Understand which reviews to report for removal
You can report any review, but only those that violate Google policies are eligible for removal. Flagged reviews that violate our content policies are removed and will no longer show on Maps and Search. Learn more about prohibited and restricted content .
Do not report a review just because you disagree with it or dislike it. Google doesn’t get involved in conflict between businesses and customers. Negative reviews can highlight areas for improvement and aren’t always a sign of poor service. Learn how to manage customer reviews .
Report inappropriate reviews on your Business Profile
- Go to your Business Profile .
- Select Read reviews.
- Next to the review you’d like to flag, select Report.
- Select the reason to flag the review.
- Examples:“Spam” or “Profanity”
- Select Send report.
Tips:
- Review evaluation typically takes several days. You can check the status of your report in the Reviews Management Tool .
- Third-party reviews from non-Google sources might show on Business Profiles. Learn more about third-party reviews .
Report inappropriate reviews with the Reviews Management Tool
How to use the flag review tool in Google to remove negative reviews
Important: Merchants in the EEA can report third-party reviews directly on Google.
- Go to the Reviews Management Tool .
- If the email address shown is the one associated with your Business Profile, select Confirm.
- If you want to manage reviews for a Business Profile associated with another email, select Switch account.
- Select your business.
- Select Continue Report a new review for removal Continue.
- Next to the review that you want to flag, select Report.
- In the new tab, select the reason to flag the review.
- Examples:“Spam” or “Profanity”
- Select Submit.
To check the status of your report, you can revisit this tool. The possible statuses are:
- Decision pending:The review is flagged, but it hasn't been evaluated yet.
- Report reviewed - no policy violation:The review was evaluated, and no policy violation was found.
- If you disagree with the decision, you can submit a one-time appeal .
- Escalated - check your email for updates:The appeal has been escalated, and you’ll get an email about the final decision.
Submit a one time appeal of a review
If a flagged review doesn’t qualify for removal, submit a one-time appeal. Learn more about Google's content policies .
To submit a one-time appeal of a review:
- Go to the Reviews Management Tool .
- If the email address shown is the one associated with your Business Profile, select Confirm.
- Select your business.
- Select Continue Check the status of a review I reported previously and appeal options Continue.
- At the bottom, select Appeal eligible reviews.
- Select the review you want to appeal.
- You can select up to 10 reviews.
- Select Continue Submit an appeal.
- In the new tab, fill out the form.
- Select Submit.
When your appeal is assessed, you'll get an email with the result:
- If the review violates our policies, it will be removed.
- If the review complies with our policies, it will remain live. Its status in the Reviews Management Tool will show as “Escalated - check your email for updates.”
Report a policy-violating user profile
To report user profiles that contribute inappropriate content:
- On your mobile device, open the Google Maps app
.
- At the bottom right, tap Business.
- Tap Reviews.
- To flag a user, tap the user’s name.
- In the user’s profile, at the top right, tap More
Report.
- Select a reason why you want to flag the user.
- Examples:“Legal issue” or “Privacy concerns”
After you report a user's activity and contributions, we'll review it for policy violations. Learn more about how to report inappropriate user profiles .
About automated spam detection & review removals
To remove reviews identified as spam, Google uses automated spam detection. It helps improve user’s experiences and highlight authentic, relevant, and useful reviews. Occasionally, the system may also mistakenly remove legitimate reviews. If this happens, contact support for assistance .
