How to Delete or Remove Your Google Business Profile

There are several scenarios where you might need to remove, close, or transfer a Google Business Profile. Each situation has a different correct action — and the wrong action can result in losing reviews you've spent years accumulating.

Scenario 1: Your business is closing permanently

The right action: Mark as permanently closed, then remove from your account

Marking the profile as permanently closed first ensures that:

• Your review history remains visible (customers can still see your business had good reviews)
• Google understands the business is no longer operating
• Customers who find the profile understand they cannot visit or contact you

How to mark as permanently closed:

1. Go to your GBP dashboard (business.google.com)
2. Select your business
3. Click "Edit profile"
4. Scroll to the business status section
5. Select "Permanently closed"
6. Save

After marking closed, if you want to remove the profile from your Google account entirely:

1. Go to Business Profile settings (gear icon)
2. Select "Advanced settings"
3. Select "Remove Business Profile"
4. Confirm

Note: removing from your account does not guarantee the listing disappears from Google Maps — Google may continue showing the location based on other data sources.

Scenario 2: You're selling or transferring the business

The right action: Transfer ownership, not delete

The GBP contains accumulated reviews, photos, Q&A, and ranking history — all of this has value to the new owner. Deleting the profile and having the buyer create a new one loses everything.

How to transfer:

1. Add the new owner's Google account as an "Owner" in your GBP manager (see: GBP Manager guide)
2. They accept the invitation
3. Transfer Primary Ownership to them: Managers → their name → Transfer primary ownership
4. Once transferred, they can update all business information, remove your access, and continue building on the existing profile

Scenario 3: You want to change the business completely (rebrand)

The right action: Update the existing profile, not delete it

If you're rebranding — same location, different business name and focus — updating the existing profile preserves your review history and location ranking signals.

Update:

• Business name (to your new name)
• Primary and secondary categories (to match the new business type)
• Description, services, photos (to reflect the new brand)
• Phone and website (if changed)

A complete rebrand through the existing profile keeps the location's authority while refreshing everything else.

The exception: If the business type changes completely and the existing reviews are irrelevant or misleading to new customers, starting fresh may be preferable to carrying forward reviews from a completely different business. This is a judgment call.

Scenario 4: You have a duplicate listing you don't manage

The right action: Report the duplicate through Google Maps

If a listing exists for your business that you didn't create and can't access:

1. Find the listing on Google Maps
2. Click "Suggest an edit" or the three dots menu
3. Select "Remove this place" → "This place doesn't exist or is permanently closed" if it's completely wrong, or
4. Click "Claim this business" to take ownership of the legitimate listing

If the listing is a genuine duplicate (two profiles for the same location), Google will typically merge or remove the duplicate after your report.

What you cannot delete

User-generated Google Maps pins (locations that Google generated from street view data or user suggestions) cannot be deleted by claiming the profile — but marking the profile as permanently closed will suppress most of the negative impact.

Reviews cannot be deleted by the business owner — only by Google if they violate policies. If you're transferring a business, reviews transfer with the profile.

---

Related: Google Business Profile Manager | Google Business Profile Verification | Google Business Profile Suspended