Why are my Google reviews not showing up?

The short answer

Most missing Google reviews come down to one of these:

1. Google is still checking the review. Google says this can take a few days.
2. Google removed it for a policy reason. Spam, links, off-topic rants, a conflict of interest or a paid review are common ones.
3. The profile changed. A merge, a suspension, a restriction for fake reviews or a duplicate listing can all hide reviews.
4. The reviewer's account has a problem. An old app, a restricted account, or a review the person deleted.
5. Reviews are turned off for that kind of place. Google limits reviews for places such as schools.

The table below matches what you see with the likely cause. Find your row, then read the section for your side: you wrote the review, or you own the business.

Which case are you in?

Start with what you can see. The causes come from Google's help pages, linked in the sections below. Where Google doesn't say something, we say so.

Why isn't my Google review showing? (You wrote it)

First, look at your review the way Google stores it. Google's help page on adding, editing and deleting reviews gives this path on a computer:

1. Open Google Maps.
2. Click Menu at the top left.
3. Click Your contributions, then Reviews.

Then check what you find:

• The review is there with no label. It may still be in Google's check, which can take a few days. Open the business in a private browser window, signed out, to see what other people see.
• The review says "Not posted", "Private", "Not accepted" or similar. Google's page on removed and rejected content says this is how a review removed for a policy violation can still appear in your own profile. That explains the most common complaint: you can see your review, and nobody else can.
• The review is gone from your contributions. Google says that in some cases content is deleted entirely, because of legal requirements or how serious the violation was.

What gets a review removed

Google's prohibited and restricted content policy lists what it removes. The rules that catch honest reviewers most often:

• Links and contact details. Reviewers can't post email addresses, phone numbers, social media links or links to other websites.
• Off-topic content. Google says reviews must be based on your experience at that place, with no general, political or social commentary and no "personal rants".
• A conflict of interest. Google names current or former employees, contractors, competitors and family members.
• An incentive. A review posted for a discount, a freebie or payment is removed, even if the experience was real.
• Repeats. Posting the same content several times, from one account or several, isn't allowed.
• Profanity, personal information or unproven accusations. Google allows negative experiences described "in a respectful manner".

How to get it back up

Google says that if you think it made a mistake, you may be able to edit and repost your review, or appeal. Its appeals page says you appeal most removals from your Google Maps profile page and track the result there. Three rules from that page matter:

• You can appeal a removal only once. Make that one appeal count.
• Editing or deleting the review cancels the appeal. Pick one route: fix and repost, or appeal as it is.
• Not every removal can be appealed. Google says appeals are only available for certain violations and accounts.

If many of your reviews disappeared at once, or you can't post anywhere, Google says your account may have a feature restriction. You'll find its status in your Google Account settings, and you can appeal some restrictions there, also only once.

Two more cases. Google says reviewers on older phones or software can have trouble posting, and recommends updating the Google Maps app. And some places don't take reviews at all: Google says it may switch posting off for places that attract off-topic content, such as police stations, prisons and schools (from its page on posting restrictions). Our guide on how to leave a Google review walks through posting on a phone and a computer.

Why did reviews disappear from my Business Profile? (You own the business)

Google's page About missing or delayed reviews opens with the main answer: "Usually, reviews are removed for policy violations like spam or inappropriate content." Here is everything it and the related pages list, with what to do for each.

The review is still being checked

Google says reviews are checked against its policies and "this process might take a few days". If a customer posted yesterday, wait before you assume it was removed. Once it shows, Google's page on review scores says your star rating can take up to 2 weeks to update.

Google's spam filter removed it

Google uses automated spam detection, and its page on reporting inappropriate reviews admits that "occasionally, the system may also mistakenly remove legitimate reviews". Its advice is to contact support. Be realistic, though: the missing reviews page also says reviews removed for policy violations "won't be restored". Support is worth a try when you're sure the review was genuine and followed the rules.

You merged two profiles

Google says that after a merge "it might take a few days for reviews from both profiles to display on Search and Maps". If you have two listings for one business and haven't merged them, a customer may simply have reviewed the other one. Our guide to duplicate Google Business Profiles covers how to find and merge them.

