How to delete a Google review on your business

The honest answer first, then the steps that do work: reporting a review that breaks the rules, asking the customer, and replying so it hurts less.

3 min read

The short answer

If you're wondering how to delete a Google review on your business, you can't delete it yourself. Only the person who wrote it can. What you can do is report it to Google if it breaks Google's rules, like spam, a fake account, a conflict of interest or hateful language. Google decides. A review that's just negative and honest stays up, so the reply is your best move.

On this page

Which Google reviews can be removed
How to report a Google review for removal
Can an owner delete Google reviews?
Asking a customer to change or remove a review
What to do while the review is still up

Which Google reviews can be removed

Google takes down reviews that break its posting rules, not reviews that are unfair or that you disagree with. Before you report one, check it honestly against this list.

Spam or fake. A review from someone who was never a customer, or the same words posted from many accounts.
Off topic. About something other than a visit to your business, like politics or a news story.
Conflict of interest. Left by a competitor, a former employee, or you about yourself.
Hateful or harassing. Slurs, threats or personal attacks on a named employee.
Private details. A phone number, a home address or other personal information.

How to report a Google review for removal

Do this from the Google account that manages your Business Profile. The menu names move around, but the steps stay the same.

Open your reviews. Search your business name on Google or open your profile in Google Maps, signed in as the owner or a manager.
Find the review. Open the three-dot menu next to it and choose to report it.
Pick the reason. Choose the rule it breaks. Pick the true one, not the one that sounds strongest.
Check the status. Google's review management page in Business Profile help shows what happened to your report, and lets you appeal if it was turned down.

Can an owner delete Google reviews?

No. There is no delete button for reviews on your own business, and nobody can sell you one. Be wary of anyone who promises to remove reviews for a fee: Google's rules don't allow it, and paying for removal can put your profile at risk. The two people who can make a review go away are Google, after a report, and the customer who wrote it.

Paying a service that promises removal
Offering a discount in exchange for deleting the review
Reporting a fair review as spam, over and over

Asking a customer to change or remove a review

If a customer had a real problem and you've since fixed it, it's fine to let them know they can update their review. Don't pressure them and don't offer anything for it. Fix it first, then ask once.

After you've made it right

Hi [name], it's [your name] from [shop]. Thanks again for giving us the chance to come back and fix the [job]. If you feel differently about how it went now, you're welcome to update your Google review. Either way, we appreciate you.

What to do while the review is still up

Reports can take days or weeks, and most honest negative reviews stay. People comparing shops read your reply as closely as the review. A calm, short answer that owns what's fair and offers a phone number often does more for you than the review being gone. Reply the same day, or have a draft waiting for you to read and post.

By hand5 steps

See the alert on your phone
Stew on it for a day
Look up the job and who went
Write a reply, delete it, write another
Post it

For every review, while you're angry.

Set up onceWaiting on you

A two-star review came in about Tuesday's drain job. Here's a calm reply from the job notes.

Thanks for telling us, Sam. You're right that we were late Tuesday and didn't call ahead. That's on us. I'd like to make it right: call me at the shop. Rosa, Linden Plumbing

Every review gets a calm draft the same day. You read it and post it.

See the review replies job →

NextA reply ready for every reviewSee how the review replies job keeps every reply calm and in your words.

Questions about deleting Google reviews

Something else on your mind? Ask us on the fit call. No pitch, and we'll say if it isn't a fit.

Book a fit call

No. A business owner can't delete reviews on their own Business Profile. You can report a review that breaks Google's rules, and Google decides whether to take it down. Only the person who wrote a review can delete it themselves.

Only if the review breaks Google's rules, such as spam, a fake account, a conflict of interest, off-topic content or harassment. A bad review that describes a real visit honestly will stay up. In that case, a calm public reply is the best thing you can do.

Yes. If you wrote the review yourself, open Google Maps while signed in to that account, go to your contributions, find the review and delete or edit it. This only works for reviews you wrote, not ones written about your business.

Not directly. You can report it to Google if it breaks their rules, and you can ask the customer to update it once you've fixed the problem. You can't make anyone remove a review, and you shouldn't offer anything in return for it.

Reply to every review, good or bad, within a day or two. In a Commonhouse setup, AI drafts a reply from the job notes as each review comes in, and a person on your team reads it, changes what needs changing and posts it.