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Last updated · reviewed by the Essentras editorial team

Google personal information removal

How to remove personal information from Google

The short answer

Google can remove search results that show your phone number, home address, email, government ID or bank numbers, but not the page itself. Turn on Results about you to find those results and request removal, use Google’s removal form for anything else on its list, then ask the site to delete the source.

Checked on 18 Oct 2026 against the official pages listed in SourcesWritten by the Essentras editorial team

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What Google removes

Google can remove 10 kinds of personal content from Search, unless it is newsworthy or you can remove it yourself

Google’s personal content policies apply globally. 2 tests come first: the information must be about you, and you must not be able to remove it yourself. You or a representative can ask, and Google reviews only the URLs you submit.

Personal contentWhere to askWhat to know
Your home address, phone number or emailResults about you, or the removal request formAdd every address, phone and email you use, old ones and a nickname or maiden name included
Confidential government ID numbers, such as Social Security, tax ID or resident ID card numbersThe removal request form; Results about you also looks for ID numbers in the U.S.The form asks only for the last 4 characters as they appear on the page
Bank account or credit card numbersThe removal request formLast 4 digits only; tell your bank as well
Images of your signature or an ID documentThe removal request formScreenshots help; Google says you may edit them
Private records, such as medical recordsThe removal request formGoogle lists these as highly personal, restricted or official records
Confidential usernames and passwordsThe removal request formChange the password first
Doxxing: your details next to threats or calls to harass you, or a large amount of aggregated personal information with no legitimate purposeThe removal request formQuote the threatening line and where it appears
Sexual images of you shared without consent, real or fakeImage Search: More, then Remove result; or Google’s central form for intimate imageryYou can ask Google to filter duplicates and similar searches
Non-explicit images of a person under 18, such as you or your childThe removal request formImage URLs only; the person in the image, a parent or a relative can ask; newsworthy images can stay
Content on a site that charges to remove itThe removal request formYou are in the content, it is not a business review site, and it demands payment for removal

What Google keeps

  • Information you control yourself, such as your own social profile or blog.
  • Content Google considers newsworthy or important to the public; it also weighs whether other people are involved.
  • Results from government, educational, newspaper and business websites: Results about you shows no Remove result option for them.
  • Anything outside its list, such as criticism or opinions about you; legal routes or the site owner are the options there.

Key facts, with sources

Results about you

Results about you finds results with your contact details and sends them for removal: how to use it

Results about you is Google’s free tool for results that show your phone number, home address or email. Google says some features are rolling out to people over 18 in certain markets; for anyone under 18, Google points to the removal request form.

  1. 01Open Results about youIn the Google app, tap your profile picture, then Results about you. On the web, go to myactivity.google.com/results-about-you and select Get started.
  2. 02Add the details to look forEnter your name and the phone numbers, home addresses and email addresses you want found. You can add a nickname, a maiden name and several of each.
  3. 03Turn on notificationsChoose email or Google app notifications. Google says you get a notification within a few hours if results match, and another when new results appear.
  4. 04Review what Google foundOpen the To review tab and select a result to see the site and the details it shows.
  5. 05Request removalSelect Request to remove for each result you want gone, or Mark as reviewed to keep it. Government, educational, newspaper and business websites show no Remove result option.
  6. 06Track each requestUnder Removal requests, check the status: In progress, Approved, Denied or Undone. Google emails you when a request is reviewed, and a denial shows its reason.
  7. 07Remove it at the source tooAsk the site to delete your details, because Google’s removal leaves them on the page. Once the page changes, refresh Google’s result.

Google approves a request only if

  • The contact information on the page is your personal information. Professional details posted to harm you go through the removal request form instead.
  • You do not control it yourself: details you can remove on your own social profile or blog do not qualify.
  • Google does not treat the page as valuable to the public, as it does pages owned by government or educational institutions or by newspapers.

