Guide: How to Change Location on Chrome (And Similar Browsers)

Changing your location in Chrome starts with one simple question: what are you trying to change? You may want to test a location-aware website, fix inaccurate local search results, control whether a website can access your device’s location, or change the IP-based location online platforms see. The right method depends on the location signal a website is using.

Chrome can use or respond to different location signals depending on the site, your device, and your current permissions. This guide explains how to change browser geolocation and your IP-based location, manage location permissions, check whether your changes worked, and troubleshoot incorrect results.

How to Change Your Location in Chrome: Quick Answer

Use the table below to match your goal with the setting that changes it. 

What You Want to Change	Best Method	What It Changes	What It Doesn’t Change
Coordinates reported to a webpage	Chrome Developer Tools	The browser geolocation supplied to the page you’re testing	Your public IP address or phone’s GPS
Country or city inferred from your IP	CyberGhost VPN	Your public IP address and its approximate virtual location	Your device’s GPS coordinates
Whether Chrome can use device location	Device and site permissions	Whether a site can request or access location data	It doesn’t create a different location
Local results showing the wrong place	Identify the location source first	The specific device, IP, permission, or account setting causing the issue	Other location signals may stay unchanged

Once you know which signal you need to change, jump to the matching instructions below.

Browser Geolocation vs IP Location vs GPS

Websites can use several location signals, which is why two pages may place you in different cities at the same time. Here’s what each signal actually means: 

• • Browser geolocation: The coordinates Chrome provides after you allow a website to access your location. Chrome may draw on information supplied by your device and nearby network signals.
  • IP-based location: An approximate geographic estimate linked to your public IP address. It usually points to a country, region, or city rather than an exact address.
  • Device location: The position your operating system estimates. On Android, this may combine GPS, nearby Wi-Fi access points, mobile networks, and sensors such as the accelerometer and gyroscope.
  • Account and search context: Saved places, previous searches, recent activity, and permission choices can influence the local results you see. Google may label results as based on past activity or your internet address.

These signals don’t always agree. Chrome may report coordinates from your device, while a website may estimate a different city from your IP address. Search results may also reflect older account activity even after you change another setting.

Changing or blocking one location signal doesn’t change the others. For example, blocking a site’s location permission stops it from receiving browser geolocation through that request, but the site may still estimate your general area from your IP address.

How to Change Chrome Geolocation With Developer Tools

Chrome Developer Tools override the geolocation coordinates a webpage receives during testing. Your public IP address and phone’s GPS location stay unchanged.

This method works in desktop Chrome and is useful for testing pages that respond to geographic coordinates. Chrome’s Sensors panel includes preset cities and a custom option for entering a precise latitude and longitude. You can also simulate an unavailable location to see how a webpage handles errors. Here’s how you can use it:

1. Open the webpage you want to test.
2. Right-click anywhere on the page and select Inspect. You can also press Ctrl + Shift + I on Windows or Linux, or Command + Option + I on macOS.
3. In DevTools, click the three-dot menu, then choose More tools > Sensors. Alternatively, press Ctrl + Shift + P on Windows or Linux, or Command + Shift + P on macOS. Type “Sensors,” select Show Sensors, and press Enter.

4. Open the Geolocation dropdown in the Sensors panel.
5. Choose a preset city, such as Tokyo, or select Custom location.
6. Enter the latitude and longitude for the place you want to test.
7. Refresh the webpage. Allow location access if Chrome asks for permission.

8. When you’ve finished testing, return the dropdown to No override and refresh the page again.

The override stays active for that page until you reset the Sensors setting. It doesn’t change Chrome’s location across other tabs, browsers, or apps. 

You can save places you use often under DevTools Settings > Locations. Each preset can include a name, latitude, longitude, time zone, and locale, making repeated tests much quicker.

How to Change Your IP Location in Chrome With CyberGhost VPN

When you connect to CyberGhost VPN, the app routes supported traffic through your chosen server and encrypts the connection. Websites then see the server’s public IP address instead of yours, which can update the approximate country or city linked to your connection. 

Here’s how to change your IP-based location:

1. Subscribe to CyberGhost VPN and download our app.
2. Open the app, expand the side menu, and select All servers.
3. Choose a country or open its location list to select an available city. Some countries only offer one location.

4. Click the power button and wait for CyberGhost VPN to connect.
5. Open Chrome or reload any pages that were already open.
6. Use an IP-checking tool to confirm that your visible IP address and approximate location have changed.

The full app works across supported traffic on your device, so Chrome and your other browsers use the VPN IP instead of your actual IP address. Apps that rely on GPS can still report your device’s physical position.

