location

Setting a default location in Windows 11 makes total sense if you don’t have a built-in GPS on your laptop/PC. Furthermore, if you wish to mask your original location, you can do so by setting an entirely different location as your default location. The best part is that the default location can be set even if location services are turned off, forcing apps and services to rely on your custom location. However, if you choose to keep the location services on, apps and services prioritize the device location instead of the set location. Regardless, here is how you can set a default location –

1. Open your PC/laptop’s Settings page.
2. Enter the Privacy & Security settings from the left pane.
3. Scroll down and enter the Location settings.
   
4. Select the Set default option beside Default location.
5. A map preview will open, allowing you to enter your chosen location manually. You can also use the map to pinpoint the location.
   

Clear Existing Location History

In case you didn’t know, Windows, apps, and services store your location history for a limited period before deleting it. Fret not; this data doesn’t leave your device and is used for app requests in the future. However, you can clear the location history manually using the following steps –

1. Open your PC/laptop’s Settings page.
2. Enter the Privacy & Security settings from the left pane.
3. Scroll down and enter the Location settings.
   
4. Click the Clear option beside Location history to clear existing location data. A checkmark denotes if your location data has been successfully removed from the device.
   

Disable Location Settings for Your Browser

Since browsing is mostly what users do on a PC or laptop, it’s worth revoking location permission for sites you may have given consent and forgotten about. Plus, you can also disable websites from accessing your device’s location altogether. Below is the procedure for Chrome web browser –

1. Open the Chrome Browser on your PC and click on the kebab menu icon (⁝) from the top-right corner.
2. Enter Settings.
   
3. Enter the Privacy and security settings from the left pane.
4. Under Privacy and security settings, click on Site settings.
   
5. Select the Location option under permissions.
   

This page will list the sites you have denied and accepted permission to access your device’s location. You can edit the sites if you wish so. Additionally, you deny sites from even requesting permission to access your device’s location by enabling the option Don’t allow sites to see your location.

Don’t Let Location Activity Worry You

While location information is one of the more privacy-centric aspects of any device, it’s really not something you should worry about if you know how to deal with it. If you don’t have any significant use of location services on your laptop or PC, it’s best to turn it off entirely. For a more selective approach, you can turn off location access for specific apps after clearing the location history. You can also set a default location to mask your original location and even hide the location icon from the taskbar if that’s bothering you.