Location services on Windows 11/10 are sometimes reported to be greyed out automatically either by the Operating System or due to the presence of some third-party software. Due to this glitch, the user is not able to toggle their Location services on and off and also cannot change any settings related to it. We will be discussing some working methods by which you can resolve this issue on Windows 11/10.
Fix Location services greyed out in Windows 11/10
Before you begin, you may want to perform a Clean Boot and check if you are able to configure the Location services. If you can, then you need to manually identify the process that may be interfering with it and remove it.
The following working methods would help you to troubleshoot the error of location services being grayed out on Windows 11/10. You need to make sure that you follow all the given methods carefully:
- Use Registry Editor.
- Make use of the Windows Services Manager.
- Use Group Policy Editor.
1] Use Registry Editor
Open the Windows Registry Editor and navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lfsvc\TriggerInfo
Select the Key (folder) named as 3.
Right-click on it and delete it.
2] Make use of the Windows Services Manager
Open the Windows Services Manager.
For the entry of Geolocation Service, make sure that the service is Running and the Startup type is set to be Automatic.
Check now.
3] Use Group Policy Editor
The Group Policy Editor is not available on the Home edition of Windows 10. Hence, if you are using Windows 11/10 Home, you can just skip this method or add GPEDIT to your OS and then try.
Open the Group Policy Editor and navigate to the following path:
Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Location and Sensors
Double-click on each of these three settings and select Not configured or Disabled:
- Turn off location scripting.
- Turn off location.
- Turn off sensors.
Next, navigate to:
Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Location and Sensors > Windows Location Provider
Double-click on Turn off Windows Location Provider, set the configuration for it to be Not Configured or Disabled.
This policy setting turns off the Windows Location Provider feature for this computer. If you enable this policy setting, the Windows Location Provider feature will be turned off, and all programs on this computer will not be able to use the Windows Location Provider feature. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, all programs on this computer can use the Windows Location Provider feature.
Reboot your computer and check if it fixed your issue.
All the best!
Why are special permissions greyed out in Windows 11?
Special permissions in Windows 11/10 may appear greyed out due to inherited permissions from a parent folder. To modify them, right-click the folder, choose Properties, and navigate to the Security tab. Click Advanced, then Change Permissions to adjust settings. Disabling inheritance may allow you to customize permissions.
How do I enable Location services?
To enable location services, go to your device settings, select “Privacy,” then choose “Location Services” and toggle it to “On.” Ensure that specific applications have permission to access your location by adjusting their settings under “Location Services.” This allows apps and services to provide location-based features.
