A Google Business listing is something we are sure you are familiar with. (That little square that comes up on the right hand side of Google when you type in a local business or service? The one with the business name and a photo?) Ah yes, we’ve got your attention now!
If you no longer want your business to appear on Google Search or Google Maps, you’ll need to remove your Google Business Profile, mark the business as closed, or both. Which one you need depends on your situation, and we’ll cover each of them below.
Removing a profile can be done in a few simple steps, but it’s important to note that once you remove the profile’s content, it cannot be restored. So, before you go ahead, make sure this is the right thing to do. Google will not recover it.
Google changes its menus fairly often, so we’ve updated this guide (October 2026) to match what you’ll see on screen today.
What is a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business (Google renamed it in November 2021), is a free listing that businesses can create and manage on Google.
If you own or manage a business, it’s essential to have one, especially if you’re a local business, because it helps potential customers find you when they search for related keywords.
You can add information about your business, such as your address, phone number, website, opening hours, business updates and more. Your profile can also include customer reviews which, if positive, can boost your visibility on Google and, in turn, increase traffic to your website.
You manage your profile at business.google.com, signed in to the Google account that owns it.
Why would you delete your Google Business Profile?
If your business has closed down permanently, you need to tell Google.
Keeping an outdated or incorrect business profile live can lead to confusion among potential customers, and it can also damage trust in your business.
If you have more than one profile for the same location, removing the duplicate stops customers using the wrong information and protects the correct profile from being suspended.
There’s one thing that has changed since we first wrote this, and it matters: removing your profile does not necessarily remove the business from Google. Your profile is your management access to a place that Google already knows about. If you remove the profile’s content and managers, Google deletes your posts, photos, videos and review replies, but the business may still appear on Search and Maps, and customer reviews stay with it.
So if you want the public listing to show that the business has shut, you need to mark it as permanently closed as well. We’ll show you how.
It’s also worth repeating that removing profile content and managers is permanent. You will lose access to everything you added, including photos and performance data, and if you ever want to manage the listing again you’ll have to verify it from scratch.
First, work out which option you need
- The business has closed. Mark it as permanently closed (steps below). The listing stays on Google with a “Permanently closed” label, then gradually drops out of search results before being removed completely. You can also remove your profile content once that’s done.
- You want to stop managing the profile but leave the listing as it is. Remove yourself from the profile instead of deleting anything. The content and the other managers stay. If you’re the primary owner, you’ll need to transfer primary ownership to someone else first.
- You want your content and managers gone. Remove profile content and managers. This is the “delete” most people mean.
- You created a duplicate by mistake. Remove the duplicate profile. Google says you can do this without affecting your verified listing, but double-check you’re removing the right one, because the content and managers on it will go too.
- Someone else owns the verified profile for your business. Request access from the current owner through Business Profile. They have 3 days to respond; if they don’t, you can claim it, and if they refuse, you can appeal.
- A listing you don’t manage that shouldn’t be there. If a business never existed, or isn’t eligible to be on Google, anyone signed in to a Google account can report it. Find it on Google Maps, click Suggest an edit, then Place is closed or not here, choose a reason and submit. Google reviews the request and removes the listing from Search and Maps if it agrees.
Steps to delete your Google Business Profile
If you’ve decided to remove your profile, follow these steps.
1. Sign in to the right Google account
The first step is to sign in to your Google account. This should be the same account you used when setting up your profile, or one with owner access to it. Only the primary owner can remove profile content and managers, and anyone newly added as an owner or manager has to wait 7 days before they can.
Once you’re signed in, go to business.google.com.
2. Select your business and open the settings
If you manage more than one profile, select the business you want to remove. Always double-check that you’ve selected the correct one before moving on. This is especially important if you’ve got multiple locations under the same business name.
Select More, then Business Profile settings.
3. Remove the profile
Select Remove Business Profile, then Remove profile content and managers.
If the business has shut, turn on Mark your business as permanently closed here so the public listing shows that too.
Select Continue, then Remove, then Done.
Removing several profiles at once
If you need to remove a batch of profiles, go to Business Profile Manager, sign in to the account linked to all of them, and select the profiles you want to remove. (If they’ve closed, mark them as permanently closed first.) At the top right, select Actions, then Remove businesses, then Remove. If you hit an error, you’ll need to remove content and managers for each profile individually.
How to mark a business as permanently closed
If the business has shut, do this whether or not you also remove your profile.
- Go to your Business Profile at business.google.com.
- Select Edit profile, then Hours.
- Next to Hours, select Edit, then Permanently closed.
- Select Save.
The same menu has Temporarily closed, which Google suggests for closures of more than 7 days (for shorter ones, use special hours). Temporarily closed businesses can rank below open ones for broad searches, so switch it back as soon as you reopen.
What happens after you remove a profile
- Deleted content can’t be recovered. To manage the listing again, you’ll need to re-verify it.
- The business may still show on Google Search and Maps, unless Google considers it ineligible. Customer reviews and other user-generated content stay.
- If you marked it closed, it carries a “Permanently closed” label and gradually disappears from results.
Conclusion
Removing a Google Business Profile is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few steps, as long as you pick the right option for your situation first.
Whether you’re closing down your business, tidying up a duplicate, or simply want to stop managing a listing, following the correct steps will make sure it’s done properly. And if you’d rather have someone handle your Google presence for you, get in touch.