Where are the location settings?
Location is one of the few important settings that most systems do not put on the first screen — and that is a deliberate choice, not an oversight. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
26 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use four different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Location | 16 |
| Location Services | 8 |
| GPS | 1 |
| Location access | 1 |
The most common is Location, on 16 of the 26. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 15 of the 26 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| Android 17 | Location | 1 |
| Wear OS 7 | Location | 1 |
| BlackBerry OS 10 | Security and Privacy › Location Services | 2 |
| Fire TV Vega OS | Preferences › Location | 2 |
| Garmin System 20 | About › GPS | 2 |
| iOS 27.0 | Privacy & Security › Location Services | 2 |
| iOS 6 6.1 | Privacy › Location Services | 2 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | Privacy & Security › Location Services | 2 |
| KaiOS 3.0 | Privacy & Security › Location | 2 |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | Privacy & Security › Location Services | 2 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Privacy & Security › Location | 2 |
| visionOS 27 | Privacy & Security › Location Services | 2 |
| watchOS 27 | Privacy & Security › Location Services | 2 |
| Windows 11 | Privacy & security › Location | 2 |
| Windows 98 98 SE | Telephony › Location | 2 |
| ChromeOS 151 | Privacy and security › Privacy controls › Location access | 3 |
| Google TV 14 | Apps › Permissions › Location | 3 |
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | Privacy › Permission manager › Location | 3 |
| HyperOS 4.0 | Privacy protection › Authorization and revocation › Location | 3 |
| LG webOS webOS 26 | General › System › Location | 3 |
| One UI 9 | Security and privacy › Permission manager › Location | 3 |
| OxygenOS 16 | Security and privacy › Permission manager › Location | 3 |
| tvOS 27 | General › Privacy › Location Services | 3 |
| Windows 7 SP1 | Clock, Language, and Region › Region and Language › Location | 3 |
| Windows XP SP3 | Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options › Change the format of numbers, dates, and times › Location | 3 |
| Xbox 2608 | Account › Profile › Customize profile › Location | 4 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
Location moved. On older systems it sat beside Wi-Fi as a radio you switched on and off. On current ones it sits inside Privacy, because the question stopped being “is the GPS on” and became “which apps can see where I am”. That re-filing is what put it a tap or two further down.
The split between Location and Location Services follows the same line. Services is the plural of permissions; the bare word is the plural of hardware.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to locking a device, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where are the location settings on most systems?
On 15 of the 26 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Location”, used by 16 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are four different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
26 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.