How to delete or remove a Google Business Profile

To delete or remove a Google Business Profile you manage, sign in, open your profile, choose More, then Business Profile settings, then Remove Business Profile, and pick "Remove profile content and managers". That takes it off your account, but Google says the business may still show on Maps unless you also mark it permanently closed.

So before you press anything, decide what you really want. A shop that has shut down, a clinic that has moved from Gariahat to Jodhpur Park, and a café that has a fake copy of itself on Maps each need a different fix.

This guide follows Google's own help pages as of November 2026. Deleting is often the wrong answer, and it can't be undone.

Which option do you actually need?

Pick your situation first. The steps for each are below.

How do I delete or remove a Google Business Profile I manage?

Only a primary owner can remove a profile. New owners and managers have to wait 7 days first (Google).

1. Go to your Business Profile, signed in with the Google account that manages it.
2. Select More, then Business Profile settings.
3. Select Remove Business Profile, then Remove profile content and managers.
4. If the business has closed, turn on Mark your business as permanently closed.
5. Select Continue, then Remove, then Done.

Know what you're giving up. Removal is permanent and affects every owner and manager. Your posts, photos, videos and review replies are deleted for good.

Customers' reviews and photos stay. And Google says the business might still show on Search and Maps afterwards, unless it isn't eligible to be listed. To manage it again later, you'd have to verify it from scratch.

If you only want to step away, transfer primary ownership to a partner or family member, or remove yourself and leave the others in place.

How to mark your business permanently closed

If your business has shut down, this is usually what you want, rather than deleting. Customers searching your name see clearly that you're closed, instead of turning up at a locked shutter.

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Edit profile, then Hours.
3. Next to "Hours", select Edit, then Permanently closed.
4. Select Save.

Google says a closed profile may still appear when people search for it by name (Google). If you also remove it with the "permanently closed" switch on, Google says it slowly disappears from search results and is then removed completely.

Closing for Durga Puja week only? Don't use either option. Google says to use "Temporarily closed" only for closures longer than 7 days, and special hours for anything shorter.

Don't delete it if you moved or changed your name

A profile you've had for years carries your reviews. Deleting it and starting again throws them away.

If you've moved, Google says not to create a new profile for the new location. Update the existing one (Google).

Go to Edit profile, then Location, then edit "Business location" and save (Google). Expect to verify again, since Google says a business that moves after verification must re-verify (Google).

If you've changed the name, it depends how much. Google allows a rebrand on the same profile when it's a minor change, the names and services in it stay the same and the category doesn't change (Google). So "Das Dental" becoming "Das Dental Care" is an edit.

A completely new name counts as a new business. Google says to mark the old profile closed and create a new one.

If a profile was closed as part of a name or location change, don't reopen it. Add a new business and verify it instead (Google).

How to report a duplicate or fake listing

Google allows only one profile per business. A duplicate won't show on Search or Maps once Google treats it as one.

A duplicate you created yourself, say after losing the old login, can be removed from your account without touching your verified profile. Double-check which one you're removing, since all its content goes.

Two listings for your business on Maps can be merged. Report a suggestion on Google Maps asking for the merge. Google says the reviews are combined, but replies to reviews may be lost.

A fake or ineligible listing, including one you don't own, can be reported (Google).

1. Open Google Maps, signed in to your Google account.
2. Select the business.
3. Click Suggest an edit, then Place is closed or not here.
4. Pick the reason, such as "Doesn't exist here" or "Offensive, harmful, or misleading", and submit.

Google may email you follow-up questions. If someone is using your name, phone number or website to mislead people, use Google's business redressal complaint form, linked from that help page.

If someone else controls your real profile, like an old agency or a former partner, request ownership through Google. The current owner has 3 days to respond, and if they don't, you may get the option to claim it. Our guide to setting up your Google Business Profile walks through claiming and verifying.

If you'd like help

If your listing is in a muddle, with duplicates, an old address or a login nobody remembers, we can sort it out with you. Ask for a free audit, or WhatsApp us on +91 62918 31815.