How to Fix Location Services not Working on Mac

Location services are an essential feature for a lot of apps to function properly. Many countries have content regulations and location services help maintain them. Apps like Netflix and Prime have location-specific content catering to a particular country and apps like Apple Maps rely on it for GPS. Therefore location services not working can be an issue in day-to-day use of the device. Therefore here is How to Fix Location Services not Working on Mac.

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How to Fix Location Services not Working on Mac

Here are 5 fixes you can try to fix the location services issue.

Check if Location Services are Enabled

The first thing you can do is to check if location services are enabled or not. Many apps require the exact location of your device to function and if they cannot determine your location then they won’t perform properly.

1. Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type System Preferences, and press Return.
2. Click on Security and Privacy.
3. Click on the lock icon at the bottom-left corner.
4. Authorize with Touch ID.
5. Check if the location services are enabled or not. If not click on the check box to enable.
6. Scroll down and click on Details to check System Services.
7. Enable Location-Based Suggestions to allow your Mac to receive Siri Suggestions and Safari Suggestions.
8. Click on Done to save your changes.
9. Click on the Unlock Icon to save changes.

Restart your Mac

The issue could be caused due to a bug in the cache or RAM of the device which might lead to incorrect location data. Therefore it is recommended to restart your Mac before trying out other methods.

Check the Date and Time Settings of your Mac

If the date and time of your Mac are not of your current location then the apps on your Mac will not function as intended. When the date and time for your location are correct only then do your apps work properly and provide relevant suggestions for you. To check the date and time on your Mac:

1. Go to System Preferences.
2. Click on Date and Time.
3. In the Date and Time window, click the lock icon in the bottom-left corner to access the features.
4. Authorize with Touch ID.
5. Click to enable Set Date and Time Automatically.
6. Go to the Time Zone Section.
7. Enable Select Time Zone Automatically Using Current Location.
8. Click the Unlock icon to save changes.

Enable Location Services for Mac Apps

The next thing you should check is if you have enabled location services for specific apps. There are times when we install an app and forget to allow location access for the app. This could be the reason why your apps are not functioning the way they are supposed to. To enable location services for specific apps:

1. Go to System Preferences.
2. Click on Security and Privacy.
3. Click on the Lock Icon and Authorize with Touch ID.
4. Click the checkbox next to the app name that requires location services.
5. Click on the Unlock Icon to save changes.

Update your Mac

There is a chance that a software bug is causing this issue on your system therefore Apple might already be working on the issue. Therefore it is recommended to keep your Mac up to date and check on Apple Support Community to see if other users are facing the same issue.

Conclusion

Here is How to Fix Location Services not Working on Mac. Since to access your favourite content on the web or use your apps, Location Services are extremely important. If none of the above issues worked for you then we recommend contacting Apple Support as it might be a device-specific issue.