How to make location services accurate.

Question

How to make location services accurate.

Roger P 40

Microsoft Windows 11 Home on a desktop.

Whenever I use any search engine (Bing, Google, {Yahoo gives results sometimes accurate and sometimes not}) the results think I am in The Philippines. I can also be within a web page and have the same problem. Often they refer me to a 'local' store in Lapu Lapu City. I am in [your location]. This has been going on for 2 years. I have turned off location service (and on again after restart), set default, allowed both Edge and Chrome location access, allowed location override.

This is a desktop. Find my Device says it is in Lapu-Lapu, Central Visayas. I have tried hard wired and WiFi. Asking Whatismyip.com says I am in Tennessee (that is where my ISP is). Asking WhatismyIPaddress.com returns the correct name of my ISP but says I am in the Philippines. IPGeoLocation.io placed my IP address within 10 miles of my home.

In the WhatismyIPaddress.com site choosing the Update Your IP Location shows 3 location services. IP2Location and MaxMind both show my ip as being in the United States. W3C shows me in the Philippines.

VPN section of Settings shows no VPN at all.

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Answer 1

Vikki-T 10,375 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

For your privacy and security, I have covered the personal information included in your post. Please avoid sharing any personal or sensitive information publicly, such as serial numbers, order details, email addresses, phone numbers, or case-related information.

Hi Roger P,

One useful way to narrow this down is to open Microsoft Maps or Bing Maps, allow precise location access, and check where the location marker appears. If the map identifies [your location] correctly but search sites still show Lapu-Lapu, those sites are most likely relying on their own IP-location databases rather than the location supplied by Windows.

You can also clear the location activity associated with your Microsoft account, then restart the PC and allow Find my device to record a fresh location:

Sign in to the Microsoft privacy dashboard.
Find the location activity section and clear the saved location activity.
On the PC, confirm that Settings > Privacy & security > Location > Location services remain enabled.
Reopen a map application and allow it to access your precise location before checking Find my device again.

The Allow location override option is mainly intended for Remote Desktop, Cloud PC, or similar remote-session scenarios, so it is unlikely to affect a desktop being used locally.

If multiple websites continue to identify the public IP as being in the Philippines, the lasting correction will likely need to come from the ISP or the geolocation providers that have associated that IP range with the wrong country. I would recommend contacting the ISP, provide the affected public IP and examples of the conflicting results, and ask whether the IP block’s geolocation registration can be reviewed or corrected.

For reference, Microsoft explains how Windows combines IP address, nearby wireless networks, GPS when available, and a default location here: Windows location service and privacy. Edge’s handling of website location requests is described here: Location and privacy in Microsoft Edge. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Vikki-T 10,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-18T13:13:37.4+00:00

Hi Roger P,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.
Roger P 40 Reputation points

2026-09-18T15:16:28.24+00:00

I have had both results with Bing maps but have never got Google Maps to work (I spent weeks with a Google "Helper" who never solved it in Google Maps). 6 months ago when I was working with the Google "Helper" Bing would also locate me in The Philippines while Yahoo worked successfully. Today Bing maps shows me in the correct location but when I ask for a local Starbucks it suggests one in Lapu Lapu. When I asked Yahoo for the same business it correctly showed me one, however, there was a "Use Precise Location" button. After pressing that it too suggested one in the Philippines.

I went to the Microsoft Privacy dashboard and in the 'Location Activity' section it said No data. So there was nothing to clear. I went to Settings, Privacy & Security and LOCATION SERVICES, LET APPS ACCESS YOUR LOCATION, LET DESKTOP APPS ACCESS YOUR LOCATION are all still checked.

Opening Bing Maps in Edge the Location option is turned on. Same with Google Maps in Edge.

Rechecked Find My device - no change. Still in Lapu Lapu City
Vikki-T 10,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-19T10:04:29.7733333+00:00

Hi Roger P,

Thanks for coming back with those details. The new results are actually quite helpful in narrowing this down.

Since your Windows location permissions and the site permissions in Edge are already enabled, and the Privacy Dashboard shows no location activity to clear, I would not keep repeating those settings at this point.

One detail that stands out is what happened with Yahoo: it initially found a nearby business correctly, but after you selected Use Precise Location, the result changed to the Philippines. At the same time, Bing Maps can currently place you correctly in [your location] while Bing's local search results and Find my device still point to Lapu-Lapu.

Could you try one more comparison specifically in Bing Maps? With location access allowed, check the location marker that represents your current position. Does that marker remain at your actual location in [your location], or does it move to the Philippines when Bing Maps uses your location?

That distinction would be useful here. If Bing Maps itself receives an incorrect precise location, it would be worth having Microsoft Support review the location behavior in more detail. If Bing Maps continues to identify your actual location correctly while only Bing's local search results remain incorrect, that would help separate the Bing search behavior from the location Windows is supplying.

Microsoft also documents that Windows location can be determined using multiple sources, including the IP address, nearby wireless networks, GPS when available, and the configured default location: Windows location service and privacy.

Thank you so much for your cooperation.
Roger P 40 Reputation points

2026-09-19T20:34:32.4866667+00:00

I hope I am doing what you asked correctly.

I verified the location generally is set to Ask First in Edge. Specifically for Bing it is ALLOWED (there is not one for Bing Maps just for Bing)

When I open Bing Maps the map that appears is of the Philippines. When I click LOCATE ME it zooms in to Lapu Lapu City. And asking for Starbucks changes nothing.

Something interesting I saw: I opened Chrome, went to Bing searched Starbucks (nothing interesting), clicked MAPS. A map of my home location came up on the screen for 2 seconds then changed to the Philippines.

Today Bing Maps did not show my correct location.

I greatly appreciate the help. Did I complete the task you requested?