What happens after approval

  • Most of the time the URL stops appearing for any search.
  • Sometimes it stops appearing only for searches that contain your name. Google calls this query-based removal and uses it when the page also has content valuable to the public, or other people’s information.
  • Google says there can be a delay between approval and removal; you can check within a few hours after approval.

Good to know

From any search result

Signed in, open the About this result panel (More), choose Remove result, then It shows my personal info and I don’t want it there, then Contact Info. Google emails a confirmation within a few hours.

Enter details exactly as the page shows them

A nickname or an old address goes in as it appears. 1 type of contact info per request is enough, even if the page shows several.

ID numbers

New users add contact details first and are then asked for ID numbers; existing users can add ID numbers directly. Google says this is rolling out in the U.S. and that it is working on more regions.

For someone else

Use the removal request form. A request filed for another person through your own Results about you may be denied.

Behind a paywall

You can still request removal of a result whose page sits behind a paywall.

Changing your mind

Undo lets the URL appear again, unless someone else’s removal of the same URL was approved.

What Google does with your details

Google says it uses them for monitoring and removal requests, does not use them to personalize other Google products, and lets you remove them in Settings.

Misuse

Google says misusing Results about you can cost you access to it.

The removal form

Use Google’s removal form for ID numbers, private records, doxxing, minors and sites that charge for removal

The removal request form covers more than Results about you, and you can use it signed in or not. You or a representative can file, and Google reviews only the URLs you submit.

  1. 1Pick the reason: nudity or sexual material, your personal information, a site with exploitative removal practices, or a person under 18.
  2. 2Say what the page shows. For ID, bank and card numbers the form asks only for the last 4 characters as they appear.
  3. 3Paste the URLs, 1 per line. The form accepts up to 1,000.
  4. 4Add screenshots when asked. Google says they help it find the content and that you may edit them, for example so only your face shows.
  5. 5Say whether the page threatens you. The doxxing policy covers explicit or implicit threats, calls for others to harm or harass you, and a large amount of aggregated personal information with no legitimate purpose.
  6. 6Keep policy and legal requests apart: Google says a report under its policies is not a legal notice, so file legal requests separately in its Legal Help Center.

Images and minors

  • Sexual images of you, real or fake: signed in to Google, open the image in Image Search and choose More, then Remove result, then It shows a sexual image of me. You can submit several images in 1 request and ask Google to remove future duplicates. Google also runs a central form for intimate imagery shared without consent.
  • Non-explicit images of you while you are under 18: Google removes them at your request, with exceptions for newsworthy images. Submit image URLs only; a parent or relative can ask for you.
  • Anyone can report nude or sexual images of people under 18.

Google emails you if it removes a page. Removal can be full, or partial: the page stops appearing for searches with your name or identifier but may still appear for other searches.

If the page threatens you or shows intimate images, put safety first

In immediate danger, call 911 in the U.S., 999 in the UK, or your local emergency number. Save the page and any messages with dates before you report them.

Safety routes and free, confidential help lines

The page itself

Removing a result does not delete the page: ask the site, then refresh Google

Google says the information stays on the source page whether a request is approved or denied, and that it can still be found through links, social media or other search engines. The lasting fix is at the source.

Reach the site owner

  1. 1Look for a Contact us link or an email address on the site.
  2. 2Search “whois” plus the domain to find the registrant or administrative contact.
  3. 3If the owner does not answer, write to the hosting company the whois record names.

Then refresh Google’s result

  1. 1Confirm the page is gone, or that your details are no longer on it.
  2. 2In Google’s results, right-click the result and copy the link address. Do not copy the visible text, or the address from the page itself.
  3. 3Open the Refresh Outdated Content tool, signed in to a Google account, and submit it. Submit every version of the URL separately; upper and lower case must match.
  4. 4If Google asks for words, enter 1 or 2 words that were in the old snippet but are no longer on the page.
  5. 5Check the status: Pending (can take a few days), Approved, Denied, Expired (180 days after approval, or when the URL no longer exists) or Cancelled.

