How to edit or delete a Google review you wrote

You can edit or delete a Google review you wrote from Google Maps, on a computer or in the app. The route is the same idea everywhere: find your reviews, find the one you want, select More, then pick Edit review or Delete review. Below are the exact steps for each device, what changes afterwards, and a short note for business owners.

On a computer

Start here if you’re at a laptop or desktop. It shows all your reviews in one list, so you can tidy up a few at once.

1. Open Google Maps.
2. At the top left, click Menu.
3. Click Your contributions, then Reviews.
4. Next to the review you want to change, click More.
5. Select Edit review or Delete review, then follow the on-screen steps.

That’s it. The on-screen steps at the end walk you through the change you picked, so read them before you confirm.

One thing worth knowing: after a review is published, you can edit the words, and you can also change the rating and the pictures you included. So if you attached a photo you now regret, or you gave four stars and it should have been three, you’re not stuck. You don’t have to delete the whole thing and start again.

On an Android phone or tablet

On a phone, you go through your profile rather than a menu. Here’s the route.

1. Open the Google Maps app.
2. Tap Contribute, then View your profile.
3. Scroll and tap See all reviews.
4. Next to the review, tap More.
5. Select Edit review or Delete review, and follow the on-screen steps.

If See all reviews isn’t in view when your profile opens, keep scrolling until it appears and tap that.

On an iPhone or iPad

Same story: the steps match Android, which is a relief if you switch between devices.

1. Open the Google Maps app.
2. Tap Contribute, then View your profile.
3. Scroll and tap See all reviews.
4. Next to the review, tap More.
5. Select Edit review or Delete review, and follow the on-screen steps.

If a review you know you posted isn’t appearing where you’d expect, there’s a separate guide on why Google reviews might not be showing.

What happens when you edit or delete

Delete is simple enough. Your review shows up in Google Maps until you take it down, so once you delete it, it’s gone from view.

Edit is where people get surprised. If you edit your review, the date of the last edit shows as the review’s post date. So the original date doesn’t stick around. Edit a review today and it looks like you wrote it today, even if the first version went up ages ago. That’s how Google handles every edit, so don’t be thrown when the date moves.

Then there’s the privacy side, which a lot of people skim past. All reviews are public, and you can’t add an anonymous review. Other people can see the name on your About me page, other photos and videos you added to Maps with their location info, and the reviews you wrote. So when you’re deciding whether to edit or delete, bear in mind that your review isn’t floating about on its own. It sits alongside the rest of your public contributions.

Reviews are also moderated. That matters in one specific way: reviews removed for policy violations are not reinstated. So if Google has taken a review down because it broke the rules, don’t expect it to come back. And when you edit a review, stick to the content policy, so your edit doesn’t get it removed.

If you want to change your review after a business replied

Businesses can reply to reviews, and when they do, the reviewer is notified. So you might be reading a response and thinking, hang on, maybe I was a bit harsh. Or maybe the business sorted the problem and you want your review to reflect that.

You can. Customers can still change their review after reading the reply. Follow the same steps as above for your device, choose Edit review, and update what you wrote or the rating.

If you do change it, the date on the review changes to show the latest update. Same behaviour as any other edit.

Now, a neutral word on something that sometimes comes up. If a business offers you something, like free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for changing or removing your review, that’s against Google’s rules. Offering incentives for posting, changing or removing reviews counts as fake engagement and is strictly prohibited. Whether you change your review is your own decision, made on what you actually think of the experience. That’s the whole point of a review, really.

For a sense of how a business might answer once a problem has been put right and the review updated, see the replies for an updated review after a fix.

For business owners: you cannot delete a customer’s review

If you run a business and you’re wondering whether you can delete a review someone left about you, the answer is no. Google says you can’t contact someone who left an inappropriate review, and you can’t directly delete someone else’s review. What you can do is ask Google to remove it by reporting it.

Reviews are taken down if they don’t comply with Google’s review policies. So the test is whether the review breaks the rules, not whether you disagree with it or it stings a bit (and yes, it stings).

Here’s how to report one from Google Maps.

1. On a computer, go to Google Maps and find the review.
2. Click More, then Flag as inappropriate.
3. Select the reason.

In the app, it’s More, then Report review.

Business owners can also request removal from their Business Profile. The full walkthrough is in the guide on how to report and remove a fake Google review.

And there’s another option that people overlook: reply publicly. The reviewer gets notified when you do, and everyone reading the review sees your side too. If you’d like help with wording, the guide on how to reply to Google reviews covers the steps, and the free review reply writer can draft one for you.

So that’s the lot: reviewers can edit or delete their own, owners report or reply.

Questions people ask

Does editing a Google review change its date?

Yes. Google says that when you edit your review, the date of the last edit shows as the review's post date. So a review you first wrote months ago will look as though it was written on the day you changed it. The same applies if you edit after a business has replied to you.

Can I change my star rating without rewriting the review?

Yes. Google says that after your review is published, you can edit it or change the rating and the pictures you included. Choose Edit review from the More menu next to the review, adjust the stars, and follow the on-screen steps. You don't need to delete it and start again.

Can I post or edit a Google review anonymously?

No. Google says all reviews are public and you can't add an anonymous review. Others can see the name on your About me page, the other photos and videos you've added to Maps along with their location info, and the other reviews you've written.

Can a business delete my review?

No. Google says nobody can directly delete someone else's review. A business can report a review it believes breaks Google's policies, and Google takes it down only if it doesn't comply. A business also can't offer you discounts or freebies to change or remove it: Google treats that as fake engagement.