Windows 11 offers a feature that allows users to set their geographic location and time zone settings. By default, the operating system automatically detects and sets the appropriate settings based on your computer’s IP address or GPS location. However, there may be times when you want to allow or disallow changing your geographic location manually.
Allowing or disallowing the changing of geographic locations in Windows 11 can be useful in various scenarios. For example, if you’re sharing your computer with someone else, you may want to restrict their ability to change location settings to prevent potential privacy breaches. On the other hand, if you frequently travel to different time zones, you may need to manually adjust your location settings to ensure that your computer’s clock and other time-related features remain accurate.
In Windows 11, you can easily enable or disable the ability to change your geographic location using either the Local Group Policy Editor or the Windows Registry Editor. Here’s how to do it.
How to Allow or Disallow Changing Geographic Locations in Windows 11 using Local Group Policy Editor?
Follow these steps to allow or disallow changing Geographic locations in Windows 11 using Local Group Policy Editor:-
Step 1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor by pressing Windows + R, typing “gpedit.msc” in the Run box, and click OK.
Step 2. Then, expand the following settings in the left sidebar:-
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Location Services
Step 3. Now, double-click the setting on the right called “Disallow changing of geographic location” to open.
Step 4. Now, select either Not Configured or Disabled to disable the feature and select desired GeoID. Select the Enabled option to restrict others from changing their GeoID.
Step 5. Then, click the Apply and OK buttons to save your settings.
Step 6. Finally, restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
How to Enable or Disable Changing Geographic Location using Registry Editor?
Follow these steps to turn On/Off changing Geographic Location using Registry Editor:-
Step 1. Open the Registry Editor by pressing the Windows + R, typing “regedit” in the Run box, and clicking OK.
Step 2. Then, navigate to the following location in the left sidebar of Registry Editor:-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Control Panel\International
Step 3. If the International key doesn’t exist under the Control Panel folder, right-click on the Control Panel folder and select the New > Key option. Name the newly created key International.
Step 4. Now, right-click on the right pane of the International key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Step 5. Name this new REG_DWORD PreventGeoIdChange.
Step 6. Next, double-click the PreventGeoIdChange REG_DWORD and make sure the Base option is Decimal, and set the following “Value data“:
- 1 = Turn on the feature.
- 0 = Turn off the feature.
Step 7. Click the OK button.
Step 8. Finally, reboot your computer to apply the changes.
By following the above steps, you can easily enable or disable the ability to change your geographic location in Windows 11.