On a site you own, use the Search Console Removals tool instead. Google says a temporary removal lasts about 6 months; to make it permanent, remove the content itself.

If Google says no

When Google says no, the reason is on the request: fix it, add evidence or change route

Google emails you when a Results about you request is denied and shows the reason on the request. Its pages name the usual causes.

Common reasons

  • You can remove the information yourself, for example on your own profile or blog.
  • The page is from a government, educational, newspaper or business website, which Google treats as valuable to the public.
  • The content is newsworthy or important to the public, or involves other people.
  • It is outside Google’s list, such as criticism or an opinion about you.
  • For a Refresh request: the content is still on the page, the page still exists, or the URL format is wrong.

What to do next

Fix the cause

Delete it yourself if you can, or get the site to change the page, then refresh Google.

Add evidence

Screenshots that show your details, and the exact text as it appears on the page.

File again only when something changed

A new page state or new evidence gives Google something new to decide.

Change route

The site owner or host can still remove the page. Legal routes include copyright you own, court orders and, in the EU, the right to be forgotten.

Push it down

For results that must stay public, accurate pages about you can rank above them. Nothing is removed.

How long it takes

Google states few timelines: notifications within hours, refreshes in days, no deadline for the form

These are the only timelines Google’s own pages state. Where Google states none, we say so.

ToolWhat Google says about timing
Results about you alertsWithin a few hours of a match, when notifications are on
Remove result from a search pageConfirmation email within a few hours; there can be a delay between approval and removal
Removal request formNo timeline stated; Google emails you if a page is removed
Refresh Outdated ContentPending can take a few days; an approval expires after 180 days
Removals tool (your own site)Temporary, about 6 months
Legal removal requestsGoogle responds as soon as it can; an email confirms with a reference number
Right to be forgottenNo timeline stated

Google publishes no deadline for its removal request form, so treat any fixed number of days as an estimate.

EU and UK

In the EU, the right to be forgotten can also hide results from searches of your name

Where European data protection law applies, you can ask Google to delist URLs from results for searches of your name. Google weighs whether the information is inaccurate, inadequate, irrelevant or excessive against the public interest.

What Google weighs

  • Your role in public life, and whether the information relates to it.
  • The source: Google defers strongly to government sites and takes journalists’ judgment into account, especially for recent news.
  • The age of the information, and whether later events made it out of date.
  • Whether searchers have a real interest in it, such as reviews of professional services, and local rules on spent convictions.
  • Truth: Google cannot judge it like a court, so a court ruling in your favor weighs heavily.
  • Sensitive data such as health, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or religion makes delisting more likely.

Delisting covers searches related to your name, on the versions of Google for countries applying European data protection law; Google also restricts the URL for users it believes are in your country. Google says it does not apply these delistings to its services for countries outside the EU.

The form asks for

  • The specific URLs.
  • How the content relates to you, and why it should be delisted.
  • The search query, normally your full name, and any other name with how it links to you.
  • An email address for Google’s reply.

Google’s overview does not name the UK, and its form needs JavaScript, so we could not check its country list. UK readers can still use Google’s global removal form, and an erasure request under the UK GDPR to the site itself.

People-search profiles

People-search profiles feed your Google results, so remove the profile, not only the result

Many results that show an address or phone number are people-search profiles. Results about you can flag them, but the profile stays on the site and can come back under a new URL.

  • Opt out at each site. Our internet guide lists the largest operators, the sites each runs and the opt-out page each named in its California registration.
  • California residents can send 1 deletion request to over 600 registered data brokers through DROP, for free.
  • Once a profile is gone, refresh Google’s result with its exact URL.

The people-search table and opt-out tracker

Street View and other engines

Street View, images and other search engines each need their own request

Google Street View

Open the image in Google Maps, select Report a problem and ask Google to blur your house, car or body. Google applies the blur to all copies of that published image, and the blur cannot be removed later.

