Guide

Can Google reviews be deleted?

You can't delete a bad review yourself, but you can report it if it breaks the policy, appeal if it stays, and always reply well.

In short

As the business owner, you cannot delete a review yourself.
If a review breaks Google's policies, you report it; Google reviews it and removes it if it violates the policy.
If it is not removed, you can appeal once.
A review that follows the policy but that you dislike stays; then your strongest tool is a good reply.

Which reviews can be removed?

Google removes only reviews that break its content policy. You are asked not to report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it. The violations that matter most to businesses:

Fake engagement: reviews not based on a real experience, paid reviews or reviews written from multiple accounts.
Conflict of interest: for example reviews written by a competitor or by your own employees, and reviews given in exchange for incentives.
Off-topic content: general political or social commentary unrelated to the experience at the business.
Personal information: someone's personal data shared without permission.
Harassment, hate speech, profanity and obscenity.
Impersonation and misleading or fraudulent content.

How to report a review

Open your Business Profile on Google and go to Read reviews.
From the menu next to the review, report it and choose a reason (for example spam or profanity). You can also do this in Google's Reviews Management Tool.
Track the status in the Reviews Management Tool. According to Google, the assessment usually takes a few days.

The tool shows one of three states: decision pending, no policy violation or escalated (the final decision arrives by email). A review found to break the policy is removed from Maps and Search.

If it is not removed: appeal

If Google finds no policy violation, you can have the decision reviewed once through an appeal. Open the status of your reported reviews in the Reviews Management Tool and use the appeal option; you can appeal up to 10 reviews at a time. The result is sent by email.

If you face extortion through negative reviews (for example "do this or I will write a bad review"), Google has a separate reporting route, available from its help pages. For content you believe is unlawful, consult a lawyer.

How to reply to a negative review that stays

Your reply is public, is published under the business name, and the reviewer is notified. Replies are also reviewed by Google; according to Google this usually takes 10 minutes and can sometimes take up to 30 days. You can edit or delete your reply later. A good reply:

Thanks the reviewer and stays calm; it does not argue or blame.
Acknowledges the problem or explains it briefly; it never includes the customer's personal, health or transaction details.
Offers a channel for a solution (phone, WhatsApp, email).

Example: "Thank you for your review. We apologise for the delay you experienced and would like to talk with you to put it right. Please contact us on WhatsApp and we will take care of it."

If the problem is solved, the customer can edit or delete the review themselves; showing the solution is enough, rather than asking for that.

Don't

Don't buy reviews, offer discounts or gifts in return, or have your employees write reviews: this breaks the policy and those reviews are removed.
Don't ask only happy customers for reviews; send the same invitation to all your customers.
Don't pressure the reviewer in your reply or share their personal information.

Reducing the impact of a negative review

A single negative review shrinks among a steady flow of genuine reviews. Send the same neutral invitation to all your customers: share your review link, place a card with a QR code at your counter, and reply to every review.

Sources

The information was taken from Google's own pages on the date below and may change.

Published 21 October 2026

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