Guides · 15 October 2026 · 7 min read

How to Remove Personal Information From Google Search

A step-by-step guide to removing personal information from Google search results, from the removal tool to contacting the sites that host the data.

To remove personal information from Google search, you need to act in two places: Google itself, and the website that actually publishes the information. Google indexes pages it finds on other sites. Removing a result from Google does not remove the page from the web, and removing the page from a site does not instantly remove it from Google. You usually have to do both.

This guide covers Google's own removal tools, how to get the source page taken down, and what to expect afterwards.

Understand what Google can and cannot do

Google is a search engine, not the owner of the content. When your name, address or phone number appears in a result, that data lives on a data broker site, a people-search listing, a forum post or a public record. Google reads those pages and lists them.

There are two separate jobs:

• Remove the result from Google. This stops the page appearing when someone searches your name, but the page still exists.
• Remove the underlying page. This takes the data off the source site. Once the page is gone, Google eventually drops it from results too.

Doing only the first is faster but weaker. Doing both is the real fix.

Step 1: Use the Results about you tool

Google has a dedicated tool for personal contact information in search results. It is aimed at removing results that expose details like your home address, phone number or email.

1. Sign in to your Google account.
2. Open Google's Results about you tool. You can reach it from your Google account settings, or by searching for "Results about you" within Google's own help pages.
3. Follow the prompts to enter the personal details you want to find, such as your name, address and phone number.
4. Review the results Google surfaces that match those details.
5. Request removal for each result that exposes your contact information.
6. Track the status of each request inside the tool. Google will mark requests as approved, in review or denied.

This tool works best for results that clearly show personal contact details. It is not a general reputation eraser. Google will not remove a result just because you dislike it.

Step 2: Use the content removal request form for sensitive cases

Some information qualifies for removal under Google's wider policies, separate from the contact-details tool. This includes things like financial account numbers, images that expose you in certain ways, or content posted to harass you.

1. Open Google's content removal request page. Search for "Google remove information" to reach the official help flow.
2. Choose the category that matches your situation. The form branches based on what you select, so pick the closest match.
3. Provide the exact URLs of the results you want removed. Copy the full web address of each one.
4. Add the search terms that bring up the result, usually your name.
5. Submit the request and keep the confirmation.

Be precise with URLs. A vague request slows the review down.

Step 3: Remove the data at the source

Removing a Google result does not delete the page. If the page stays live, it can reappear in results later, and anyone with the direct link can still open it. So you need to contact the site that holds the data.

1. Open each result and identify the site hosting it. Many will be data broker or people-search sites.
2. Look for an opt-out or "do not sell my personal information" link, usually in the footer or on a privacy page.
3. Follow that site's opt-out process. Some ask you to find your listing and confirm removal. Others require an email request.
4. Keep a record of each opt-out you submit, including the date and the site name.
5. After the site confirms removal, check that the page no longer loads.

Each broker has its own process, so you will repeat this across many sites. It is slow, manual work, but it is the part that actually reduces your exposure.

If the page is gone but still shows in Google

When a source page has been taken down but still appears in search, use Google's Remove outdated content tool. It tells Google to recheck a page that no longer exists and drop the stale result. This only works once the live page is genuinely gone or changed.

What you cannot remove

Some information is public by law and cannot be deleted from the record itself. This includes:

• Court filings and case records
• Property and land records
• Corporate and business registrations
• Voter registration rolls

These sources are lawful to publish. Google may still remove a specific result in narrow situations, but the underlying record stays public. Do not expect an opt-out to erase a court document or a deed.

What to expect after removal

Removal is not permanent. Data brokers rebuild their records from upstream feeds, public records and other listings. Even after a successful opt-out, your information typically reappears within a few months, often on the same site or a sister site run by the same company.

This is normal and it is not a sign you did anything wrong. Treat removal as maintenance, not a one-time task. Plan to recheck your name in Google every few months and repeat the opt-outs that have resurfaced.

A single pass clears the current results. Keeping them clear means doing the checks again on a schedule.

A faster way to repeat the work

The hard part is not any single opt-out. It is finding every site that lists you and keeping up with the ones that reappear. Doing this by hand across dozens of brokers takes hours each round.

Vanish is a Mac app that scans data broker sites for your personal information and sends CCPA deletion demands on your behalf. It is an automated alternative to the manual steps above, and it can rerun the checks so you do not have to track each site yourself. The manual method in this guide works without it, but a tool removes the repetition.

Quick checklist

• Run Google's Results about you tool for contact details.
• Use the content removal form for sensitive data.
• Open each result and opt out at the source site.
• Use the outdated content tool for pages already taken down.
• Accept that public records stay public.
• Recheck your name every few months.