Skip to main content

How to delete (report) a review on your Google Maps listing?

Google doesn't allow business owners to delete reviews from their listing directly — you can only report them for review by Google's team.

Written by Zespół LocalZen

The instructions below describe the steps to take to effectively respond to an unfair or false review on Google Maps and report it to Google Support for removal. Reporting such reviews helps protect your business's reputation and eliminate reviews that mislead users.

  1. Reply to the review, citing Google's guidelines

    1. Find the review on Google Maps.

    2. Reply to it professionally, pointing out which Google guidelines were violated. The full list can be found here: Google's guidelines on review content.

    3. Specify the exact reason for reporting, e.g.:

      1. Fake engagement – suspicion that the review was posted by a competitor or a bot.

      2. False information – the review contains false claims that don't reflect reality.

      3. Misleading users – the review doesn't reflect customers' actual experiences
        ​

  2. Report the review through Google Maps

    1. Open Google Maps and find your business listing.

    2. Go to the reviews section and find the negative review you want to report.

    3. Click the "⋮" icon (three dots) next to the review and select "Report review".

    4. In the report, select which Google guideline the review violates.

    5. Submit the report.
      ​

  3. If there's still no response from Google after a few days – report the issue through the "Help" section in your Google Business Profile.

    1. Go to your Google Business Profile.

      1. Select Help > Contact support.

        1. You can also go directly to the form via this link: https://support.google.com/business/gethelp?sjid=17343619568931000888-EU

      2. Indicate the listing the issue relates to.

      3. Describe the situation – include:

        1. A link to the review.

        2. Screenshots of the review and your response.

        3. A note that the review breaks a specific Google guideline.
          ​

  4. It's best to write the report in English

    1. Reports submitted in English are usually reviewed faster.

      1. In the body of your report, you can add, for example:

        1. "This review violates Google's content policies as it constitutes false engagement/misleading information. After verifying with the manager, we confirm that no such incidents have occurred. Additionally, the reviewer's profile shows minimal activity, which may indicate inauthentic behavior."
          ​

  5. Monitor the status of your report

    1. Google usually responds within a few days.

    2. If the review isn't removed, you can contact Google Support again and ask for a re-review.

    3. If needed, escalate the issue through Google's official support forums – https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/new?hl=en&sjid=16812879868014379163-EU

Did this answer your question?