Google restricted the profile for fake reviews

If Google finds fake or paid reviews on a profile, its page on Business Profile restrictions for policy violations says it can, beyond removing those reviews, stop the profile receiving new reviews for a set period, unpublish its existing reviews for a set period, and show customers a warning that fake reviews were removed. Google says it emails the owner before it applies a restriction, and that you can appeal. If you got that email, read it before you do anything else. Our guide on fake Google reviews explains what counts.

Google paused reviews on the profile

Google says it "might temporarily disable user-created content, including reviews, for certain Business Profiles or business categories to protect business owners". Its posting restrictions page gives an example: a place can be shut to new posts for a short time during a spike in off-topic or offensive content, for example during a real-world event that draws off-topic comments. If a sudden wave of 1 and 2 star reviews comes with a demand for money, Google treats that as extortion: don't pay, and use its extortion report form.

The profile was suspended

Suspensions affect reviews too. Google's missing reviews page says that "sometimes reviews might be removed after a Business Profile is reinstated", and says to contact support if that happens. If the profile is still suspended, start with Google's page on suspended profiles and our guide on fixing a suspended Google Business Profile.

Reviews are switched off for your category

Google has removed and disabled reviews for profiles categorized mainly as schools for students aged 6 to 18. Universities, day care centers and swim schools aren't affected. If that category doesn't describe your business, Google says you can change it.

The reviewer deleted it

Google says a review "shows up in Google Maps until you take it down": the person who wrote it can edit or delete it at any time. If they delete their Google Account, Google's help pages don't spell out what happens to their reviews.

How do you check a review's status with Google?

Google has one status tool for owners, the Reviews Management Tool, but it tracks reviews you reported, not reviews that went missing. After you report a review, Google says the tool shows one of three statuses:

• Decision pending. The review is flagged and not evaluated yet.
• Report reviewed, no policy violation. Google kept the review. You can appeal once, for up to 10 reviews at a time.
• Escalated, check your email for updates. Your appeal is with Google and the decision comes by email.

Google says an evaluation "typically takes several days". Reports you make in the Google Maps app also appear in its Reports section, with statuses such as Content removed or Content not removed (from Google's page on reporting or fixing content).

For a missing review, there is no status to check. Google's missing reviews page points you to support instead. Google doesn't list what to include, so here is our advice: give the reviewer's name as it appears on Google, the date they posted, a screenshot from their phone if they can send one, and whether you merged, moved or changed the profile recently. One clear request beats several vague ones.

Can you see or restore deleted Google reviews?

Mostly, no. Google doesn't give owners a list of the reviews it removed from their profile, and its missing reviews page says reviews removed for policy violations won't be restored. A few cases do bring a review back:

• The reviewer's appeal succeeds. Google says that if it finds a review was removed in error, it restores it.
• Support finds a spam filter mistake. Google says the filter occasionally removes genuine reviews and tells you to contact support.
• A restriction ends or is lifted on appeal. Google describes unpublishing existing reviews for a set period, not deleting them.
• A merge finishes. Reviews from both profiles can take a few days to show.

A reviewer can see their own removed reviews in their Google Maps profile, with the label Google gave them. A review the reviewer deleted themselves is gone for good. If you want a record of what customers said, keep a note or screenshot of reviews as they arrive. That's our advice, not a Google feature.

What should you avoid while you wait?

Some reactions to missing reviews make the problem bigger:

• Don't ask customers to post the same review again and again. Repeated content breaks Google's policy. One repost, after fixing what broke the rules, is the limit.
• Don't replace lost reviews with bought or rewarded ones. Google's policy bans offering payment, discounts or free goods for reviews, and that is what triggers profile restrictions.
• Don't create a new profile to start fresh. It creates a duplicate, and Google's page on suspended profiles says plainly not to create a new Business Profile for the same business.
• Don't pay anyone who offers to remove or restore reviews for money. Google says paying extortionists doesn't guarantee removal and can encourage more attempts.

If a review that breaks the rules is the problem, rather than one that went missing, our guide on how to remove Google reviews covers what Google will and won't take down.

How do you keep new reviews coming in?

Lost reviews hurt less when new ones arrive every week. The steady fix is to ask every happy customer, with a direct link to your review form. The free Google review link and QR code generator makes that link, and our guide on how to get more Google reviews has the wording.

Then answer the reviews that do show. Mekomi's Google review management puts new reviews from every connected profile in one inbox and drafts a reply to each, in the reviewer's language. 1 to 3 star reviews and complaints always wait for your approval.