Updated October 2026
In short
- Removing a profile takes it off your account, but the place usually stays on Google Maps with its reviews.
- If the business has shut, mark it 'Permanently closed' rather than only removing it.
- Deleting your Google account doesn't delete the business listing. Transfer ownership first if anyone still needs it.
- Customer reviews belong to the place, so deleting your profile or account won't erase them.
Delete, remove or close: which one do you need?
Start with the correct Google Account and a clear view of which business or location is involved. Platform interfaces can change, so use Google’s current Help instructions for sensitive account, policy or verification decisions.
| Action | What it does | Listing on Maps | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark permanently closed | Tells customers the business has shut for good | Stays, labelled permanently closed | Stay visible |
| Mark temporarily closed | Pauses the business for a refit, holiday or illness | Stays, labelled temporarily closed | Stay visible |
| Remove the profile from your account | Stops you managing it; the place itself isn't deleted | Usually stays, unmanaged | Stay with the place |
| Remove yourself as a user | Ends your access while other owners carry on | No change | No change |
| Delete your Google account | Deletes the account and your access to every profile on it | Usually stays, unmanaged if you were the only owner | Stay with the place |
| Report a duplicate or request removal on Maps | Asks Google to remove a listing that shouldn't exist | Removed only if Google agrees | Removed or moved with the listing, at Google's discretion |
How to delete a Google Business Profile from your account
Removing the profile from the Google account you're signed in with is the closest thing Google offers to deleting Google Business Profile listings; there's no delete button as such. If the business is still trading and someone else should look after it, transfer ownership instead, so the new owner keeps the reviews and history.
Sign in
Sign in to the Google account that owns the profile, then search for your business name or 'my business' in Google Search.
Open the profile menu
In the management panel above your listing, open the three-dot menu and choose 'Business Profile settings'.
Choose to remove the profile
Select 'Remove Business Profile'. Google may first offer to mark the business as permanently closed; accept if it has shut.
Confirm
Follow the prompts to confirm. The profile disappears from your account, usually straight away.
Google renames these menu items from time to time. If you can't find them, look for the profile's settings or its people and access page, or search the Business Profile Help Center for 'remove Business Profile'.
How to remove Google Business Profile locations in Business Profile Manager
If you manage several locations at business.google.com, select the ones you want to remove in the location list, then use the actions menu to remove them. Mark them closed first if they've shut. Removing one location doesn't affect the others in your account.
How to close a Google business account when the business shuts
If you've stopped trading, the honest and useful thing is to tell customers. Marking the business permanently closed stops people travelling to an empty unit and keeps the public record accurate.
Open your profile
Find your business in Google Search or the Google Maps app while signed in, and choose 'Edit profile'.
Find the business status
Open the Hours section, where you set whether the business is open. On some versions it sits under business information.
Select 'Permanently closed'
Choose 'Permanently closed' and save. If you're only closing for a while, choose 'Temporarily closed' instead.
Decide whether to remove it
Once the closure shows, you can remove the profile from your account, or keep it so you can still reply to reviews.
If you're moving rather than closing, don't mark the profile closed. Change the business address on the existing profile so your reviews move with you.
How to delete a Google business account entirely
If you searched for “how to delete Google business account” or “how to close Google My Business”, you may mean the whole Google account rather than one profile. There's no separate 'Google business account' to close. Your Business Profile is managed by an ordinary Google account or a Google Workspace account. You delete a personal Google account in your Google Account settings (myaccount.google.com), under data and privacy. A Workspace account is deleted by your organisation's administrator.
If you deleted an account by mistake, Google may let you recover it for a short time afterwards through its account recovery page. After that, you'd need to claim the profile again from a new account and verify it.
What happens if I delete my Google business account?
Here's what changes when you remove a profile from your account, or delete the Google account that managed it:
- The listing usually stays on Google Maps and Search. Google keeps places that exist, or existed, on the map.
- Reviews stay. They belong to the place, so they remain visible and keep counting towards the rating. You just can't reply any more.
- Anyone can suggest edits. With no owner checking, customer suggestions and Google's own updates can change your details.
- Someone else can claim it. The profile becomes unmanaged, so another person could request access and verify it.
- You lose the management tools. Performance data, posts and the settings you controlled are no longer available to you.
Will deleting my Google business account delete reviews?
No. Removing the profile or deleting your Google account doesn't delete the reviews customers left about your business. The only reviews that disappear when you delete a Google account are the ones you wrote yourself about other businesses. If a customer review breaks Google's policies you can report it, but closing your account isn't a way round that. Our guide to removing Google reviews explains what qualifies.
How to remove 'permanently closed' on Google
Sometimes a profile shows as permanently closed when the business is still open. A previous owner may have closed it, a customer may have suggested the change, or Google may have updated it from another source. You can reverse it.
Make sure you can manage it
Sign in and open the profile. If you can't manage it, claim it or request access first.
Change the status back
In 'Edit profile', open the hours or business status setting and choose 'Open with main hours'.
Check the other details
Confirm the opening hours, address and phone number while you're there, as a wrong closure often comes with other wrong details.
Show you're active
If Google asks, provide photos of your open premises or signage. A fresh post or photo also shows customers you're trading.
If you don't own the listing and can't claim it, open it on Google Maps, choose 'Suggest an edit' and correct the status. Google reviews these suggestions, so they can take a few days to appear.
How to delete a business profile on Google that you don't own
You can't delete a profile that someone else manages, but you can ask Google to deal with it:
- It's a duplicate of your business. Report it from the listing on Maps with 'Suggest an edit', choosing to close or remove it as a duplicate. Our guide to merging Google Business Profiles has the details.
- It's your old business and you've lost access. Request access, or claim it if it's unmanaged, then close or remove it yourself.
- It never existed, is spam or lists a private home. Use 'Suggest an edit' to report it, choosing the reason that fits.
- A former agency or employee controls it. Ask them to transfer ownership. If they won't, use Google's request access process.
Closing locations across a chain or franchise
For a network of branches, record the responsible person, the approved information and the completion status for each location. This makes it easier to spot omissions without assuming that one change applies everywhere.
Talk to the team if you're closing or restructuring several locations at once.
