You want to delete your Google Business Profile because the business has closed, you moved or there are suddenly two listings on Google Maps? Then you should know first: Google has no button that simply makes a listing disappear. Removing your profile usually only means giving up management, the listing stays visible.
This guide shows you which of the five options fits your case, with instructions for closing, moving, duplicates, a change of owner and home addresses. You also learn how to report a listing you have no access to and why old data often still appears elsewhere afterwards.
- A Google Business Profile cannot simply be deleted.
- Removing it from your account only gives up management.
- If the business no longer exists, mark it as permanently closed, then it fades out over time.
- Report duplicates in Google Maps via Suggest an edit, and change the address when you move.
- Customer reviews remain when you remove, close or move.
Delete, close or merge: what does what?
Google has no single delete button. There are five options and they do very different things. The most common mistake: anyone who “removes” their profile only gives up managing it. According to Google, the listing itself usually stays visible in Search and on Maps, with all customer reviews.
| Option | Who can do it | What happens publicly | Reviews | Reversible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remove from your account | Primary owner | Listing usually stays visible in Search and Maps, just without your content | Stay | Management yes, your content no |
| Permanently closed | Owner, manager | Visible with a closure notice, according to Google it fades out over time | Stay, no new ones | Yes, while the listing exists |
| Temporarily closed | Owner, manager | Visible with a notice, may appear lower in general searches | Stay, new ones possible | Yes |
| Report or merge a duplicate | Anyone | The duplicate no longer appears in Search and Maps | Are merged, replies may be lost | Appeal if wrongly merged |
| Request removal | Anyone | Gone from Search and Maps once approved | Not stated by Google | Not stated by Google |
Rule of thumb: if the business no longer exists, mark it as permanently closed. If it exists twice, report the duplicate. If it moved, change the address. Only request removal if a listing should never have existed. If you actually only want to get rid of a single review, none of these options helps. You report reviews directly on the review itself.
Which case applies to you?
Pick your case. Each guide shows you the right way and what to watch out for.
If your business no longer exists, mark it as permanently closed. Deleting alone is not enough, because otherwise the listing stays visible, just without anyone managing it.
- Open your profile in Google Search and click Edit profile.
- Go to Hours and click Edit next to it.
- Choose Permanently closed and click Save.
- If you want to give up the profile completely afterwards, also remove it from your account (guide below).
According to Google, a permanently closed listing does not disappear at once but fades out over time. Reviews remain, new ones are no longer possible.
If you move, do not create a new profile and do not delete the old one. Change the address in the existing profile. This keeps your reviews and photos.
- In Edit profile go to Location.
- Click the pencil icon next to Business location, enter the new address and check the pin.
- Save. If Google asks for a new verification, follow the steps in the profile.
If the name stays the same, Google transfers reviews automatically. Exception according to Google: for some categories such as hotels they may not be transferred automatically. Support can help then.
Google allows only one profile per business. How you get rid of a duplicate depends on whether you manage it:
- You manage both: remove the accidentally created duplicate from your account. This does not affect your verified profile.
- You manage one or none: report the duplicate in Google Maps via Suggest an edit, Place is closed or not here and Duplicate of another place.
When listings are merged, Google keeps the reviews. Your replies to reviews may be lost in the process.
You took over a business and the previous owner still manages the profile? Then take it over instead of creating a second one.
- Go to business.google.com/add and search for the business.
- If a notice says the profile is managed by someone else, click Request access and fill in the form.
- According to Google, the current owner has three days to respond. If they do not, you may be able to claim it yourself via the confirmation email.
If the name changed, for example after a takeover with a new concept, Google recommends a new profile. Mark the old one as permanently closed once you have access. Without access, report it as permanently closed via Suggest an edit. The business.google.com/add route applies to businesses with a storefront. Without a fixed location, Google says to contact support.
If you are only closed for a while, for example in the off-season or during company holidays, do not delete anything. Mark the business as Temporarily closed if you are closed for more than seven days. For shorter breaks use Special hours.
Careful with permanently closed: no new reviews are possible and guests think you have shut down. You switch back via Open with main hours.
If you work from home and customers do not visit you, Google requires the address to be hidden. You do not need to delete anything.
- In Edit profile go to Location.
- Turn off Show business address to customers.
- Set a service area with up to 20 places. According to Google, it should not extend beyond about two hours of driving from your location. It can take up to 48 hours to appear.
Is there a listing online that never existed like this, or one that harms you? Then request removal in Google Maps. You do not need to be the owner.
- Open the listing in Google Maps or Google Search and tap Suggest an edit.
- Choose Place is closed or not here and then the matching reason, such as Doesn't exist here or Offensive, harmful or misleading.
- Click Send. Google reviews every report and does not state a fixed time frame.
If it is fraud using your name, phone number or website, Google has a separate complaint form.
Guide: remove your Google Business Profile from your account
This is how you remove a profile you manage yourself, for example an accidentally created duplicate or a profile you want to give up:
- Sign in with the Google account linked to the profile and search Google for your business name.
- Open the three-dot menu in your profile and then Business Profile settings.
- Click Remove Business Profile and then Remove profile content and managers.
- If the business no longer exists, turn on Mark your business as permanently closed.