Google Street View privacy and blurring

Images in Google Search

Images with your contact details or ID go through the removal form; sexual images through the Image Search flow; images of you as a minor through the minors policy.

Google Search Help: personal content policies

Bing and other search engines

A Google removal does not change other search engines. Microsoft takes Bing reports through its Report a Concern page; it needs JavaScript and we could not read its options, so check what it covers.

Microsoft Report a Concern for Bing

Google Alerts

Create an alert for your name in quotes to get an email when new results appear.

Google Search Help: create an alert

Your own Google history

Your searches and activity live in your Google Account under My Activity. That is a different tool from removing results about you.

My Activity

Free or paid

Google’s tools are free; paying buys time and persistence, not a different decision

Every route on this page is free. Paid help makes sense when there are many results, when the source sites ignore you, or when the problem goes beyond personal details.

OptionPrice (published 18 Oct 2026)What it does for your Google results
Do it yourselfFreeResults about you, the removal form and Refresh Outdated Content, filed and tracked by you
Data removal subscriptionsEntry plans from $19.99 a year (EasyOptOuts) to $129 a year (DeleteMe, 1 person)Remove people-search profiles at the source; Optery’s Ultimate plan says it also files outdated-content requests with Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo and Yahoo (its claim)
Essentras personal information removalPriced per case after a free scanGoogle requests, people-search opt-outs and erasure requests where they apply, with a report of what came down and what stays
Essentras name removal$1,650 flatEvery result for your name sorted by route and worked through Google’s and the publishers’ official channels

To have it handled, Essentras files Google’s personal information requests and the matching source removals, priced per case after a free scan, or $1,650 flat to work through the Google results for your name; Google decides every request.

Full comparison of free routes, subscriptions and Essentras

Texts

4 copy-ready texts: Google’s forms, the site owner, Refresh Outdated Content and a follow-up

Reused from our Google removal guide. Replace everything in [square brackets] and delete any line that is not true for you.

Before you send anything

  • 1 request per URL.
  • Stay factual and polite. No threats.
  • Never claim a legal right you do not have, or ownership of content you did not create.
  • Keep a copy of every message and the date you sent it.
  • Send 1 polite follow-up after 1 to 2 weeks if there is no reply.
  • Replace everything in [square brackets] and delete any line that is not true for you.

These are general templates, not legal advice. Have a lawyer check anything that relies on a law.

Text for Results about you and Google’s removal form

When to use it: Paste into the explanation field and adapt it. Keep it short and factual, 1 URL per request.

Contact details

The page below shows my [phone number / home address / email address] next to my name. I am the person it relates to. I do not own or control the site and cannot remove it myself. [Keep only if true: It is not part of a news report or a government record.] Please remove it from Google Search results.

ID or financial number

The page below shows my [Social Security number / passport number / driver's license number / bank account number / card number]. I am the person it belongs to. I did not agree to its publication and cannot remove it myself. Please remove it from Google Search results.

Doxxing

The page below combines my [home address / workplace / family details] with [quote the threatening or harassing sentence and say where it appears on the page]. This is the kind of content described in Google's doxxing policy. Please remove it from Google Search results.

Explicit images

The page below shows sexual images of me that were shared without my consent. I am the person in the images. Please remove these results from Google Search.

Removal request to a site owner or publisher

When to use it: For a site, forum, people-search site or publisher that shows your personal details or copies your work. Use the host version when the owner does not reply.

To the site owner

Subject: Please remove my personal information from [site name]

Hello [name, or "Site owner"],

My [home address / phone number / email address / other: say what] appears on this page: [exact URL].

I did not agree to it being published, and it exposes me to [unwanted contact / harassment / fraud / a safety risk: keep only what is true]. Please remove [the information / the page / my profile].

If you need to confirm that the information is mine, tell me what you need and I will send it through a secure route. Please ask only for what is necessary.

