My MacBook Pro is next to me in Spain, but Maps shows its location in Ukraine. Restarting, clearing location records, and connecting through my iPhone hotspot have not helped. I do not use a VPN. What else can I check?
Why does my MacBook show up in Ukraine when it is in Spain?
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n.706!plum
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MacBooks generally do not have GPS, so location services have to estimate where they are using nearby Wi-Fi networks and other available signals. A bad location associated with an access point could put the estimate a long way off, especially somewhere with few nearby networks to compare.
Try the Mac somewhere with a different set of nearby Wi-Fi networks, not just a different internet connection at the same spot. That may help distinguish a local signal issue from something tied to the connection or the Mac.
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Check whether the phone itself shows the right location in Maps, then compare it with the Mac in the same place. Also check that Location Services and permission for Maps are enabled on the Mac. If the phone is right but the Mac stays wrong at several different locations, that gives you a clearer problem to take to Apple Support.
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Even without a VPN on the Mac, an internet provider or network can route traffic in a way that makes IP-based location look wrong. That is one possible clue, though it does not establish why Maps is showing Ukraine. You could compare what an IP location lookup reports on your usual connection and on the hotspot.
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A wrong map location alone is not evidence that someone has cloned your Mac or is using its serial number. There are less alarming possibilities involving location estimates, so I would check those before assuming an account or hardware problem.
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Wex.52!n:
Connecting to the phone hotspot at home may not rule out nearby Wi-Fi signals affecting the estimate. Testing in another location would be more useful.