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To change or remove a review you wrote, open Google Maps, go to Menu > Your contributions > Reviews on a computer, open the review’s More menu, and choose Edit review or Delete review. In the mobile app, open your profile button, choose Your Profile, select the review, and choose Edit Review or Delete Review.

You cannot directly delete another person’s review. You can report it to Google when you believe it violates a content policy. A business owner can report through the Business Profile or Google’s Reviews Management Tool, then track the case and, when eligible, submit one appeal.

Choose the correct workflow first

Google separates reviews by who controls them. The author of a review can edit or delete that contribution directly. Everyone else—including a business owner mentioned in the review—can only ask Google to assess it. Reporting does not give the reporter a delete button, and a negative opinion is not automatically a policy violation.

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Start by identifying which account and role apply. If you wrote the review, use your own contributions list. If you are a customer or other Maps user concerned about another person’s post, use the review’s reporting control. If you manage the listed business, sign in to the account that manages its Business Profile so you can use the owner reporting tools and, where eligible, the appeal process.

Situation Where to act What you can do Follow-up
You wrote the review Google Maps on computer or app Edit the text, rating, or photos, or delete the review Your change posts to Maps; the last-edit date becomes the displayed post date
You are a Maps user reporting someone else’s review Review’s More menu in Maps Flag or report the review and select a reason Google decides whether its policies were violated; removal is not guaranteed
You own the business named in the review Business Profile or Reviews Management Tool Submit a removal report and choose the policy reason Usually several days for evaluation; eligible cases can receive one appeal

Before you start

Have access to the Google account that performed the original action. Maps shows different contribution histories for different accounts, so an account switch can make a review appear to be missing. Business ownership does not transfer author controls: managing a listing lets you report a customer’s review, but it does not let you edit or delete that customer’s contribution.

Decide whether you need a correction or a complete withdrawal. Editing keeps the contribution public while updating its text, star rating, or pictures. Deleting removes your posted contribution through Google’s confirmation flow. If you are reporting someone else’s review, identify the specific policy concern before opening the form; dislike, embarrassment, or commercial harm alone does not meet Google’s stated threshold.

Edit or delete your own review on a computer

  1. Sign in to the Google account that posted the review and open Google Maps.
  2. Open Menu at the top left.
  3. Select Your contributions, then Reviews.
  4. Locate the review you want to change.
  5. Open the review’s More menu.
  6. Choose Edit review to change it, or choose Delete review to remove it, then complete the confirmation prompts.

What you can change

The edit screen lets you update the written text, star rating, and pictures included with the contribution. Submit the on-screen changes so the revised version is posted to Maps. Review the complete entry before saving: changing only the stars while leaving outdated wording can make the contribution inconsistent with your current experience.

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How Google dates an edited review

Google says the date of the last edit appears as the review’s post date. Editing therefore changes the date readers see; it does not create an anonymous replacement. Maps reviews are public, and Google says they cannot be anonymous. An edit is still associated with the public contribution and does not conceal the reviewer’s identity.

Edit or delete your own review in the mobile app

  1. Open the Google Maps app and tap the profile button.
  2. Choose Your Profile.
  3. Select the review from your contributions.
  4. Choose Edit Review to revise the text, rating, or photos, or choose Delete Review and confirm.

Google’s mobile help uses capitalization such as Edit Review and Delete Review. Labels can look slightly different across app versions, but the route remains through your profile and review list. If the review is missing, verify that the app is signed in to the account that originally posted it.

Use the edit option when your experience has changed or you need to correct a detail. The same contribution is updated rather than replaced by a second anonymous post. If you choose deletion, read the confirmation screen carefully and make sure the selected place and review are the ones you intend to withdraw.

Report someone else’s review in Google Maps

A reader cannot remove another reviewer’s contribution personally. The available action is a policy report, which asks Google to evaluate the content. Reporting is a request for review, not an instruction that Google must follow.

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From a computer

  1. Open Google Maps and find the place and the review.
  2. Open the review’s More menu.
  3. Choose Flag as inappropriate.
  4. Select the reason that best describes the suspected policy violation and submit the report.

From the mobile app

  1. Open the place listing and locate the review.
  2. Tap the review’s More menu.
  3. Choose Report review.
  4. Select a reason and send the report.

