Maps and location

Settings›Tasks›Privacy and telemetry›Maps and location

Recommendation

Depends on the situation

On a desktop gaming PC, the tasks can be disabled if you do not use offline maps or geolocation.

On a laptop or tablet, first check Maps, the automatic time zone and the apps that need location.

Main effect

Disabling map updates

FPS and memory

See the research

What changes

The setting disables a group of background tasks with two visible effects. The first is the automatic updating of Windows offline maps: downloaded regions stop being downloaded and updated in the background. The second is location notifications: Windows stops showing reminders and system dialogs when an app or feature accesses the location service. According to the visible description in BoosterX, these are “tasks related to map updates and location notifications”. Already downloaded maps and the location service itself are not disabled.

Exceptions and differences

• Location detection keeps working: the location provider and app access to geodata are separate settings.
• The map auto-update toggle in Windows is described on the “Map auto-update” page and works independently of these tasks.
• The setting is available in both Windows 10 and Windows 11 — BoosterX has no version restrictions.

How to verify the result

Open offline maps: “Settings” → “Apps” → “Maps” (in Windows 11 the section is labeled “Offline maps”). The update date of downloaded regions stops changing, while manual update checks remain available. The second sign is that location request notifications no longer appear.

How to change and revert

Open “Optimization” → “Tasks” → “Privacy and telemetry” → “Maps and location” and set the toggle to “On”: BoosterX will disable the map update and location notification tasks. Click “Apply” at the bottom of the page; if “Instant apply” is enabled, a separate button is not required. To revert, set the toggle to “Off” and apply the change again: BoosterX will return Windows to its default state with the tasks enabled.

Confirmation

• Research on the limits of automatic updates: disabling map updates does not delete downloaded regions.
• Related settings: “Map auto-update”, “Windows location provider”.
• Microsoft: Windows location service and privacy.

Last checked: 2026-09-19.