Is this problem limited to Google or does it appear on other sites, for example, Yelp or a store finder for a large national chain?

You can see the typical location data associated with your current IP address using a site such as this one: https://www.iplocation.net/ (if prompted, ignore any request to share location, since that would be based on the names (SSIDs) of wi-fi hotspots near your computer rather than just your IP address).

For Google: The basis for the location used is listed at the bottom of the results page. More info: https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/179386?p=ws_settings_location&hl=en&rd=1

Hi, jscher2000. www.iplocation.net and similar sites identify my location correctly down to the city, but search results on my laptop and my desktop (same network) are still my old location, 1,200 miles away. "Use precise location" is clickable, but when I do so in Firefox, nothing happens. Something is still wrong. It appears that Google is identifying my location incorrectly. Any other ideas on how I can fix this? Thanks.

I forgot to mention that sites like cvs.com and walgreens.com locate stores near my current, correct location. Only Google search places me 1,200 miles away.

Clear the cache and remove the cookies from websites that cause problems via the "3-bar" Firefox menu button (Options/Preferences).

"Clear the cache":

• Options/Preferences -> Advanced -> Network -> Cached Web Content: "Clear Now"

"Remove the cookies" from websites that cause problems.

• Options/Preferences -> Privacy -> "Use custom settings for history" -> Cookies: "Show Cookies"

Thanks, cor-el. Problem persists. What confounds me is that the problem is identical on both my laptop and my desktop PC (networked).

You can compare some providers to see whether they show different results.

• http://whatismyipaddress.com/geolocation-providers
• http://browserleaks.com/geo
• http://html5demos.com/geo

All the sites I've checked reveal my correct, current location.

ajm115834 said

"Use precise location" is clickable, but when I do so in Firefox, nothing happens.

What is supposed to happen is that a little panel drops down from the left end of the address bar asking if you approve Google to receive location information from Firefox.

If you are using a private window, this might not work. Assuming you are using a regular window, could you make sure this feature is not disabled?

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste geo. and pause while the list is filtered

(3) If the geo.enabled preference is bolded and "modified" or "user set" to false, double-click it to restore the default value of true

If you changed that, load a new Google results page and try precise location again.

I changed the geo.enabled preference as you suggested, so precise location now works. The problem now is that Firefox is telling me that the old location is set (still incorrectly) by the computer. I went into Windows Settings > Privacy and reset the location to my current ZIP code, restarted the computer, and it's still providing the same incorrect search results.

As far as I know, Firefox's precise location feature works by asking Windows the network names (SSIDs) of nearby wi-fi hotspots, and sending those to a Google service which associates those names with physical locations. Possibly Google's hotspot database still has an old location for your wireless router?

Do you get the correct location in Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer?

Firefox and IE give the wrong location. Edge gives the correct location.

I don't know how location works in Edge. If your IP address is the same in Edge as your other browsers, it must use some other method of providing location.