How-to · Updated October 11, 2026
Get a fake or abusive Google review removed
Updated October 11, 2026
10 minutes, then several days for Google
Report the review from your Business Profile under the policy it breaks: a reviewer who was never a customer is fake engagement, a competitor or former employee is a conflict of interest. Track the report in the Reviews Management Tool and, if Google finds no violation, use your one appeal. Never offer anything in exchange for removal.
Before you start
- The Google Account that manages the profile. The Reviews Management Tool shows the profiles that account manages; for a profile on another account, use Switch account.
- The rule the review breaks. Google removes only reviews that break its content policies, and says not to report a review only because you disagree with it.
- Screenshots, if anyone asked for money. A demand to pay for removing negative reviews goes to a separate extortion form, and Google wants the messages showing their date, time and sender where possible.
Match the review to a rule Google removes for
Google removes a review only when it breaks a named content rule, so find that rule before reporting.
- A review not based on a real experience, or reviews posted from several accounts by one person, is Fake engagement. A reviewer who was never a customer falls here.
- A review from a competitor, a current or former employee, or a relative is a conflict of interest, which Google lists under rating manipulation and misrepresentation.
- Threats, doxxing, hate speech, profanity used to offend, someone's personal information posted without consent, and unsubstantiated allegations of unethical behavior or criminal wrongdoing each break a rule of their own.
- General, political or social commentary and personal rants with no experience at your business are Off-topic.
- An honest negative account of a real visit, told without any of the content above, breaks none of these. Google allows negative experiences described in a respectful manner and says it doesn't get involved in conflict between businesses and customers, so reply to that review instead of reporting it.
Report it from your Business Profile
The report is sent from the review itself on your Business Profile, one review at a time.
- Go to your Business Profile and select Read reviews.
- Next to the review, select Report.
- Select the reason closest to the rule from the first part. Google's own examples are Spam and Profanity.
- Select Send report. Repeat for each review you are reporting.
Never offer a refund, a discount or anything else for a review to come down. Google bans incentives for the removal of a negative review, and removes content posted after such an offer.
Follow the report and appeal once
The Reviews Management Tool shows whether Google kept the review and is where the one appeal per review is filed.
- Open the Reviews Management Tool, select Confirm if the email shown manages your profile, and select your business.
- Select Continue, then Check the status of a review I reported previously and appeal options, then Continue.
- Read the status. Decision pending means Google has not evaluated it yet. Report reviewed - no policy violation means it stays unless you appeal.
- To appeal, select Appeal eligible reviews at the bottom, choose the review (up to 10 at a time), then Continue and Submit an appeal.
- In the form, name the rule and what shows it was broken, such as no customer record matching the reviewer's name or visit date. That is a judgment about what makes an appeal stronger, not a rule Google states. Then select Submit.
Google allows one appeal per review, so use it on the case you can show. The result comes by email.
Check it worked
Google says review evaluation typically takes several days. Check the status in the Reviews Management Tool; a removed review no longer shows on Maps or Search, so open your profile's reviews from a Google search to confirm it is gone.
While an appeal is open, and after it if Google keeps the review, the status reads Escalated - check your email for updates; the email is where the decision is. If the review breaks no policy in Google's view, it stays live.
Extortion demands and unlawful reviews
If someone demands money, goods or services to remove negative reviews, do not reply or pay. Report it on Google's merchant extortion report form with screenshots of every demand and a direct link to each review.
If the review is unlawful, such as defamatory, file a request from Google's Report Content for Legal Reasons page. Try flagging it in Google Maps first, as Google asks, and give the review's own link rather than the profile's.
Reporting the account behind several fake reviews
Google also takes reports on the reviewer's profile. In the Google Maps app, tap Business, then Reviews, tap the reviewer's name, then More and Report, and choose a reason. Use it when one account left several of the reviews you are reporting.
Replying while the report is open
A short, factual reply tells later readers the business is listening. Replying needs a verified profile. Google checks replies against its content policies before posting them, usually within 10 minutes and sometimes up to 30 days, and the reviewer is notified and can still change the review.
Keep the reply free of accusations you cannot support. Google's policy lists unsubstantiated allegations among the content it removes.