A VPN is a service that hides your approximate location based on your public IP address. It does not automatically hide your GPS location, browser permissions, account details or other identifying information.
A VPN changes one main location signal: your public IP address. Websites usually see the VPN server's IP address instead of the address assigned to your home or mobile network. They may then associate your connection with the VPN server's city, region or country.
What Location Information Does a VPN Hide?
A VPN hides your public IP address from the websites you visit. It usually changes the IP-based country, region or city associated with your connection, but it does not hide every source of location data.
| Location signal | Does a VPN hide it? | What the service may see |
|---|---|---|
| Public IP address | Yes | The VPN server's approximate location |
| IP-based country or city | Usually | The VPN server's registered location |
| GPS coordinates | No | Your actual device location if permission is granted |
| Browser location permission | No | Your location if you allow the website to access it |
| Wi-Fi, cellular or Bluetooth location data | No | Possible information about your physical location |
| Cookies and account activity | No | Information linked to your account or browser |
| VPN provider's records | Not necessarily | Your real IP address and connection data, depending on its policies |
How Does a VPN Change Your Apparent Location?
A VPN changes your apparent IP-based location by routing your internet traffic through an encrypted connection to a remote VPN server. Websites then receive requests from the VPN server's public IP address rather than your normal IP address.
IP addresses generally reveal an approximate country, region or city. They do not provide your exact street address or GPS coordinates.
For example, you could be physically in New York while connected to a VPN server in London. An IP-based location lookup may then identify your connection as coming from London.
People often call this your virtual location. It is separate from your physical location.
What Does a VPN Not Hide?
A VPN does not hide GPS data, browser location permissions, account-linked activity or every signal that can reveal where your device is.
GPS and Device Location
A VPN does not change the GPS location of your phone, tablet or computer. An app with permission to access your device's location may still determine where you are while the VPN is connected.
Location data can also come from Wi-Fi networks, cellular towers and Bluetooth signals.
Browser Location Permissions
Web browsers can provide location information separately from your IP address. In Chrome, a website can request location access. If you approve the request, Chrome sends information to Google Location Services to estimate your location and may share it with the website.
A VPN does not cancel a location permission that you have already granted.
Cookies, Accounts and Device Fingerprinting
A VPN also does not stop websites from recognising you through:
- A signed-in Google, Apple, Microsoft or social media account
- Cookies and tracking pixels
- Browser or device fingerprinting
- Your email address, phone number or payment details
- Location information saved to your account
Masking an IP address is not the same as becoming anonymous. Websites and companies can still use cookies, fingerprinting, tracking pixels and device-based location data.
The VPN Provider
A VPN hides your IP address from the websites you visit, but the VPN provider can still technically see the IP address from which you connect. Your privacy therefore depends partly on the provider's logging, data-retention and ownership policies.
Proton VPN describes this as moving trust from your internet service provider to the VPN provider.
Can Google or a Website Still Show Your Real Location?
Yes. A website may still show your real or approximate location if you:
- Allow browser or app location access.
- Use an app that can read GPS or other device-location signals.
- Sign in to an account containing location history.
- Use cookies or a device fingerprint linked to previous activity.
- Reveal your location through searches, messages, addresses or payment information.
A website may also show a different city from the VPN server. IP-geolocation databases do not always map VPN addresses accurately. Google, for example, may associate a VPN IP address with a different location based on how other devices have used that address.
How to Hide More of Your Location While Using a VPN
Use a full-device VPN and review the location settings on your browser and apps. You can also:
- Use a full-device VPN app rather than only a browser extension. A browser VPN may protect browser traffic without covering other apps. Mozilla states that its Firefox VPN feature does not proxy traffic from other applications on the device.
- Deny location access to websites that do not need it.
- Review app location permissions and disable access for unnecessary apps.
- Turn off device location services when precise location is not needed.
- Avoid signing in to accounts when you do not want activity linked to your identity.
- Choose a VPN server in the location you want websites to see.
- Check your public IP address with the VPN disconnected and connected to confirm that it changes.
Bottom Line
Use a VPN for IP privacy. If you need broader location privacy, also restrict browser and app permissions, review account settings and limit the information you share. A VPN hides your IP-based location, not your physical location or every detail that can identify you.