How to Clear Location Tracking Information from Your MacBook

Location Tracking Information on your MacBook has its advantages as well as disadvantages. On one hand, these Services allow applications and websites to gather and use information based on the current location of your computer in order to provide you better services while on the other hand, these services could expose your privacy if you are not careful.

Do you know if your MacBook is tracking your whereabouts?

Do you regularly check the applications to which you provide your location access? If you allow third-party applications or websites to use your current location, you are subject to their terms and privacy policy and practices. Apple’s privacy guidelines are pretty stringent and any information collected by Apple is treated according to the company’s privacy policy.

Related: How to Clear Search History From Your iPhone and Protect Privacy

In this article, we will explore the various Location services settings found on your MacBook and highlight a few tips that will help you better manage your privacy and security.

How to Enable or Disable Location Services on Your MacBook

Accessing your location services settings on your MacBook is simple. Click on  > System Preferences > Security & Privacy. The first option here is the location services. You can enable and disable the setting here by checking/unchecking location services.

What Apps have access to my MacBook’s Location

When you are exploring the Location services settings in privacy & security preferences on your Macbook, it will show you all the different apps that have access to your location. Furthermore, if there is an app that accessed your location in the last 24 hours, it will be shown with the indicator.

How Can I see my Location History on my MacBook?

Your MacBook can keep track of all the significant locations that you have been to with your MacBook. In order to find this information, the first step is to click on the lock button and enter your credentials. Then click on ‘Details” next to ‘System Services’ at the bottom of the location services screen in security & Privacy screen.

Now, on the next screen, click on ‘Details” next to Significant locations.

This will show you all the significant locations that your Macbook has tracked. It shows you the city, the date and the number of locations in a map.

Click through and you will also see that it keeps track of the time when you were there in the location as well!!

That’s a lot of information that is being captured as you travel around with your MacBook.

According to Apple, 

Your device learns about your significant locations to make better on-device suggestions

Your computer will keep track of places you have recently been, as well as how often and when you visited them, in order to learn places that are significant to you. This data is transmitted end-to-end encrypted between your iCloud connected devices and will not be shared without your consent. It will be used to provide you with personalized services, such as predictive traffic routing, and to build better Photos Memories.

You can clear out these tracked locations if you like or simply disable the location services on your MacBook.

How To Clear Your Location History on Your Macbook

Now that you have seen how much information can be tracked by your MacBook, the next step is to clear this history if you want to keep it private. In order to do so, click on “Clear History” on this screen. Click again to confirm and it will remove all the location history from your MacBook.

We hope that you found this quick tip helpful! Please let us know in the comments below if you have any questions.

Please share the article with your fellow MacBook users so that they know how they can control the tracking information on their MacBook.

SK( Managing Editor )

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.