Please reply to confirm once it has been removed. I will then ask search engines to update their results.

Thank you,
[Full name]
[Reply email]

To the hosting provider (owner not replying)

Subject: Abuse report: [private information / harassment / intimate images] at [domain]

Hello,

I am reporting content at [exact URL], hosted on your service, that [publishes my home address and phone number next to threats / harasses me / shows intimate images of me shared without my consent: choose the true description].

I contacted the site owner on [date or dates] and received [no reply / a refusal]. Copies of my messages are attached.

Please review this content under your abuse or acceptable use policy and tell me the outcome.

[Full name]
[Reply email]

Find the host through a WHOIS or hosting lookup for the domain. If you feel unsafe, contact local police.

Refresh Outdated Content checklist

When to use it: Only after the page is deleted, or the details are removed from it.

Checklist

1. Open the live page in a private window. Confirm it is gone, or that the details are no longer on it.
2. In Google's results, copy the result's link address exactly. Upper and lower case must match.
3. Open search.google.com/search-console/remove-outdated-content and sign in to a Google account.
4. Paste the URL and submit it. Submit each version of the URL separately.
5. If the page was changed and the tool asks for removed words, enter 1 or 2 words that appear in Google's snippet but no longer on the page.
6. Note the date. Check the status later: Pending, Approved, Denied, Expired or Cancelled.

Google says Pending can take a few days, and an approved request expires after 180 days, or sooner if the URL no longer exists.

Follow-up

When to use it: After 1 to 2 weeks with no reply, to a site owner, publisher, broker or host.

Follow-up

Subject: Following up: [original subject]

Hello [name],

I am following up on my message of [date] about [URL]. I would appreciate a reply even if the answer is no, so I know where things stand.

Thank you,
[Full name]

FAQ

Removing personal information from Google: FAQ

What personal information will Google remove from search results?▾

Google’s policy lists your home address, phone number and email; confidential government ID numbers such as Social Security or tax ID numbers; bank account and card numbers; images of your signature or ID; private records such as medical records; and confidential usernames and passwords. It also covers doxxing, sexual images shared without consent, images of minors and sites that charge for removal. It may keep newsworthy content.

Is Results about you available in my country?▾

Google says some Results about you features are rolling out to people over 18 in certain markets, and ID number monitoring has been rolling out in the U.S. since Feb 2026. Open myactivity.google.com/results-about-you to see what your account offers. If it is not available, Google’s removal request form covers the same contact details, and Google’s personal content policies apply globally.

Does removing a result from Google delete my information from the internet?▾

No. Google says the information stays on the source page whether a request is approved or denied, and can still be found through links, social media or other search engines. To remove the page itself, ask the site owner or its hosting company, then use Refresh Outdated Content so Google’s result catches up.

How long does Google take to remove personal information?▾

Google says Results about you notifications arrive within a few hours of a match and confirmation emails within a few hours of a request, with a possible delay between approval and removal. Refresh Outdated Content requests can sit in Pending for a few days. Google states no timeline for its removal request form.

Why was my Results about you request denied?▾

Google shows the reason on the request and emails you. The usual causes: you can remove the information yourself; the page is from a government, educational, newspaper or business website; the content is newsworthy or involves other people; or it is outside Google’s list. Fix the cause, add evidence, and file again only when something has changed.

Can I ask Google to remove information about my child or someone else?▾

Yes, through Google’s removal request form: you or a representative can file, and a parent or relative can ask Google to remove non-explicit images of someone under 18. Google warns that a request for someone else filed through your own Results about you may be denied. Anyone can report nude or sexual images of people under 18.

Can Google remove my address from a news site or a government page?▾

Usually not through Results about you: Google shows no Remove result option for government, educational, newspaper or business websites, because it treats them as valuable to the public. Ask the publisher or agency directly. In the EU, a right to be forgotten request can hide a URL from searches of your name after Google weighs the public interest.

