Whether you can remove a Google review depends on whose review it is. If it’s a review of your business, only Google can take it down, and only when it breaks Google’s rules. If you wrote it yourself, it’s yours to edit or delete. Here’s how each works, and what to do when Google says no.
Can you remove a Google review?
- A review of your business: no. Business owners can’t delete or edit reviews. You can report one that breaks Google’s policies, and Google decides.
- A review you simply disagree with: no. Google says it doesn’t get involved in disagreements between businesses and customers.
- Your own review: yes, at any time, in a few taps.
Be wary of anyone who promises to remove genuine reviews for a fee. Only Google, or the person who wrote a review, can delete it, and the ACCC warns that suppressing genuine negative reviews can mislead consumers.
Which bad reviews Google will remove
Google removes reviews that break its policies. The categories that come up most often for small businesses are:
- Fake engagement: reviews from people who were never customers, or reviews that were paid for.
- Conflicts of interest: reviews from a competitor, or from a current or former employee.
- Harassment, hate speech, profanity and offensive content, including accusing someone of a crime without proof.
- Personal information, such as a staff member’s phone number or home address.
- Off-topic content, advertising and spam, or the same review posted again and again.
How to report a review
- Sign in to the account that manages your Business Profile and select Read reviews.
- Find the review and select Report. In the Maps app, tap More, then Report review.
- Choose the reason that fits, such as spam or a conflict of interest, and send the report.
Google says reviewing a report typically takes several days. To check progress, use Google’s review report page, the Reviews Management Tool: select your business and check the status of reviews you’ve reported.
A sudden wave of one-star reviews followed by a demand for money is an extortion scam. Don’t pay, keep screenshots, and use Google’s extortion report form.
When Google says no: appeal, then reply well
If Google decides a review doesn’t break its policies, you can appeal from the Reviews Management Tool: choose to check the status of a review you reported, then appeal eligible reviews. You can appeal up to 10 reviews at a time, each review can only be appealed once, and Google emails you the result.
If the appeal fails, the review stays. What you control is the reply, and future customers read it as closely as the review itself.
- Reply within a day or two, calmly, without arguing the details in public.
- Acknowledge the experience, say briefly what’s changed or what you’d do differently, and invite them to contact you directly.
- If you believe they were never a customer, say so politely: “We can’t find a record of this job. Please get in touch so we can look into it.”
- Keep collecting genuine reviews. One bad review among plenty of recent good ones matters far less to the person reading.
Got a bad review right now? Get Found drafts a calm reply for you to approve, and emails you the day any new review lands. It can’t remove a review: only Google, or the person who wrote it, can do that. What it does is make asking every customer one tap, by link, QR code or email, so new reviews keep arriving. A$29 a month ex GST, no set-up fee. See Get Found →
Defamatory or unlawful reviews
A review that makes false and damaging claims may be a legal matter, and that’s a question for a lawyer rather than this guide. Google has a separate legal removal request for content you believe is unlawful, which you can use after flagging the review in Google Maps. General information only, not legal advice: in Australia, most companies can’t sue for defamation. The exceptions include not-for-profits and businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
Delete a Google review you wrote
On your phone
- Open the Google Maps app and tap Contribute, then View your profile.
- Tap See all reviews.
- Tap More (the three dots) next to the review.
- Tap Delete review, or Edit review to change it instead.
On a computer
- Open Google Maps and click Menu.
- Click Your contributions, then Reviews.
- Click More next to the review and choose Delete review or Edit review.
Questions about removing Google reviews
Can a business delete a Google review?
No. Businesses can’t delete or edit a customer’s review. They can report a review that breaks Google’s policies, and Google decides whether to remove it.
How long does Google take to look at a reported review?
Google says evaluating a reported review typically takes several days. You can check its status in the Reviews Management Tool.
Can I pay someone to remove bad Google reviews?
Only Google, or the person who wrote a review, can delete it. Services that promise removal can only report reviews the same way you can, and paying to suppress genuine negative reviews can mislead consumers under the Australian Consumer Law.
What if a competitor or former employee left the review?
That’s a conflict of interest under Google’s policies. Report it and choose the reason that fits. If Google doesn’t remove it, you can appeal once from the Reviews Management Tool.
Can a removed review come back?
Reviews Google removes for breaking its policies don’t come back unless Google reverses its decision. If you deleted a review you wrote yourself, you can write a new one.
How do I delete a Google review I wrote?
In the Google Maps app, tap Contribute, then View your profile, then See all reviews. Tap More next to the review, then Delete review. On a computer, open Google Maps, click Menu, then Your contributions, then Reviews.