Forum Discussion
How does the "lock screen" show the weather for a city I've never visited?
My Windows lock screen keeps showing weather information for a city I have never visited, even though I expected it to display conditions relevant to my current location. I have not intentionally selected this unfamiliar city, so I am wondering whether Windows is using my IP address, location services, Microsoft account settings, or previously saved preferences to determine which weather forecast appears, and how I can correct it to show the right location without disabling the entire lock screen.
4 Replies
That doesn’t mean Windows thinks you’ve visited that city. Weather can use an approximate location based on your internet connection or a saved weather location. A VPN or your internet provider’s routing can put that estimate in another city.
Open the weather card in Widgets and look for its location settings. Set your city manually rather than using automatic detection. Depending on your Windows version, the lock-screen card may open an MSN weather page with its own location setting—check that too.
If you prefer automatic location, check Settings > Privacy & security > Location on Windows 11, or Settings > Privacy > Location on Windows 10, and enable Location services.
Then reconnect to the internet and allow the weather card time to refresh. You don’t need to disable the lock screen or change your Microsoft account’s country.
Hey! This is actually pretty common and usually happens for one of two reasons: IP Geolocation mismatch: If Windows Location Services are turned off or blocked, Windows guesses your position using your IP address.
Depending on your ISP, VPN, or network route, that IP can resolve to a server located in a city you've never even been to. Weather App default setting: The lock screen weather widget pulls its data directly from the native MSN Weather app, which might have a different default location set. Here's how to fix it so it shows your actual city:
Option 1: Fix it in the Weather App (Easiest)Open the Weather app from your Start menu. Click the Settings (gear icon) at the bottom left. Under General, find Default Location. Set it to "Always detect my location" or manually type in your exact city.
Option 2: Make sure Location Access is enabled --> Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Location. Ensure Location services is turned On. Scroll down to "Let desktop apps access your location" and make sure Weather is allowed.
I CANT GET THIS DONE ANY OTHER WAY ....TEH MSN WEATHER APP IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY THE PERSONAL DESTOP APP ORRRRRR THE "WEBSITE" PROGRAM IF YOU GO TO THE MAPS......AND CLICK ON SAY CLOUDS YOU HAVE YOUR SLIDER AT TEH BOTTOM AND YOU CAN GET TEH SATALITE VIEW ORRRRRRRRR "FORECAST" THAT FORECAST IS STUCK ON THE 22 OF THIS MONTH AND HAS NOT MOVED .........THAT IS PRETTY MUCH BROKEN AND IT REALLY REALLY NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED TY ......SORRY FOR THE BOTHER THAT REALLY DOES NEED TO BE FIXED TY
Check whether Windows itself has your location wrong by opening: Settings > Privacy & security > Location. Or Press Window Key + W and check the weather widget. For the lock screen, check Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen.
