How to Make Google Searches Ignore Your Location

Published On - August 26, 2025

ivan Blogging

Ever searched something on Google and got weirdly local results? Like you type “best pizza” and it shows pizza places down your street—but what if you didn’t want that? What if you want results from another country or just neutral, location-free answers? You can totally do that! And guess what? It’s super easy.

Let’s walk through how to make Google ignore your location when you’re searching.

Why Does Google Use Your Location?

Google wants to be helpful. That’s why it guesses where you are. It can use:

  • Your device’s GPS
  • Your IP address (kind of like your digital home address)
  • Your past activity
  • Your Google account settings

This is cool for finding a nearby coffee shop, but not so cool if you’re doing research, checking international news, or just being curious about the world.

Trick #1: Use Google’s International Search Pages

By default, Google often sends you to your local version of the site, like google.co.uk in the UK or google.ca in Canada. But you can go global by visiting:

https://www.google.com/ncr

The “ncr” stands for “no country redirect.” Bookmark it! This tells Google: “Hey, stop sending me to my country’s version.”

Trick #2: Change Search Settings

There’s a sneaky little option in Google’s settings to help with this. Here’s how to find it:

  1. Go to Google Search Settings
  2. Scroll down to Region Settings
  3. Pick a specific region or choose Do not automatically detect region
  4. Click Save

Now Google will try to use the region you picked, not your current spot on the planet. Handy when you’re pretending to be Canadian for maple syrup research.

Trick #3: Use a VPN

This is a powerful one. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. Basically, it gives you a new fake location online. So even if you’re sipping coffee in New York, Google might think you’re chilling in Tokyo.

There are free and paid VPN services. Some cool ones are:

  • ProtonVPN
  • Windscribe
  • NordVPN

Just pick the country you want, turn on the VPN, and browse away. Google will give you results based on that new “location.”

Trick #4: Use Search Operators

Want to be super clever? Use advanced search tricks. Here’s the magic phrase:

site: + the domain you want results from.

Example:

best coffee site:.ca – This shows results from Canadian websites only.

Or try adding a country name as a keyword, like:

news headlines Australia

It’s not perfect, but it helps throw Google off your scent!

Trick #5: Log Out of Your Google Account

If you’re signed into your Google account, Google knows your history and preferences. Sometimes it gets a little clingy. Logging out can make your searches more neutral.

Steps:

  1. Click your profile pic in the top right corner of Google
  2. Select Sign out

You’ll still get some local flavor (from your IP address), but less than if you’re fully logged in.

BONUS TIP: Search in Incognito Mode

Incognito Mode (or Private Browsing) hides some of your activity. Your browser won’t remember what you searched. Google won’t use cookies to personalize your results either.

To go incognito:

  • On Chrome: Press Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + N (Mac)
  • On Firefox/Safari: It’s called Private Window instead

It’s not perfect, but it adds another layer of ninja-ness to your search game.

Final Thoughts

You don’t have to let the web boss you around. Take control of what Google shows you. Stop letting your zip code decide your search results.

Mix and match the above tricks. Use the no country redirect link, switch your region settings, boost things with a VPN, or go full stealth with Incognito Mode. Try it all and see what works best for you.

Happy searching, world explorer!