Security · Article 7 of 10
If someone takes over your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing a customer sees: your hours, your phone, your reviews. If someone else controls it, they can change all of that. Keep it yours with one owner account you protect well, a second trusted owner, and a monthly look at who has access. If you lose it, Google has a process.
Why it matters
When someone searches for your business on Google or Maps, the profile answers for you. Whoever controls it can edit your information, reply to reviews and publish posts. It's part of your visibility, and part of your security.
Who holds the keys
Google's help describes two roles:1
- Owners have full control. They can add or remove people, manage the profile and even delete it. A profile can have several owners, but only one primary owner.
- Managers have almost the same access, except they can't add or remove people or delete the profile.
Each person needs their own Google account, so no one has to share a password.1
| Action | Primary owner | Owner | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit the information | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to reviews | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Add or remove users | Yes | Yes | No |
| Delete the profile | Yes | Yes | No |
| Transfer primary ownership | Yes | No | No |
Choose a role to see what it can do in the profile.
Five habits that keep it yours
- The primary owner should be an account of the business, protected with two-step verification or a passkey. Not the account of a former employee or an agency.
- Add a second trusted owner. Google only lets you transfer primary ownership if the profile has at least one other owner or manager.1
- Give everyone else the manager role. They can do the daily work without being able to remove you.
- Once a month, open "People and access" in the profile settings and remove anyone who shouldn't be there. Only owners can remove other owners and managers.1
- Never share the password of the owner account. Invite people with their own account instead.
Google also adds a safety delay: new owners and managers must wait 7 days before they can delete the profile, remove other owners or managers, or transfer primary ownership.1
If you lose it
If someone else has a verified profile for your business, Google lets you request ownership:2
- Go to business.google.com/add.
- Enter your business name and address, and choose it from the list.
- When you see the message that someone else may manage the profile, select Request access and fill in the form.
The current owner gets an email and has 3 days to respond. If your request is denied, you can still suggest changes or try an appeal. If there's no answer in 3 days, you may be able to claim the profile, though Google notes that option isn't always available.2
The best recovery, though, is not needing one.
Ask me how we do it for your business, on a free 30-minute call.
General information, not legal advice. Steps follow Google's help as read on Oct 16, 2026; Google may change them.
Charted and signedOctober 2026 · Alejandro Peñuela
Every claim in this article points to its source.