Some reviews can be removed, most cannot. Here is exactly what Google will take down, how to report a fake or policy-breaking review, and what to do about the honest ones you wish you could delete.
The honest answer: You cannot remove a genuine negative review just because you disagree with it. You can report reviews that violate Google's policies, such as fake reviews, spam, conflicts of interest, or off-topic and abusive content, and Google may remove those. For honest criticism, the durable fix is to respond well, fix the cause, and earn enough recent positive reviews to outweigh it.
Google only removes reviews that break its policies. It will not remove a review simply because it is negative or you believe it is unfair. Reviews Google may remove include:
An honest 1-star from a real customer who had a bad experience does not qualify, even if it stings.
Reporting is free and takes a few minutes. Do it from your Google Business Profile.
In your Google Business Profile, go to the Reviews section, or find your business on Google Maps and open its reviews.
Click the three dots next to the review and choose Report review. Pick the reason that best matches the policy it breaks, for example spam or off-topic.
Submit the report and note the date. For stubborn cases you can follow up through Google Business Profile support and provide evidence the review is fake or breaks policy.
Post a calm, professional public reply in the meantime. Future customers read your response, and a measured reply often does more good than a removal would.
Posting fake reviews, and buying or selling them, can breach the law as well as Google's policy. In the United States the FTC's Consumer Review Rule treats fake and deceptive reviews as an unfair or deceptive practice, with civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation, and similar consumer-protection rules apply in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. If you suspect a competitor is buying fake reviews, report them rather than retaliating. And never buy reviews yourself to catch up.
You will not win by deleting reviews, because most cannot be deleted. You win by making bad reviews rare and easy to outweigh.
Reviewtail routes unhappy customers to you privately first and grows genuine positive reviews automatically, so your rating stays high. 30-day money-back guarantee.
See plans and pricing →No. Only the reviewer can edit or delete their own review, and Google removes a review only if it breaks policy. You can report policy-violating or fake reviews, and you can always reply publicly.
Report it through your Google Business Profile using the Report review option and select the relevant policy reason, such as spam or conflict of interest. Provide evidence if Google follows up. There is no guaranteed timeline.
You cannot have it removed for being negative. Reply professionally, fix the underlying issue, and earn more recent positive reviews so it carries less weight. Catching unhappy customers privately first, as Reviewtail does, stops most bad reviews before they post.