How to Delete Your Google Review (And What to Know Before You Try)
You left a review on Google — maybe in a moment of frustration, maybe before you had the full picture, or maybe it was just outdated. Whatever the reason, removing it is possible. But the process has a few quirks depending on how and where you access it, and there are some important limitations worth understanding before you start looking for a delete button.
What "Deleting" a Google Review Actually Means
When you delete a review you've written, it's permanently removed from Google Maps and any other Google surface where it appeared. There's no archive, no draft state, no way to recover it afterward. The business's overall star rating will recalculate once your review is gone.
This only applies to reviews you wrote yourself. If you want to remove someone else's review of a business you manage, that's a separate process involving flagging for policy violations — not deletion.
How to Delete Your Own Google Review 🗑️
The steps vary slightly depending on your device, but the underlying path is the same: find the review through your Google account, then delete it.
On a Desktop or Laptop (Google Maps Website)
- Go to Google Maps (maps.google.com) and make sure you're signed into the Google account you used to leave the review.
- Click the Menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner.
- Select "Your contributions" from the sidebar.
- Click the "Reviews" tab to see all reviews you've written.
- Find the review you want to remove, click the three-dot menu next to it, and select "Delete review."
- Confirm the deletion when prompted.
On Android (Google Maps App)
- Open the Google Maps app and tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Tap "Your contributions", then select the "Reviews" tab.
- Locate the review, tap the three-dot icon beside it, and choose "Delete review."
On iPhone or iPad (Google Maps App)
The steps mirror the Android process. Open Maps, tap your profile icon, navigate to "Your contributions" → "Reviews", find the review, tap the three-dot menu, and select "Delete review."
Through the Google Search Results Page
If you search for the business directly on Google and see your review in the panel, you may also be able to tap or click "Edit review" from there, which opens the same interface where deletion is available.
Why Your Review Might Not Appear Where You Expect It
A few things can make reviews harder to find:
- Multiple Google accounts — If you're signed into a different account than the one you used to write the review, it won't show up in "Your contributions." Try switching accounts.
- Reviews posted a long time ago — Older reviews are still accessible but may require scrolling through a longer list.
- Reviews on Google Play or other Google products — Reviews left on the Play Store for apps, or on Google Shopping, are managed in different places. The Maps deletion path won't find those.
Editing vs. Deleting: A Useful Middle Ground
If the issue is that your review is outdated rather than entirely unwanted, editing is often a cleaner option than deleting. You can revise your star rating, update the written content, or add a note about how your experience changed. Edited reviews keep their original timestamp visible, which can actually add credibility — readers can see that you followed up.
The process is identical to deletion: go to "Your contributions," find the review, and choose "Edit review" instead of delete.
Can You Delete a Review You Left Anonymously?
Google no longer allows truly anonymous reviews. All reviews are tied to a Google account, even if the display name looks generic. If you posted under a different name or a secondary account, you'd need to log into that specific account to delete it.
What Happens After You Delete It
| Factor | What to Expect |
|---|---|
| Removal timing | Usually near-immediate, but can take a short time to reflect across all surfaces |
| Business star rating | Automatically recalculates without your score |
| Recovery | Not possible — deletion is permanent |
| Notification to the business | Google does not notify businesses when a review is deleted |
The Part That Depends on Your Situation
The steps above are consistent, but a few variables shape how straightforward this actually is for any given person: which device you're on, which Google account you used, whether the review is on Maps versus another Google product, and how recently the interface was updated.
Google's UI changes periodically, and the exact labels or menu positions may shift slightly between app versions or operating system updates. If the steps above don't match exactly what you see, the underlying logic still holds — find your contributions, locate the review, and look for the three-dot or overflow menu.
Whether deleting makes sense versus editing, or whether the review you're looking for is even accessible from where you're searching, depends entirely on your own account setup and what you originally posted. 🔍