Your Browser Is Sharing Your Location Right Now
Every time a website asks "Can we use your location?" and you click Allow, your browser sends your precise GPS coordinates — accurate to within metres — directly to that website's servers. Many sites even store this data.
What's worse: some sites use JavaScript tricks to request location without an obvious prompt.
The good news? You can block this entirely — without paying for a VPN.
Method 1: Block Location in Chrome Settings (Quickest)
The bluntest approach is to deny all location requests at the browser level.
- Open Chrome and go to
chrome://settings/content/location - Under Default behavior, select "Don't allow sites to see your location"
- Click Done
Downside: Sites that genuinely need your location (weather apps, maps) will stop working entirely.
Method 2: Use a Location Guard Extension (Recommended)
A smarter solution is to replace your real location with a fake one, rather than blocking it outright. This way:
- You stay functional on sites that need geolocation
- You control exactly what coordinates they see
- You can set it per-site or globally
How to Set Up Location Guard
- Install Location Guard — it's free and open-source
- Click the shield icon → Options
- Set Default Level to "Fixed Location"
- Pick a city on the map (or enter coordinates)
- Click Save
From now on, every site that requests your location will receive your chosen fake coordinates instead of your real ones.
Method 3: Use Chrome DevTools (Developer Trick)
For a one-time override without installing anything:
- Press F12 to open DevTools
- Click the three-dot menu (⋮) → More tools → Sensors
- Under Location, choose a preset city or enter custom coordinates
- Close DevTools — Chrome will now report those coordinates to the current tab
Limitation: This only works for the current tab and resets when you close DevTools.
What Chrome Location Settings Actually Do
| Setting | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Ask before accessing | Sites can request your location; you approve each time |
| Blocked | Sites receive an error when requesting location |
| Allowed | Sites can access your location without asking every time |
| Fixed (via extension) | Sites receive your chosen fake coordinates |
Does Hiding Your Location Affect Anything Else?
Hiding your browser GPS does not affect:
- Your IP address (use a VPN to change that)
- Your timezone (change in OS settings or use an extension like Vytal)
- Your Wi-Fi network visibility
- Cookies or tracking pixels
It does affect:
- Geolocation-based content (local news, weather, region-locked pages)
- Apps that show you "nearby" results
- Any site using the HTML5 Geolocation API
Privacy Tip: Check What You're Leaking
Visit browserleaks.com to see exactly what data your browser exposes. Run it before and after installing Location Guard to see the difference.
Start protecting your location today — install Location Guard free, no account, no subscription.