- Confirm with Continue, Remove and Done.
If you manage several locations, use Actions and Remove business in the dashboard.
You don't see the option? Only primary owners can remove a profile. According to Google, new owners and managers have to wait seven days.
What happens next: removal affects all owners and managers. Google permanently deletes the posts, photos, videos and replies to reviews you created, and they cannot be restored. Reviews and photos from customers remain. If you want to manage the profile again later, you need to verify it again.
Only want to leave yourself, for example because an agency or successor continues the profile? Then do not remove the profile. Transfer primary ownership or remove yourself under People and access.
Report and merge duplicate Google listings
Duplicate listings often appear unnoticed: an employee creates a second profile, an agency sets up a new one, or Google takes over an old record from a directory. The problem: guests and customers end up at the wrong listing with an old number, and your reviews are split across two profiles.
Important: only report real duplicates, meaning the same business with the same details. Two companies at the same address are not duplicates. If several businesses share a location, Google asks for permanent signage as proof in an appeal. If you accidentally created and verified a second profile after moving or a change of owner, support can transfer the reviews.
No access to the old listing?
Many old listings were never created by anyone on your team. They come from a previous owner, a former agency or data sources Google licenses. Then you have two options:
- Request access: at business.google.com/add search for the listing and click Request access. The current owner has three days. If the listing is not verified at all, you can claim and verify it directly.
- Suggest an edit: without access, report via Place is closed or not here that the business is closed, has moved or is a duplicate. Google reviews the report and compares it with other sources.
Many older guides mention a seven-day response time for the owner. According to the current Google help it is three days.
Why the old listing still shows up
Even when everything is done on Google, the old listing is rarely gone completely. A permanently closed listing stays visible for a while. And above all, the old data lives on elsewhere: in Apple Maps, Bing, business directories, booking sites and in the answers of ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity. Google itself also updates profiles with user reports and licensed data. If the old address is still there, Google can bring it back through an update.
That is why every deleted listing needs a second step: check all other places. At Apple you remove a location in Apple Business via Locations, the location, Settings, Manage and Remove location. According to Apple it also stays visible in Apple Maps there. If you choose the reason that it is permanently closed, it is shown as closed. For Bing and the most important directories, see the guide Business directories and portals. How edits to your Google profile work is covered in Edit your Google Business Profile.
Find old listings everywhere
A search in quotation marks only partly shows where your old name, address or number still appears. faktado.ai searches Google, Bing, portals and directories automatically, compares every listing with your website and also checks what ChatGPT and Google say about you. You see at a glance where the old state remains and get the way to correct it for each platform. The free check shows you within about 15 minutes where you stand.
- Google: Remove a Business Profile
- Google: Temporarily or permanently closed
- Google: Duplicate profiles and ownership
- Google Maps: Suggest an edit
- Google: Request removal of a business
- Google: Request access to a profile
- Google: Reviews after moving or closing
- Google: Change or hide your address
- Google: Service area
- Google: Status of edits
- Google: Review Google updates
- Google: Mark as reopened
- Apple Business: Remove a location
maxonline, the SEO and GEO agency behind faktado.ai, takes care of it for you.
FAQ
Can I delete my Google Business Profile?
You can remove it from your account, which means giving up management. According to Google the listing usually stays visible though. If the business no longer exists, also mark it as permanently closed, then it fades out over time.
What happens to my reviews?
Customer reviews remain when you remove or close a profile. Google only deletes your replies when you remove the profile. When moving with the same name, Google usually transfers reviews automatically, for some categories such as hotels possibly not.
What is the difference between temporarily and permanently closed?
Temporarily closed is meant for breaks of more than seven days, for example in the off-season. New reviews remain possible. Permanently closed means the business no longer exists. New reviews are then no longer possible and the listing fades out over time.
Why can't I see the option to remove?
Only primary owners can remove a profile. According to Google, new owners and managers have to wait seven days.
Should I delete the profile and create a new one?
Usually not. Reviews belong to the place and stay with the old listing, and a second profile for the same business would be a duplicate. Google only recommends a new profile if the name or location changed so much that it is a different business.
Can a stranger mark my business as closed?
Anyone can report via Suggest an edit that a place is closed. Google reviews such reports and announces some changes in the profile beforehand. You then have four days to accept or reject them. Google also applies some suggestions without notice. That is why you should check your profile regularly.
Does deleting a Google listing cost anything?
No. Removing, closing, reporting duplicates and requesting removal are free on Google. Service providers that guarantee deletion use the same options. For legal reasons Google also has a separate legal request.
My business is wrongly shown as permanently closed. What can I do?
If you have access, open Edit profile, Hours and choose Open with main hours. Without access, report in Google Maps via Suggest an edit and Changed opening status that the place is open again. Then check which source the wrong closure came from.
How long until a listing is gone?
According to its help pages, Google usually reviews edits to your own profile within 10 minutes, sometimes it takes up to 30 days. For reports via Suggest an edit Google gives no fixed time frame. A permanently closed listing fades out over time.
Harald FischlManaging Director, maxonlineHarald is Managing Director of maxonline, an SEO and GEO agency from Lower Austria focused on hospitality. He works every day on how businesses are presented correctly in search engines and AI answers. More about Harald