How to Change Your Location in Google Chrome for More Relevant Browsing

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Google Chrome automatically uses geolocation services to identify your whereabouts. This can be used for location-based advertising and also lets you tag your social media posts. But, if you don’t want Google Chrome to know your whereabouts or location, you can simply fix that by changing your location. You can do this simply by downloading a VPN.

Using a virtual private network will give you a new IP address, which will change your region and can unlock sites and services from anywhere around the world. It also improves your security by encrypting your data and keeping it safe from online threats. You can also manually change the location by entering longitude and latitude. This guide will help you to understand how to change your location in Google Chrome.

Your physical location can affect the results you see in Google Chrome Web content is often tailored based on where the site thinks you are located Luckily, Chrome makes it easy to manually override your location so you can browse the web as if you were anywhere in the world.

Changing your virtual location in Chrome can unlock region-restricted content, view international versions of sites, research remote destinations, and more

In this guide, you’ll learn:

How Chrome detects and uses your location
The benefits of changing your Chrome location
The step-by-step process to alter your location
Tips for picking locations in Chrome
When you may want to switch back to your true location

Read on to start browsing from new destinations and unlocking the web based on wherever you want to appear to be!

How Google Chrome Determines Your Location

Before learning how to change your spot on the digital map, it helps to understand how Chrome identifies your location originally.

There are a few ways Chrome detects where you are

Your computer’s IP address – traced back to your city and country.
Your device’s GPS coordinates if enabled.
WiFi network details tying your device to a physical place.
Your Google account settings and search history.

Chrome uses these details to customize search results, display relevant Google Maps info, translate languages, restrict content by region, and more. Much of your browsing experience is filtered based on your assumed location.

But what if you want sites to think you’re somewhere else? Changing your virtual location is straightforward.

Why Change Your Chrome Location?

There are many valid reasons you may want sites and services to think you’re in a different city, country or continent. Here are some examples:

Accessing region-restricted content – Some videos, music and news are only available in certain countries. A new virtual location lets you view blocked content.
Comparing international versions of sites – Retailers, newspapers and other sites display different products and info depending on location. Switching spots lets you compare versions.
Researching a trip – Planning travel is easier when you see the web from the destination’s perspective. Local sites, maps and recommendations become more relevant.
Pricing and shopping – Displaying foreign locations can surface better deals and different purchasing options as you shop online.
Translation help – Viewing sites in native languages helps learn before traveling abroad. Chrome auto-translates based on your set region.
Ad preferences – Ads are targeted regionally. New locations means new demographics for more relevant ads.

As you can see, changing your Chrome settings can unlock many useful browsing experiences. Now let’s look at how to actually switch your virtual location.

Changing Your Location in Google Chrome

Switching your location in Chrome is a quick settings tweak on desktop and mobile:

On desktop:

Click the 3-dot menu button in the top-right Chrome window.
Select Settings.
Click the “Privacy and security” section.
Select “Security” and scroll down.
Click on the “Use a different location” box.
Enter a new Country, State/Province and postal code.
Close and re-open Chrome for this location to take effect.

On Android/iOS:

Tap the 3-dot menu button in top-right of the Chrome app.
Select Settings.
Tap Location in the Privacy section.
Toggle “Use device location” off.
Enter any custom address you want to use for your new location.
Relaunch Chrome and your virtual location will update.

It’s that easy! Just enter a new location of your choosing and Chrome will think you’re browsing from somewhere new.

Choosing a Location for Your Browsing Needs

When selecting a place to virtually browse from, consider your specific needs:

To access region-locked content, choose a major city in the allowed country. For example, London in the UK or Toronto in Canada.
For international shopping and pricing, pick major business centers like New York, Tokyo, or Paris.
For travel planning, use the actual city and country you’ll be visiting.
For language learning, select a small town in the native region. This gives the most authentic translations.
For broad cultural customization, just the country is often sufficient.

Take some time to research location options for your goals. Often a large city in the desired country is a good starting point.

When to Switch Back to Your True Location

While a fake location enables many useful browsing scenarios, there are times when you’ll want the accuracy of your real location:

If searching for local businesses, services, events and information nearby. Local results will be skewed otherwise.
If using location-based features like Google Maps directions, local alerts and recommendations. These require your true origin point.
When shopping online and purchasing physical goods that must actually ship to your address.
If looking up government resources, voting, taxes or legal information. These are tied to your residence.
Anytime your actual location is needed for local settings and personalization.

