Answers

Can you remove photos from your Google Business Profile, including ones customers posted?

Ascent Vision · Published October 24, 2026

Yes for photos you added, and only sometimes for customers' photos. Google lets an owner delete photos and videos the owner uploaded to the Business Profile. Photos posted by customers are different: Google says you can't stop customers posting photo updates, but you can report a photo or video that breaks its policies. Google then reviews it, which can take several business days, and may or may not remove it. A photo that is simply unflattering usually stays.

Your photos and customers' photos

Google's help page says the photo's source shows in the bottom left corner of profile photos on Search, which tells you who added an old one before you decide what to do with it.

What customers can post, and what Google shows

Google says customers can post photo updates, one or more photos with or without text, from your profile in the Google Maps app, and that a customer can write only one review but can post multiple photo updates.

Your own uploads are checked too: Google reviews them against its policies, marks any that break them as Not approved, and says new media can take 24 to 48 hours to show. If your cover photo is low quality, or other sources suggest it is not the best one, Google says a photo submitted by a user may be shown instead.

What Google may remove

Google's reporting page asks you to pick a reason, and the examples it gives include "Privacy concern", "Not a photo or video of the place", "Spam" and "Personal information". For content that may break the law, Google has a separate legal report and says it considers blocking or removing such content based on local laws.

Google warns that several removal requests for the same photo might delay the review, so report it once and wait. As general advice, a photo that shows your business honestly, even if it is dark or out of date, usually stays; the same line applies to reviews, as the related answer on getting a fake Google review removed explains.

Old photos and listings that are not yours

Not sure who added an old photo? As a rule of thumb, the photos Google lets you delete are the profile's own, and the rest go through the report route. If you cannot get into the profile at all, the related answer on what to do if someone else controls your Google Business Profile covers getting access.

If your photos turn up on a listing you did not create, that is a different problem; the related answer on how to report a fake business on Google Maps covers it.

Often the better fix

Adding better photos is usually quicker than waiting on a report, and Google says your newest uploads appear first. It says an exterior photo helps customers recognize your business, and asks for photos that are in focus and well lit, without heavy filters. For what to photograph, the related answer on which photos a service business website should use applies here too.

Sources

1. Google Business Profile Help, "Manage your Business Profile photos & videos"
2. Google Business Profile Help, "About photo updates from customers"
3. Google Business Profile Help, "Report inappropriate photos or videos on your Business Profile"

Related answers

• Can you get a fake or unfair Google review taken down?
• How do you report a fake business listing on Google Maps?
• What photos should a service business use on its website?
• What if someone else controls my business’s Google profile?