What happens if I undo a removal in Results about you?▾

Undo makes it possible for the URL to appear in Google again. Google adds that it can stay hidden if someone else’s removal request for the same URL was approved.

Does a Google removal also remove the result from Bing?▾

No. Each search engine runs its own process, and Google says removed content can still be found through other search engines. Microsoft takes Bing reports through its Report a Concern page. Removing the page at the source is the only step that works everywhere.

Is it free to remove personal information from Google, or should I pay someone?▾

Google’s tools are free, and every step on this page works without paying. Paid help buys time and persistence, not a different decision from Google. Essentras prices personal information removal per case after a free scan, and charges $1,650 flat to work through the Google results for a name.

Optional extras

Optional: what people add after clearing their Google results

Optional

Often added

People who clear their personal information often want help with what else shows for their name. All optional.

Optional

Not ready yet?

Start free, or with the smallest step that fits.

Next steps

Next steps

  1. 01Get your route in 1 clickThe free route finder opens at contact details, with the official link and the text to send.Open the route finder
  2. 02Clear the people-search sitesOpt out at the source so the profiles stop feeding Google.See the opt-out table
  3. 03Protect your home addressBlur your house on Street View and deal with property and voter records.Read the address guide
  4. 04Other results for your nameArticles, reviews and posts that are not personal details follow different routes.Remove a search result
  5. 05Hand it overGet a free scan and a per-case price from Essentras.See the service

Related guides

Sources and method

Checked on 18 Oct 2026 against the official pages listed in Sources

We read each page below on 18 Oct 2026 and checked every fact on this page against it. Where a page states no timeline, we say so instead of guessing. Prices are as published that day.

  1. Google Search Help: find and remove personal info · read 18 Oct 2026
  2. Google blog, 10 Feb 2026: ID numbers in Results about you · read 18 Oct 2026
  3. Google Search Help: remove my private info · read 18 Oct 2026
  4. Google Search Help: personal content policies · read 18 Oct 2026
  5. Google’s removal request form · read 18 Oct 2026
  6. Google: sites that charge for removal · read 18 Oct 2026
  7. Google: images of minors · read 18 Oct 2026
  8. Google: personal sexual content · read 18 Oct 2026
  9. Google: report a sexual image from Image Search · read 18 Oct 2026
  10. Google: help with explicit or intimate images · read 18 Oct 2026
  11. Google: contact a website owner · read 18 Oct 2026
  12. Google: removal options outside Google Search · read 18 Oct 2026
  13. Google: remove web results from Google Search · read 18 Oct 2026
  14. Search Console Help: Refresh Outdated Content · read 18 Oct 2026
  15. Why Refresh requests are denied · read 18 Oct 2026
  16. Search Console Help: Removals tool (your own site) · read 18 Oct 2026
  17. Google Legal Help: right to be forgotten overview · read 18 Oct 2026
  18. Google Legal Help: report content for legal reasons · read 18 Oct 2026
  19. Google Maps Help: blur or remove 360 imagery · read 18 Oct 2026
  20. Google Street View privacy and blurring · read 18 Oct 2026
  21. Google Search Help: create an alert · read 18 Oct 2026
  22. CalPrivacy: DROP, the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform · read 18 Oct 2026
  23. EasyOptOuts home page and price · read 18 Oct 2026
  24. DeleteMe pricing · read 18 Oct 2026
  25. Optery pricing (Ultimate plan features) · read 18 Oct 2026

What we could not verify, so this page does not rely on it

  • Which countries Results about you is available in: Google says only that some features are rolling out in certain markets.
  • Which countries Google’s right to be forgotten form lists: the form needs JavaScript.
  • The options on Microsoft’s Report a Concern page for Bing: the page needs JavaScript.

Spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it against the source. Report an error

General information, not legal advice. Essentras is not a law firm and is not affiliated with Google, any data broker or any government agency. Google, sites, brokers, publishers and courts decide every request; nobody can promise an outcome.

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