Geo Location is defaulting to Washington but I don't live there

Carlos Angulo 0 Reputation points
2026-01-22T02:52:49.09+00:00

Hey, my windows geo location is wrong, after the KB5074109 update ( I'm assuming ) its routing to the deafult location in Washington but I don't even live there. Was never an issue until yesterday randomly during the day. Tried almost all the trouble shooting steps possible and I'm assuming its something to do with windows rather than my search engine.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Windows update
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-01-22T02:52:57.1033333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    If your Windows geo location is defaulting to Washington and you believe this issue started after the KB5074109 update, there are a few troubleshooting steps you can take:

    1. Check Location Settings: Ensure that location services are enabled on your device. Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Location and verify that the location services are turned on.
    2. Update Location Privacy Settings: If the location privacy settings do not allow your app to access your location, you can provide a link to the location privacy settings in your app or navigate there directly from your settings.
    3. Request Access: If your app requires precise location access, ensure that it calls Geolocator.RequestAccessAsync at a suitable point in the user experience to prompt for permission.
    4. Check for Windows Updates: Make sure that your system is fully updated, as there may be patches or fixes released after the KB5074109 update that address location issues.
    5. Test Location Services: You can also test your app's location services by using a Windows PC that is enrolled in the Windows Insider Program and checking if the issue persists.

    If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider reporting the problem through the Feedback Hub app for further assistance.


    References:

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  2. Hendrix-V 9,595 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-01-22T07:27:26.6+00:00

    Hi Carlos Angulo,

    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Windows determines location using several signals (such as network and location services). If those signals are temporarily incomplete or inconsistent, Windows may fall back to a default location (often Washington, U.S.).

    Please try these quick checks first:

    1 - Confirm Location is enabled: In Settings > Privacy & security > Location, ensure Location services is On.

    2 - Verify system region and time zone: In Settings > Time & language > Region / Date & time, ensure both reflect your actual location.

    If you use a VPN, proxy, or secure DNS service, temporarily disable it and recheck the location. You can restart your PC to refresh location signals.

    If these settings already look correct and the location still defaults to Washington, there’s nothing you need to reinstall or repair since this behavior isn’t caused by local file corruption.

    Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.


    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.


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