How to Stop Websites From Asking for Your Location (and Camera) in Firefox

To stop websites from asking for your location in Firefox, open Settings, go to the Permissions section, click Settings next to Location, check Block new requests asking to access your location, and click Save Changes. Camera, microphone, and notification requests can be blocked the same way, each with its own checkbox.

These steps are for Firefox on a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer and follow Mozilla’s current help pages. Newer versions of Firefox list the Permissions section under Permissions and data in Settings; older versions show it under Privacy & Security. You do not need a Mozilla account, and nothing here changes your bookmarks, history, or passwords. The same Permissions section also holds the pop-up and redirect blocker, which you can use to configure redirects in Firefox.

What the Block Setting Does (Read This First)

By default, Firefox shows a small pop-up each time a site wants your location, camera, or microphone, and you pick Allow or Block. Turning on Block new requests makes Firefox refuse those requests automatically, so the pop-up stops appearing. If you also browse on an iPhone, Safari has a matching control for blocking website camera access.

Two things to know before you turn it on:

• Sites you already allowed keep their access. Remove them from the list if you want them blocked too.
• Sites that depend on the feature may stop working fully. A map cannot center on you, and a video call site cannot use your camera, because it never gets the chance to ask. Blocking camera and microphone access can stop certain features, or a whole site, from working.

The setting is easy to reverse, so it is safe to try.

How to Block Location Requests in Firefox

1. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of Firefox and choose Settings. A Settings tab opens. On a Mac you can also choose Firefox > Settings from the menu bar.
2. Click Permissions and data on the left (in older versions, click Privacy & Security), then scroll down to the Permissions section. You can also type location into the Settings search box at the top to jump straight to it.

3. Click the Settings button to the right of Location. A box named Settings – Location Permissions opens and lists every site with a saved Allow or Block choice.
4. Check the box next to Block new requests asking to access your location.
5. Click Save Changes. The box closes, and Firefox stops showing location requests from new sites.

While the box is open, look through the list. Use the Allow/Block selector beside a site to change its status, or select a site and click Remove Website to delete its saved choice. Click Save Changes when you finish.

How to Block Camera and Microphone Requests in Firefox

1. Click the menu button and choose Settings.
2. Click Permissions and data (or Privacy & Security in older versions) and scroll down to the Permissions section.
3. Click the Settings button to the right of Camera. A box named Settings – Camera Permissions opens and lists the websites that have a saved Allow or Block choice for your camera.
4. Check Block new requests asking to access your camera.
5. Click Save Changes.

The microphone has a separate setting. Repeat the steps, click the Settings button next to Microphone in step 3, and check Block new requests asking to access your microphone. Blocking the camera alone does not block the microphone.

Notification prompts work the same way. Click Settings next to Notifications, check Block new requests asking to allow notifications, and click Save Changes.

Clear or Change a Permission for Just One Site

If you only want to fix one website, such as a site you allowed by mistake, you do not need the global setting.

1. Go to the website.
2. Click the permissions icon on the left side of the address bar. The Site Permissions panel lists each permission as Allowed, Allowed Temporarily, Blocked, or Blocked Temporarily.
3. Click the X next to the permission you want to clear. Firefox goes back to its default and will ask again the next time the site wants it.

The permissions icon only appears when the site has a saved or temporary choice. For camera and microphone, you can also set a permanent choice from the Page Info window: press Ctrl + I (Command + I on a Mac) on the page, select Permissions at the top, uncheck Use Default next to Use the camera or Use the microphone, and choose Allow or Block. To block one site’s location without visiting it, open the Location permissions box from Settings and set that site to Block.

Temporary permissions

When the request pop-up appears and you click Allow without checking Remember this decision, Firefox only keeps the permission temporarily. A temporary location permission is removed after one hour or when the tab is closed. Check Remember this decision only for sites you want to answer once and never be asked about again.

Private windows do not stop sites from asking, but choices you make there are not kept after the session. That is part of how private browsing works in Firefox.

How to Confirm It Worked and How to Undo It

Visit a site that normally asks for your location, such as a store locator or a weather page. The pop-up should no longer appear, and the site will act as if you declined. Many sites then ask you to type a ZIP code or city instead. To double-check, reopen the Location permissions box and confirm the checkbox is still checked.

To undo the change, follow the same steps, uncheck Block new requests asking to access your location (or the camera, microphone, or notifications version), and click Save Changes. Firefox returns to asking each time.

If you want one trusted site to work while every other site stays blocked, uncheck the box, visit that site, click Allow with Remember this decision checked, and then turn the block back on. Sites already in the allowed list keep their access.

Turn Off Location for Firefox at the System Level

The Firefox setting controls websites. Your computer also has its own location controls that decide which apps can use its location services. They add a second layer, but they do not replace the Firefox setting. Use them when you want Firefox kept away from location services entirely:

• Windows 11: Go to Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Location, as described in Microsoft’s Windows location service page, and turn off location access for apps or for the whole device.
• Mac: Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and turn off the switch next to Firefox, as shown in Apple’s guide to controlling which apps can detect your location.

Troubleshooting

• You cannot find the Permissions section. Type location or camera in the search box at the top of the Settings page. If Firefox shows Preferences instead of Settings, update Firefox first.
• A site still knows roughly where you are. This setting stops permission requests. It does not hide your IP address, which sites can still use to estimate your general area.
• A site still has access. It was allowed before you turned the block on. Open the permission list, select the site, click Remove Website, and save.
• A video call site says it cannot find your camera. Uncheck the block, or allow that one site as described above. If Firefox is not the cause, check your computer’s own camera and location privacy settings, covered in the section above.
• The setting seems to switch back. Mozilla’s Refresh Firefox feature resets website permissions, so recheck the box after a refresh.
• You use Firefox on a phone. The steps above are for computers. Firefox for Android and iPhone keeps its own site settings in the app, and Mozilla’s guidance is to manage the Firefox app’s camera and microphone access in the device’s own Settings app. Turning off location for the Firefox app there keeps sites from getting your phone’s location through Firefox.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Step

Permissions are only one kind of data a site can save. If a site keeps remembering you after you revoke its access, you can also delete cookies from one site in Firefox.

Sources: Mozilla’s location sharing, camera and microphone permissions, and web push notifications help articles.

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