Where Facebook Gets Your Location and How to Update It

Facebook pulls your location from several places: your phone's GPS, your internet address, the city you entered in your profile, and the WiFi networks you connect to. To change what Facebook shows about where you are, you need to update your profile information and adjust your phone's location permissions. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use Facebook on a phone or a computer.

Your location appears in different ways across Facebook. Your profile shows a city or region you set manually. Your activity — posts, check-ins, photos — can be tagged with a location. And Facebook's background systems track your approximate location to show you local ads and recommendations, even if you never enter it yourself.

Key Takeaways

  • Update your profile city by going to your profile, clicking "Edit profile," and changing the "Current City" or "Hometown" field to your new location.
  • Turn off location tracking for individual posts by unchecking the location tag before you publish, or by editing the post afterward to remove it.
  • Disable Facebook's background location access on your phone by going to your phone's Settings, finding Facebook, and turning off location permission.
  • Remove old check-ins and location tags from past posts by clicking the three dots on the post and selecting "Edit post" or "Delete location."

Changing Your Profile City on Desktop or Mobile

Your profile lists a current city and hometown. These are the locations Facebook shows publicly (or to friends, depending on your privacy settings). To change them on any device, open Facebook and go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture.

Click or tap "Edit profile." Look for the "Current City" field and the "Hometown" field. Click into each one and type your new city. Facebook will show you suggestions as you type — select the correct city from the list. Click "Save changes" when you are done. The update takes effect when ready, though it may take a few minutes to appear everywhere on the site.

Removing Location Tags From Posts and Check-Ins

When you post something, Facebook lets you add a location tag. This tells people where you were when you posted. If you have old posts with location tags you want to remove, or if you want to stop tagging locations on new posts, you can do that post by post.

To remove a location tag from an existing post, find the post on your timeline. Click the three dots in the top right corner of the post. Select "Edit post." Look for the location tag (it usually appears near the date) and click the X next to it. Click "Save" to remove it. To prevent location tags on future posts, straightforward do not add a location when you create a post — leave that field blank.

Turning Off Location Access on Your Phone

Facebook can track your location in the background using your phone's GPS, even when you are not actively using the app. This happens because you gave Facebook permission to access your location when you installed it. To stop this, you need to change your phone's permission settings.

On iPhone: Open Settings, scroll down and tap "Facebook," then tap "Location." Select "Never" to stop Facebook from accessing your location at all. If you want Facebook to access your location only while you are using the app, select "While Using" instead.

On Android: Open Settings, go to "Apps" or "Applications," find and tap "Facebook," then tap "Permissions." Tap "Location" and select "Don't allow." If you want to allow it only while using the app, select "Allow only while using the app."

Clearing Your Location History in Facebook Settings

Facebook stores a history of places you have checked into or been tagged at. You can view and delete this history from your account settings. Open Facebook and click the down arrow in the top right corner (on desktop) or the menu icon (on mobile). Select "Settings and privacy," then "Settings."

Look for "Location" in the left menu. Click it. You will see a list of places Facebook has associated with you. Click the X next to any location you want to remove. You can delete them one at a time or clear your entire location history. Note that this removes the history from your account, but does not prevent Facebook from collecting location data going forward — you still need to turn off location permissions on your phone to stop that.

Adjusting Location Privacy for Your Profile

Even after you update your location, you can control who sees it. Go to your profile and click "Edit profile." Find your current city or hometown. To the right of the field, you will see a privacy icon (usually a globe, a lock, or a person icon). Click it to change who can see that information.

Your options are usually "Public" (everyone can see it), "Friends" (only your friends can see it), or "Only me" (no one else can see it). Choose the setting that matches your privacy preference, then save your changes. This does not affect location tags on individual posts — those have their own privacy settings based on who you shared the post with.

What Happens When You Change Your Location

When you update your profile location, Facebook uses it to show you local ads, local events, and local business recommendations. It also affects what you see in your feed — Facebook may prioritize posts from people and pages in your area. Your friends will see your new location on your profile (unless you set it to private).

Changing your location does not automatically delete old posts or check-ins from your timeline. Those remain visible with their original location tags unless you remove them manually. If you move frequently or travel often, you may want to turn off location tagging entirely and manage your location manually through your profile instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide my location from Facebook completely?

Yes. Turn off location permission on your phone (in your phone's Settings, not Facebook's), remove your current city from your profile, and do not tag locations on posts. Facebook will still estimate your location from your internet address, but you will have removed the most obvious location signals.

Does changing my location on Facebook affect my other apps?

No. Your Facebook location is separate from your phone's location settings. Changing your Facebook profile location does not affect Google Maps, weather apps, or any other app. However, if you change your phone's location permission for Facebook, that affects only Facebook.

Why does Facebook show a location I never entered?

Facebook estimates your location from your internet address (IP address) and the WiFi networks you connect to. This estimate appears in the background even if you never enter a city in your profile. To stop this, turn off location permission on your phone and use a VPN if you want to mask your internet address.

Can I change my location for just one post?

Yes. When you create a post, click the location field and type the city you want to tag. You can tag a different location for each post, or tag no location at all. This does not change your profile location — it only affects that single post.

What if I do not want to share my exact city?

You can enter a region or state instead of a specific city in your profile. You can also set your current city to private so only you can see it. For individual posts, straightforward do not add a location tag, or tag a nearby city instead of your actual location.