How to Delete a Google Business Profile

To delete a Google Business Profile, you remove it from the profile settings, and only a primary owner can do that. Removing it doesn’t delist your business, though: Google says it may still show on Search and Maps (Google removal help).

This guide is part of our Google Business Profile setup guide. It covers the steps, what remains visible afterwards and the alternatives to deleting. Everything about Google’s rules below is paraphrased from Google’s own help pages, which we link to.

What removing a profile actually does

Google calls this “removing” the profile, and the wording matters. According to Google’s removal help, you are removing the profile content and the managers. You are not wiping the business from Google.

That surprises many owners. They delete the profile expecting the listing to vanish, and then find the business still appears when someone searches for it. If your goal is to stop customers finding an old listing, read the sections on closing a business below before you delete anything.

How to remove a Google Business Profile

Google’s help page gives this route:

1. Open the profile and choose More.
2. Go to Business Profile settings.
3. Choose Remove Business Profile.
4. Choose Remove profile content and managers.

There is also an optional tick to mark the business as permanently closed. Google can change its screens, so if what you see doesn’t match this list, check Google’s removal help page for the current steps.

Two limits apply. Only primary owners can remove the content and managers, and new owners and managers must wait 7 days before they can do it (Google removal help). If you are a manager rather than the primary owner, you will need the primary owner to do it.

What stays visible afterwards

Google says removing the profile doesn’t delist the business, so the business may still show on Search and Maps (Google removal help).

Reviews are a separate point. Google says user-generated content and reviews remain. What does go is your own material: your posts, photos, videos and review replies are permanently removed and can’t be recovered. If you might want those photos or replies later, save copies before you remove anything. We’d go further and say that is the single most useful thing to do before you click the final button.

Leaving a profile without removing it

You may not want to delete anything. If you simply want to stop managing a profile, for instance because you’ve left the company or handed the business on, Google says you can remove yourself from the profile instead (Google removal help). The profile carries on for whoever is left to manage it.

This is usually the right choice for an agency or freelancer whose contract has ended. If you want to know who else has access first, our guide to the Google Business Profile manager role explains how ownership and management work.

If the business has closed

If the business has shut for good, the removal flow lets you tick a box to mark it as permanently closed. Google says a business marked closed won’t disappear from Maps straight away, and that it slowly disappears from search results (Google removal help).

Google’s separate closure help adds that permanently closed profiles may still appear, clearly shown as closed (Google closure help). So marking a business closed is honest and clear to customers, but it isn’t an instant disappearing act. Allow time.

Temporarily closed or special hours instead

Not every closure is permanent, and deleting a profile for a short break is a mistake you can avoid. Google says to use “temporarily closed” for a closure longer than 7 days, for the off-season or for an indefinite closure. For a closure of 7 days or less, use special hours (Google closure help).

A seasonal café doesn’t need to delete anything. It needs to tell Google it is temporarily closed, then reopen the same profile in spring with its reviews and history intact.

Before you delete: a short checklist

• Check whether you are the primary owner. If not, ask who is.
• Save your photos, posts and review replies, because they can’t be recovered once removed.
• Decide whether you really want removal, or whether leaving the profile, temporary closure or special hours would do.
• If the business has closed for good, use the permanent closure option and give Google time.
• If you are deleting because the profile was suspended, read our guide on what to do about a suspended profile first, as an appeal may be a better route than starting again.

Getting help with your profile

A profile you keep, and look after, tends to be more use than a deleted one. If you want help tidying a profile rather than removing it, our local SEO services and local SEO in Cornwall pages explain what we do, and you can get in touch for a straight answer on whether deleting is the right move.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can remove a Google Business Profile?

Google says only primary owners can remove the profile content and managers, and new owners and managers must wait 7 days (Google removal help).

Will my business disappear from Google Maps after I remove the profile?

Not necessarily. Google says removing the profile doesn’t delist the business, so it may still show on Search and Maps (Google removal help).

Do my Google reviews get deleted when I remove the profile?

Google says user-generated content and reviews remain. Your own posts, photos, videos and review replies are permanently removed and can’t be recovered (Google removal help).

How do I leave a profile without deleting it?

Google says you can remove yourself from the profile instead of removing the profile itself (Google removal help).

Should I mark the business as closed instead of deleting the profile?

If the business has shut for good, marking it permanently closed is an option in the removal flow. Google says closed profiles may still appear, clearly shown as closed (Google closure help).