How to Prevent Apps from Accessing Location on Windows 10?

Looking for easy ways to prevent apps from accessing location on Windows 10?

Out of all the things that our computers know about us, location data is the most sensitive. The idea of someone somewhere in the world tracking your every move is scary. 

While some apps require access to your location to perform certain operations with good intentions, some ask for this permission for no reason at all. 

If you want to prevent apps from accessing location on Windows 10, you are in the right place. In this guide, we have listed some of the easiest methods you can follow. 

Let’s get started. 

1. Use the Registry Editor. 

Windows Registry is an administrative-level tool that contains low-level information for apps and programs installed on your computer. The operating system frequently refers to this information while performing tasks. 

Windows Registry is also a safe place for tweaking Windows settings if you want to better control your computer’s working environment. 

In this method, we will use the Windows Registry to prevent apps from accessing location on Windows 10. 

Here is what you need to do:

  1. Open a Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously. 
  2. Type ‘regedit in the text field of the dialogue box and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  1. Inside Windows Registry, navigate to the location mentioned below. 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\AppPrivacy
How to Prevent Apps from Accessing Location on Windows 10
  1. If you cannot locate the AppPrivacy key, then right-click on Windows and choose the New > Key option. Name this new key as AppPrivacy.
  2. Double-click on this newly created key and right-click anywhere in the right pane.
  3. Choose New > DWORD (32-bit Value) option and name it as LetAppsAccessLocation.
How to Prevent Apps from Accessing Location on Windows 10
  1. Double-click on it, and under Value data, type 2
  2. If you want to create three different values, then right-click on the right pane and choose the New > Multi-String option. 
  3. To create a user in control value, name this newly created key as LetAppsAccessLocation_UserInControlOfTheseApps
  4. If you want to force allow, then name the newly created key as LetAppsAccessLocation_ForceAllowTheseApps
  5. If you want to force deny, then name the key as LetAppsAccessLocation_ForceDenyTheseApps
How to Prevent Apps from Accessing Location on Windows 10
  1. To apply these settings on specific applications, double-click on the newly created keys, and under Value data, type the name of applications. 
Force Deny These Apps to Access Location

Doing so will prevent apps from accessing location in Windows 10. 

2. Use the Group Policy Editor. 

Like the Windows Registry, the Group Policy Editor is also an advanced-level tool that administrators use to modify the working environment of Windows. 

If you find using the Registry Editor a bit hard, then try using the Group Policy Editor to prevent apps from accessing location on Windows 10. By using Group Policy Editor, it will be possible to select only the apps which may access location data. All the other apps will be blocked automatically. 

Here is how you can do that:

  1. Open a Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R keys simultaneously.
  2. Inside the text field of the dialogue box, type ‘gpedit.msc’ and hit Enter. Doing so will launch the Group Policy Editor. 
  1. Inside the newly launched window, navigate to the location mentioned below.
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\App Privacy
  1. In the right pane, locate Let Windows apps access location and double-click on it. 
How to Prevent Apps from Accessing Location on Windows 10
  1. Choose Enabled and under Default for all apps, enter your preferred options. If you want to set the options for a specific app, then you can do so by adding the Package Family Name (PFN) in the boxes.
How to Prevent Apps from Accessing Location on Windows 10
  1. Now click on Apply/OK to save the changes.
  2. If you want to find the Package Family Name (PFN), then open Windows Powershell (Admin) by right-clicking on the Windows icon on your taskbar.
  3. Inside the Powershell window, type the command mentioned below and hit Enter
Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers | Select Name, PackageFullName
  1. Executing this command will display all the package names on Windows. Copy the ones you require and paste them in the Force Deny box mentioned in step 5. Doing so will prevent the necessary apps from accessing location on Windows 10.

You should now be able to use the applications without any issues. 

3. Try Using CleanMyPC. 

If the methods in this guide are not working for you, then there is a chance that a corruption error within the system is preventing you from executing certain operations. 

In this case, it is best to eliminate the corrupt files and then proceed with the methods we have mentioned. Don’t worry; the process is not as complex or time-taking as it sounds, and you can get rid of the junk files using a PC cleaner without any effort. 

If you do not know which PC cleaner you should go for, we recommend trying CleanMyPC

Install CleanMyPC on your PC

CleanMyPC is one of the most efficient cleaners in the market and can take care of all your PC-related issues, including junk files, slow speed, sluggish performance, and even online privacy concerns. This cleaner comes with a wide range of system maintenance tools that you can use to get your PC up and running like new. Moreover, it is relatively simple to use, so even if this is your first time using a cleaning tool, you will do just fine. 

If this is something, your PC desperately needs, then install CleanMyPC now!


Try CleanMyPC Now!


4. Disable Access via Windows Settings.

Another easy way of disabling the access of location for applications is by making changes in the privacy settings of Windows. 

The process is simple and should not take much of your time. 

Here is all that you need to do:

  1. Go to Settings and click on Privacy.
  2. In the left pane, locate Location and click on it. 
  3. In the Location window, turn off the toggle under Allow apps to access your location.
Location settings

As simple as that!

Doing so will not allow the applications to access your location anymore. 

This wraps up our guide on ways to prevent apps from accessing location on Windows 10. We hope that one of the methods we mentioned did the trick for you. If you have any questions regarding the methods, please let us know in the comment section below. We will try our best to help you out!

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Zainab Falak is a staff writer for Saint and an expert in Microsoft Windows, having authored more than 200 posts. She has a Bachelors in Actuarial Sciences and her passion for computers extends to exploring various aspects, from UI customization to the Windows registry and exploring error codes. Twitter LinkedIn

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