Make the report specific

Choose the reason that matches the content you are reporting, and keep the report focused on the review itself. A general statement that the post is unfair or damaging is not the same as identifying a policy issue. Do not use repeated reports as a substitute for a policy-based explanation; Google makes its own assessment after receiving the report.

When a report is appropriate

Google’s removal standard is policy-based. A review is eligible for removal when it violates Google’s content rules, not merely because a business or reader dislikes it. Google’s Business Profile guidance states: “Do not report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it.” A harsh rating, an unfavorable experience, or a factual dispute by itself does not establish a violation.

Business-owner reporting and the Reviews Management Tool

Owners and managers have two official routes for a review that appears to violate policy: report it from the verified Business Profile or use the Reviews Management Tool. These routes are for requesting Google’s policy review; neither gives the business a direct delete control.

Report from the Business Profile

  1. Sign in to the Google account that manages the Business Profile.
  2. Open the profile and choose Read reviews.
  3. Find the review and select the report icon beside it.
  4. Choose the reason that matches the suspected violation.
  5. Send the report.

Use the Reviews Management Tool

  1. Open Google’s Reviews Management Tool while signed in to the managing account.
  2. Select the relevant business.
  3. Start a new removal report.
  4. Choose the review and the applicable reason.
  5. Submit the report.

The tool can be revisited to check whether the case is pending or has been assessed. Keep the report focused on the policy issue in the review itself. A complaint that the review is damaging, unfair, or simply negative is not the same as evidence of a prohibited contribution. If the issue concerns the business encouraging or arranging reviews rather than one specific post, use Google’s business-conduct reporting route instead.

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Evaluation time and the appeal option

Google says review evaluation typically takes several days. That is an approximate process timeframe, not a guaranteed deadline. The tool may show that a decision is pending or that Google found no policy violation.

When the case is eligible, the business can submit a one-time appeal through the Reviews Management Tool after a no-violation decision. Google assesses the appeal and sends the result by email. Because eligibility and outcomes depend on Google’s policy review, do not promise that an appeal—or the original report—will remove the review. Save the case status and the reason submitted so the appeal, if offered, addresses the same decision rather than introducing an unrelated complaint.

Understand Google’s policy threshold

Negative is not the same as prohibited

Google expects Maps contributions to reflect genuine experiences. A one-star review can remain if it follows the content rules, even when the business strongly disagrees with it. Reporting should identify a specific policy concern rather than rely on the rating, tone, or commercial effect.

This distinction matters for customers as well as businesses. A reader who dislikes a reviewer’s opinion does not gain a removal right, and a business cannot convert a disagreement over facts into an automatic takedown. Google, not the reporter, decides whether the content crosses its policy threshold.

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Report the right thing

Google distinguishes between reporting a specific review and reporting a business’s conduct. Use the review-reporting control when the problem is the content of one contribution. If the concern is that a business is arranging or encouraging prohibited review activity, use Google’s business-conduct reporting route instead of treating every related review as an individual content report.

Incentives and review manipulation are prohibited

Google’s policy requires genuine experiences and prohibits fake engagement. Do not offer money, discounts, gifts, services, or other incentives in exchange for posting, changing, or removing a review. The prohibition covers incentives for a positive review and incentives to revise or remove a negative one.

If a business asks customers to alter reviews in return for compensation, that conduct is a separate policy concern from reporting one review. Document the relevant offer and use Google’s business-conduct reporting process. Do not attempt to “balance” the situation by paying for favorable reviews yourself. Asking for an incentive to delete criticism is also covered; the rule is not limited to obtaining five-star ratings.

Edit versus delete: which action fits?

Goal Best action Result Important limitation
Correct wording, rating, or photos after your experience changes Edit your review The same contribution is updated The date of the last edit is shown as the post date, and the review remains public
Withdraw your own contribution Delete your review Google removes your posted contribution through the confirmation flow Only the author can use this direct delete workflow
Challenge another person’s review Report or flag it Google evaluates the review against its policies Disagreement alone is not a removal reason
Manage a business’s case and seek a second review of the decision Business Profile or Reviews Management Tool, followed by an eligible appeal Status is visible in the tool and the appeal result is emailed Evaluation usually takes several days; only one appeal is available in eligible cases
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Common problems and what to check

The review is not in your list

  • Check the account avatar before opening Maps; a different Google account will show a different contribution history.
  • On a computer, return to Menu > Your contributions > Reviews rather than searching the place listing alone.
  • In the app, use Profile button > Your Profile and scroll through your review activity.
  • If you manage a business but did not write the review, switch to the reporting workflow; owner access does not grant author controls.