It takes just a minute to toggle your Chrome settings and reset back to your current true place when needed.

Privacy Considerations

Like with any location-changing technology, it’s worth understanding the privacy implications:

Sites and services still receive your real IP address and device details, which can pinpoint your city and country. Changing Chrome’s virtual location doesn’t hide this.
Your Google account, if logged in, continues associating your activities with your identity. Browsing history can still be linked to you.
Use private browsing mode for added anonymity when changing locations. This hides browsing history from your device and account.

While not fully private, changing your virtual location does allow customizing how sites perceive your spot on the map based on Chrome’s settings.

Troubleshooting Location Changes

If you try altering your location but things don’t take effect, here are some troubleshooting tips:

Make sure to completely close and restart Chrome after changing settings. This refreshes the browser with new location data.
Try manually typing a location instead of using detection, which can pull old cached locations.
Double check that private browsing mode isn’t on, as this uses your true location.
On mobile, confirm Chrome has device location access enabled in phone settings, then toggle it off within Chrome.
If sites think you’re somewhere you didn’t set, your network, IP address or Google account may be overriding the custom location.

Don’t hesitate to experiment with different locations and browser restarting until your virtual location works as expected. The ability to customize your locale opens up many useful browsing experiences.

Summary

Chrome’s location settings allow you to browse from anywhere in the world without ever leaving home. With just your computer or phone, you can:

Unblock geo-restricted content by appearing in other countries.
View regional versions of sites by changing locale.
Plan travel, learn languages and shop internationally.
Customize language, ads and recommendations to match other cultures.

So try tweaking your location to match your browsing needs. Just tap that settings button, enter a new spot on the map, and start exploring the web from new destinations!

Try browsing as if you were in a new country and see how the web changes based on your virtual location. The possibilities are worldwide!

How To Turn Off Location Tracking On Google Chrome

The following steps will help you to turn off location tracking on Google Chrome and they work for both smart devices and desktops using the location settings:

Step 1: Click the three-dot icon on the top right corner of your browser window.

Step 2: Choose “Settings”.

Step 3: Choose “Privacy and Security” in the top right.

Step 4: Go to “Site Settings”, and then select “Location”.

Step 5: Default Behavior > Don’t allow sites to see your location.

Note: Once you change your setting to this, features that need your location won’t work.

Reasons To Change Your Chrome Location

Chrome uses geolocation services which can put your data at risk. Hence, changing your Chrome location can be a wise option also let us see what are the reasons to change your location:

Traffic Encryption: Using a Chrome VPN to change location will help you keep your online activities anonymous. Top-notch VPNs use encryption ciphers and advanced tunneling protocols that provide more security and privacy.

Geo-location Masking: Your actual location may be the cause of getting scammed or receiving targeted ads from marketers. Changing your location can mask your actual location and will prevent you from any cyber threats or commercials.

Geo-Restricted Content: Using a VPN and changing your Chrome location can unblock geo-restricted content. By doing this you can easily stream any international content including sports.

Great Prices: Some countries offer great prices, offers and discounts on flights and subscriptions, among other things. You can easily be able to access and enjoy it by changing your virtual location on Google Chrome.

Secure Remote Work: You can protect your company’s information or data from competitors or cybercriminals, especially if you’re traveling to a heavily censored country.

Check Out: The Best VPN Chrome Extensions

How to Change Region in Google Chrome Browser Tutorial |

How do I change my Google Chrome location?

Open Google Chrome. Click or double-click the Chrome app, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere. Unfortunately, you can’t change your Chrome location settings on an iPhone or Android. Search for something. Click the address bar at the top of the window, then type in whatever you want to search for and press ↵ Enter . Click Settings.

How do I customize my location settings in chrome?

Here’s how to customize your location settings in Chrome on desktop or in the Chrome app. 1. Open Google Chrome on your Mac or PC. 2. Click the three dots in the top-right corner of your screen and then select “Settings” from the dropdown menu. You can also enter the URL, “chrome://settings” for quick and easy access to the browser’s settings.

Why do I need to change location settings in chrome?

Location settings are an important aspect of the Google Chrome browser. Sometimes you may want to change location settings in Chrome for one reason or another. The location settings in Chrome, or any other browser for that matter, help with search results. This is especially true when you are searching for something in your area.

Can I change location settings in Chrome back to the original region?

You can always change location settings in Chrome back to the original region, or any other area you wish. Location settings are an important aspect of the Google Chrome browser. You may want to change location settings in Chrome for one reason or another.