Solved netsh wlan query access is denied

I am literally struggling mentally to how to fix this for days.

This is what I want to fix:
C:\Windows\System32>netsh wlan show interfaces

There is 1 interface on the system:
Network shell commands need location permission to access WLAN information. Turn on Location services on the Location page in Privacy & security settings.

Here is the URI for the Location page in the Settings app:
ms-settingsrivacy-location
To open the Location page in the Settings app, hold down the Ctrl key and select the link, or run the following command:
start ms-settingsrivacy-location

Or, to open the Location page from the Run dialog box, press Windows logo key + R, and then copy and paste the URI above.

Function WlanQueryInterface returns error 5:
Access is denied.


I have literally tried EVERYTHING I could. I am a privacy focused person so I keep my location always turned off but Microsoft suddenly decided that now the network shell would require location permissions to work. I have turned on location now from settings and it still doesn't work and gives me access is denied.

Other things I have tried:
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Sensor\Overrides\{BFA794E4-F964-4FDB-90F6-51056BFE4B44}" /v SensorPermissionState /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f


reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\location" /v Value /d "Allow" /f


reg add "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\location" /v Value /d "Allow" /f


reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\LocationAndSensors" /v DisableLocation /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f


I am still getting the same error, please help.

luckfade said:

I am still getting the same error, please help.

Click to expand...

I'd put this in a cmd file:




Without it I get the error you described:

what should i do next?

Edit: I restarted the wlan service and it worked.
Thank you so much.

Do you know a way where I could disable location but still be able to execute the network shell?

I absolutely do not want to share my location data to any app unless absolutely necessary.

luckfade said:

Do you know a way where I could disable location but still be able to execute the network shell?

I absolutely do not want to share my location data to any app unless absolutely necessary.

Click to expand...

If you use the same batch you could change the value REG_DWORD /d 2
Then you would have an on/off switch by creating 2 batch files.
Otherwise, that is pretty much the only way to go that I know of.
BTW, when I use that method, I never have to restart the service,
but that could of course, be included in the batch file as well using sc.

The thing is I am using a program called Netlimiter which is calling the netsh wlan query.
If I had to use particular commands occasionally, I could make it as a script and use it as an on/off switch just as you described — but what about Netlimiter (please don't recommend alternatives, this is what I want to use).


This change was absolutely unnecessary by Microsoft, why did they do this? Do they need more telemetry data? Why do you think did they needed to do this?

They're trying to protect the BSSID, so only apps which have permission for Location Services can read BSSID. Which includes netsh, otherwise it would be an easy backdoor to bypass app permissions.

garlin said:

They're trying to protect the BSSID, so only apps which have permission for Location Services can read BSSID. Which includes netsh, otherwise it would be an easy backdoor to bypass app permissions.

Click to expand...

Thank you for explaining that.
That means I just have to provide the network shell with the location permission and not the "actual" location data. right? Would it still work?

luckfade said:

Would it still work?

Click to expand...

Yes, I use that batch switch with Network software as well that requires access to the network interface(s)
In my case it's wifi analyzer.

Oh great, do you run the script before using the software or have you made it to monitor calls in the background from any software and then have the script executed on command? — I guess we can do that through applocker.

luckfade said:

Oh great, do you run the script before using the software or have you made it to monitor calls in the background from any software and then have the script executed on command? — I guess we can do that through applocker.

Click to expand...

Keeping it simple and fast. Batch ON > Software > Batch OFF.
Of course the batch file can also include a line to start the software you want to run.
A delay within the batch file such as
can also insure enough time is provided for the interface to be accessed.
-n 10 represents the value of about 10 seconds.

Windows has a command to wait for a number of seconds, timeout /t 10. Handy for situations where the delay between pings is not one second.

I don't have Wi-Fi on my desktop, but I'm wondering if "Vivetool /disable /id:41162753" restores the old behavior.

According to Albacore's feature ID dictionary, that's WlanLocationPermission.

garlin said:

I don't have Wi-Fi on my desktop, but I'm wondering if "Vivetool /disable /id:41162753" restores the old behavior.

According to Albacore's feature ID dictionary, that's WlanLocationPermission.

Click to expand...

Does not seem to work anymore.
The old behavior is not restored.

I have just restarted my computer and I am facing the error again; I have manually checked all the registry values and they are unchanged — what is causing this? I have also tried restarting the wlan service just like last time but I still get the same error.

luckfade said:

Do you know a way where I could disable location but still be able to execute the network shell?

Click to expand...

I've obtained the interface name without enabling location services in Windows 11 Version 26H2. My solution also works in Windows 10 Version 22H2.
I start with a PS cmd run within a batch script then I tidy things up to strip out all but the WiFi adapter name.
prompt $g

for /F "tokens=*" %%X IN ('powershell Get-NetAdapter -Name "w*" ') do Call :Interfaces %%X %%Y
GoTo EndGetWiFiAdapterName

:Interfaces
set ThisAdapterName=%1 %2
If "%ThisAdapterName:~0,4%"=="Name" GoTo :EOF
If "%ThisAdapterName:~0,4%"=="----" GoTo :EOF
GoTo :EOF

:EndGetWiFiAdapterName
echo After processing completed ThisAdapterName is %ThisAdapterName%
Pause to check outcome during testing

Notes
- Like you, I used to use netsh wlan show interfaces but my update to 26H2 put the kibosh on that because I have location disabled [it might have gone wrong earlier, I have not had to use netsh for a while].
- I need to get the WiFi adapter name so I can use it in a script that goes on to use other netsh cmds to set WiFi priorities & auto-switching. I use the same script on all my Windows 10 & Windows 11 computers and the section I have posted above works on them all.
- On my computers, the WiFi adapter names always start as WiFi but sometimes Windows can change that to, for example, WiFi 2 but I do not want to go through checking & correcting this on individual computers.
- I learnt about the PS cmd needed at Get-NetAdapter - MSLearn
- I often have one of more Ethernet adapters on my computers but only a single WiFi adapter at a time.
- My script avoids leaving any leading or trailing spaces in the adapter name. You can see that, if you wish, by replacing that last echo cmd line with
echo After processing completed ThisAdapterName is FF%ThisAdapterName%FF
- I had started off trying to get a more precise PS response by selecting just the Name property but I could not get that expression working in the batch cmd script [which I'm stuck with because I have not yet learnt the PS cmds for setting WiFi priorities & auto-switching.
The full expression in my batch script during this experiment was powershell Get-NetAdapter -Name "w*" ^| select-object -property "Name"
- I've had a quick play with using my original Netsh commands for setting WiFi priorities & auto-switching and they seem to play ball still despite the disabled location settings. So I expect to be able to complete my full script but my stomach is complaining about its lack of dinner so I'm stopping for the night.


I hope this is useful for you,
Denis

luckfade said:

I am using a program called Netlimiter which is calling the netsh wlan query

Click to expand...

I had not previously spotted the Netlimiter statement in post #6.
Since Netlimiter is important to you I suggest you try their latest version [released a week or so ago] and, if still necessary, ask their support team how to cope with their problem without enabling location.


Best of luck,
Denis