The menu does not show Edit or Delete

Those controls are available only for the account that authored the review. Confirm that you are signed in to the original account and that you opened the review from your own contributions. A business-owner account viewing a customer’s review will see reporting controls, not author controls.

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The report was rejected

A no-violation decision means Google did not find a policy breach under the reason submitted. Re-read the policy basis and distinguish a content violation from a disagreement about accuracy or fairness. For an eligible business case, use the one-time appeal in the Reviews Management Tool; do not submit repeated reports that make the same unsupported claim.

The interface looks different

Google can change labels and placement between the web experience, Android, iPhone, account type, and region. Look for the equivalent path through your contributions on the web or your profile in the app. The official English-language guidance available on October 13, 2026 describes the labels used in this article; your account may display a minor variation.

You are unsure which report to file

Ask whether the problem is one review or the business’s review practices. For one contribution, use Flag as inappropriate on the web or Report review in the app. For allegations that a business is offering incentives or organizing fake engagement, use the business-conduct route. Keeping those complaints separate helps Google evaluate the relevant issue.

What happens after you edit, delete, or report?

After an edit

Your revised text, rating, and selected pictures replace the prior version of your contribution. The displayed post date reflects the most recent edit, and the review remains a public, non-anonymous Maps contribution.

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After your own deletion request

Google presents confirmation steps before processing the delete command. Follow those prompts only after checking that the selected contribution is the one you intend to remove.

After a report

Reporting sends Google a request for policy evaluation; it does not automatically hide the review or notify you of a guaranteed outcome. Business owners can use the Reviews Management Tool to see whether the case is pending or has been decided. Google’s stated evaluation period is typically several days, without a fixed completion date.

A practical checklist

  • Identify whether you authored the review, are a general Maps user, or manage the business.
  • Use Your contributions > Reviews on a computer or Your Profile in the app for your own post.
  • Choose Edit when you need to revise the text, rating, or photos; choose Delete when you want to withdraw your contribution.
  • Use Flag as inappropriate on the web or Report review in the app for someone else’s post.
  • Report a specific policy violation, not simply a low rating or an opinion you dislike.
  • If you manage the business, submit through the Business Profile or Reviews Management Tool and monitor the case there.
  • Use the one-time appeal only when Google marks the business case eligible.
  • Never offer or accept incentives for posting, revising, or removing reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a business owner delete a Google Maps review?

No. A business owner cannot directly delete a customer’s review. The owner can report it from the Business Profile or Reviews Management Tool when it appears to violate Google policy. Google decides whether removal is warranted.

How do I edit a Google review I wrote?

On a computer, open Google Maps, choose Menu, Your contributions, and Reviews, open the review’s More menu, then choose Edit review. In the app, open the profile button, choose Your Profile, select the review, and choose Edit Review.

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How do I delete a Google review I wrote?

Open your review from Your contributions on the web or Your Profile in the app. Choose Delete review or Delete Review and complete Google’s confirmation steps.

Will editing a review hide the original date or my identity?

No. Google says the date of the last edit appears as the review’s post date. Maps reviews are public and cannot be anonymous.

What if Google rejects my report?

A no-violation result means Google did not find a policy breach under the reason submitted. An eligible business case can receive one appeal through the Reviews Management Tool, with the result sent by email.

How long does Google take to evaluate a reported review?

Google says evaluation typically takes several days. That is an approximate timeframe, not a guaranteed deadline, and the Reviews Management Tool may show a pending or completed decision.

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Can I report a review just because it is unfair or negative?

No. Google specifically says not to report a review simply because you disagree with it or dislike it. A low rating or unfavorable opinion alone is not proof of a policy violation.

Can I offer a discount for changing or removing a review?

No. Google prohibits incentives for posting, revising, or removing reviews. Report suspected incentivized review activity through Google’s business-conduct reporting route rather than paying for favorable changes.

The Bottom Line

If you wrote the review, manage it through Google Maps’ Your contributions > Reviews path on the web or Your Profile in the app. Choose edit to update the text, rating, or photos, or delete to withdraw it. If someone else wrote it, you cannot remove it yourself: report a specific policy violation. Business owners can track reports in the Reviews Management Tool and use its one-time appeal only when Google marks the case eligible.

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