How Do I Delete A Google Review I Wrote
Why You Might Want to Delete a Review You Wrote
Changing your mind about a review is more common than you think. Maybe the restaurant fixed the problem you complained about, the business owner reached out and made things right, or you simply posted in the heat of the moment and now feel the review no longer reflects your experience. Whatever the reason, Google does allow you to delete a review you personally wrote, and the process is straightforward once you know where to look.
This guide walks you through every method, covers what to do when things go wrong, and explains how reviews connect to the bigger picture of a business's online reputation.
If you are a business owner reading this because a reviewer asked how to remove their feedback, or because you are trying to understand how reviews affect your local rankings, you are in the right place too. While you are here, you can run a free Google Maps rank scan of your business to see exactly where you stand in your service area today, no credit card required.
How to Delete a Google Review You Wrote: Step-by-Step
Google gives every reviewer full control over their own contributions. You just need to be signed in to the Google account you used when you wrote the review.
Method 1: Delete from Google Maps (Mobile App)
- Open the Google Maps app on your phone.
- Tap your profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Select Your contributions, then tap Reviews.
- Find the review you want to remove.
- Tap the three-dot menu (the vertical ellipsis) next to the review.
- Select Delete review, then confirm.
The review will be removed almost immediately, though it can take a short time to disappear from all surfaces.
Method 2: Delete from Google Maps (Desktop Browser)
- Go to maps.google.com and sign in.
- Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner.
- Click Your contributions, then choose Reviews.
- Locate the review you want to delete.
- Click the three-dot menu beside the review text.
- Choose Delete review and confirm.
Method 3: Delete Directly from a Business Listing
- Search for the business on Google Search or Maps.
- Scroll to the reviews section and find your review (it will be highlighted if you are signed in).
- Click or tap the three-dot menu next to your review.
- Select Delete review.
That is all there is to it. The key requirement across every method is that you must be signed in to the same Google account used to post the original review.
What If the Delete Option Is Not Appearing?
This is one of the most common frustrations people run into. If you cannot see a delete option, here are the likely reasons and fixes:
- Wrong Google account: You may be signed in to a different Google account than the one you used to write the review. Sign out, switch accounts, and try again.
- Review was posted from a Google Workspace account: If the account that wrote the review was later closed or suspended, access can be tricky. Try contacting Google support through the Google Business Profile Help center for guidance.
- Technical glitch: Clear your browser cache or try a different browser or device. The mobile app tends to be more reliable than the desktop site for managing your own contributions.
- Review is under moderation: Occasionally Google flags a review for policy review. During this period editing or deleting can be temporarily unavailable.
Can You Edit a Review Instead of Deleting It?
Yes, and this is often a better choice. If you still want to leave a review but want to update the rating or rewrite the text, editing keeps the history of your engagement with the business intact while correcting whatever prompted the change.
The steps are identical to deleting: find the three-dot menu next to your review and choose Edit review rather than Delete. You can change the star rating, update the text, and add or remove photos.
Editing is the right move when a business has genuinely improved, resolved a complaint, or when you realize your original review was based on a misunderstanding.
How Reviews Affect a Business's Google Ranking
This section is mainly for business owners who want context on why reviews matter so much beyond simple reputation management. According to Google's own local ranking guidance, reviews are one of the signals used to determine how prominently a business appears in local search results and on Google Maps. More reviews, higher ratings, and regular review activity all contribute positively.
The BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey consistently finds that consumers read online reviews before choosing a local business and that star ratings are among the top factors influencing a purchasing decision. A removed negative review can shift a rating meaningfully, especially for businesses with a smaller total review count.
If you are a business owner, managing your Google Business Profile proactively -- including responding to reviews, publishing posts, and keeping your listing accurate -- is essential. This is where a tool like Local SEO Bot becomes genuinely useful.
Local SEO Bot is a done-for-you AI local SEO service that handles the full stack: it optimizes your Google Business Profile, publishes weekly GBP posts, sends AI-generated review replies, builds hand-placed citations across 40+ platforms, and tracks your Google Maps rankings daily with alerts when a competitor climbs. It is not a DIY dashboard you have to wrestle with; it runs in the background and does the work for you.
Check out the pricing page -- plans start at $0 today, then $99/month after your 3-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime.
What Google's Review Policies Actually Say
Google has clear review policies governing what is and is not allowed. As the author of a review, you are responsible for making sure it meets those guidelines. Reviews must reflect a genuine experience, must not contain spam or fake content, and must not be posted in exchange for compensation.
Understanding these policies matters because if you are trying to delete a review that violates policy (for example, you accidentally posted a review for the wrong business, or the review contains personal information you want removed), Google may have already flagged it. In that case, the business owner can also flag the review for removal through their own dashboard if it violates policy -- though the reviewer deleting it themselves is always faster.
For business owners concerned about review quality and authenticity, the Moz Local SEO guide offers a thorough overview of how review signals interact with other local ranking factors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If I delete a Google review I wrote, does the business get notified?
A: No. Google does not send a notification to the business when a reviewer deletes their own review. The review simply disappears from the listing. The business's overall star rating will recalculate automatically to reflect the removal.
Q: Can I delete a Google review written from an old account I no longer have access to?
A: This is difficult but not always impossible. If you can recover access to the original account through Google's account recovery tools, you can then delete the review normally. If the account is permanently inaccessible, there is no direct way to delete the review -- you would need to contact Google support and explain the situation, though removal is not guaranteed.
Q: How long does it take for a deleted Google review to disappear?
A: In most cases, a deleted review disappears from the business listing within a few minutes. However, it can occasionally take up to 24 hours to fully propagate across all Google surfaces, including Maps, Search, and any third-party sites that pull Google review data.
Key Takeaways
- You can delete any Google review you wrote as long as you are signed in to the same Google account used to post it.
- Use the Google Maps app or desktop site, go to Your Contributions, find your review, and choose Delete from the three-dot menu.
- If the delete option is missing, check that you are in the correct Google account; switching accounts usually solves the problem.
- Editing a review is often a better option than deleting it if the business has genuinely improved.
- Reviews directly influence local search rankings, so removing an outdated or inaccurate review can benefit both reviewer and business.
- Business owners who want to manage their reviews, rankings, and profile without doing it themselves can rely on Local SEO Bot -- a done-for-you AI local SEO service with daily rank tracking, AI review replies, citation building, and a 30-day money-back ranking guarantee: if you are not ranking higher within 30 days, every dollar back, no questions asked.
- Run a free Google Maps rank scan of your business to see where you stand right now and what it would take to climb the local map pack.
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