Removing a profile is not the same as removing the business
This is the part that surprises most owners. When you remove a Business Profile, you remove yourself and your content from it. You don’t necessarily remove the place from Google Maps. Google says plainly that the business might still appear on Search and Maps unless it is considered ineligible, and that taking away all ownership and content doesn’t guarantee it won’t show up.
What does go: everything owners and managers added. Posts, photos, videos and replies to reviews are deleted, and Google says they can’t be recovered. What stays: reviews and anything else customers contributed.
Pick the outcome you want
The business has closed for good. Remove the profile and switch on Mark your business as permanently closed in the same flow. Google says the closed business doesn’t vanish from Maps right away; it slowly drops out of results and is then fully removed.
You’re closed for a season or a refit. Don’t delete anything. Mark the business temporarily closed instead, which keeps the profile and its history ready for when you reopen.
You’re selling the business or handing it on. Transfer primary ownership to the new owner. Deleting would wipe photos and replies they would probably like to keep.
You’re a manager or agency stepping away. Remove yourself from the profile. The content stays and the owner keeps control.
You made a duplicate by mistake. Remove the extra one and leave the verified one alone. Check which is which first, since removal deletes all content and managers on the profile you pick.
Who can do it
Only the primary owner can remove a profile. Anyone who just became an owner or manager has to wait seven days before removing content or managers, which stops a newly added user wiping a profile on day one.
If you don’t own the listing
Maybe the listing was created by someone else, or it’s an old address. You can’t use Business Profile settings for a profile you don’t own. Instead, open the place in Google Maps while signed in, select Suggest an edit, then Place is closed or not here, and choose the option that fits. Google may email you questions, and if approved the listing is removed. If you want to take over the listing rather than remove it, request ownership.
Before you press Remove
Save the photos you care about. Note any review replies you would want to rewrite later. And make sure you’re in the right profile; with several locations on one account, it’s easy to pick the wrong one.
If it doesn't work
- The option is missing: only primary owners can remove a profile, and new owners and managers must wait 7 days.
- The listing still shows on Maps: removing ownership doesn't guarantee removal. Mark it permanently closed, or ask for removal if it isn't eligible.
- Bulk removal gives an error: remove the content and managers on each profile one at a time.
- You only wanted to step back: remove yourself as a manager, or transfer primary ownership, instead of deleting.
Questions owners ask
Will deleting my profile delete my bad reviews?
No. Google says reviews and other content from users remain after you remove the profile. What disappears is the content owners and managers added: posts, photos, videos and replies to reviews. Removal is not a way around a review.
Can I get my photos and posts back afterwards?
No. Google says content removal is permanent and the deleted posts, photos, videos and review replies can't be recovered. Download anything you want to keep before you remove the profile.
Can I manage the business again later?
Yes, but you would have to verify the profile again from scratch. Google says you can no longer manage it on Search or Maps once removed.
How do I get rid of a listing I never owned?
Anyone signed in to Google can open the place in Maps, choose Suggest an edit, then Place is closed or not here, and pick Doesn't exist here or another option. If Google approves it, the business is removed from Search and Maps.
Sources
- Remove a Business Profile (support.google.com)
- Request removal of a Business Profile from Google Search & Maps (support.google.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.