How to Manage Chrome Location on Android and iPhone

Mobile location settings decide whether Chrome can access your device’s location. These permission controls can’t create a new position. 

Unlike desktop Chrome, phones manage location permission at the device level. Android also lets you control access for individual websites. Both permissions need to be enabled before a site can access your device’s location.

Android

First, check whether Chrome has permission to use your phone’s location:

1. Tap and hold the Chrome app icon.
2. Go to App info (“i” icon) > Permissions > Location.
3. Choose Allow only while using the app, Ask every time, or Don’t allow.
4. If you allow access, choose whether Chrome can use your precise or approximate location.

Next, review the permission inside Chrome:

1. Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu.
2. Go to Settings > Site settings > Location.
3. Choose whether websites can access your location or not.

Android treats Chrome’s app permission and each website’s permission separately. A website can’t receive device location when Chrome itself doesn’t have access, even if you previously granted permission.

Menu names can vary slightly depending on your Android version and device manufacturer.

iPhone and iPad

To change your Chrome location on iOS devices, follow the instructions below:

1. Open your device’s Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap Chrome.
3. Click Location.
4. Choose an available option, such as Never, Ask Next Time or When I Share, or While Using the App.
5. Turn on Precise Location when a site needs your exact position or switch it off to share a wider estimate.

The available permission choices may vary by device or iOS version.

How Location Controls Work in Edge, Brave, Firefox, and Safari

Other browsers can manage or test location too, though the available controls vary:

• • Microsoft Edge: Open DevTools, select More tools > Sensors, then choose a preset location or enter custom coordinates. You can also simulate an unavailable location to test how a webpage responds.
  • Brave: Its Chromium base usually includes the Sensors panel, though Brave changes parts of Chromium’s geolocation handling. Check the result on your test page before relying on the override.
  • Firefox: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Location to review or block website requests. Firefox asks before sharing an estimated location and lets you remove temporary or saved permissions later.
  • Safari on Mac: Open Safari > Settings > Websites > Location. Choose Ask, Deny, or Allow for individual websites and set a default for other sites.

How to Check Whether Your Location Changed

Run two checks to see which location signals changed: 

1. Check your public IP location: Open an IP-checking tool and confirm the visible IP address has changed. Its approximate country or city should generally match the VPN server you selected.
2. Check your browser geolocation: Open a location-testing page, allow Chrome to access your location, and review the coordinates it receives. Chrome asks for permission before sharing this estimate with a website.

Your results may look like this:

• • Both changed: The website receives location signals that broadly match.
  • Only the IP changed: CyberGhost VPN is connected, but Chrome still reports your physical device location.
  • Only browser geolocation changed: The DevTools override worked, but your public IP still points to your regular network.
  • Neither changed: Continue to the troubleshooting steps below.

Troubleshooting When Chrome Shows the Wrong Location

Note whether the mismatch appears in the IP result, browser-geolocation result, or both and follow these steps:

1. Check your CyberGhost VPN connection. Switch to the intended server or disconnect when you want websites to use your regular network location.
2. Review Chrome’s permission for the affected website. Select the icon beside the address bar, open Site settings, and check Location. Chrome lets each website use its own permission instead of the browser’s default.
3. Check your computer or phone’s location settings and confirm Chrome has the access you intended.
4. Refresh the page and restart Chrome after changing a permission or location override.
5. Scroll to the bottom of Google Search and check the source shown for its location estimate.
6. Try an Incognito window or sign out temporarily. This can help you check whether saved browsing or account context is influencing the result.
7. Compare another browser, device, or network. This helps reveal whether the issue follows Chrome, the device, or the internet connection.

Google Search may keep showing an older location after you update a setting. Google says it can reuse the device location from your previous visit, stored in a cookie that expires after six hours.

Clearing cookies may help with saved information, but it won’t correct an inaccurate IP estimate or device permission. Use the results to focus on the setting that’s actually causing the mismatch. 

Choose the Right Method to Change Your Chrome Location

Changing your location in Chrome is much easier once you know which location signal you need to change. Use DevTools to override browser geolocation for testing, adjust permissions to control whether websites can access your device location, and use a VPN when you want to change the public IP address and approximate location websites see.

If changing your IP-based location is the goal, CyberGhost VPN lets you connect to servers across 100 countries and choose from available city-level locations in selected countries. Once connected, websites generally see the VPN server’s public IP address instead of your own, while the VPN tunnel protects traffic routed through the VPN with strong encryption.

CyberGhost VPN also includes DNS leak protection and an automatic Kill Switch to help prevent your traffic from accidentally bypassing the encrypted tunnel. Connect before opening Chrome, choose the server location you want, and check your IP address afterward to confirm the change.

FAQ