How to Remove Your Personal Info from Google

Search your own name and you might find your address, phone number, old photos, and data broker profiles staring back at you. Google provides tools to request removal, and data broker opt-outs handle the source. Here is the step-by-step process.

Google’s “Results About You” Tool

Go to myactivity.google.com/results-about-you or search “Results about you” in the Google app. Set up alerts for your name. Google notifies you when results containing your personal data appear, and you can request removal directly. Google typically processes requests within a few days and removes the search result (the source website still has the data, but it stops appearing in search).

Request Removal of Specific Search Results

Go to support.google.com/websearch/troubleshooter/9685456. Select the type of content you want removed: personal contact info, financial data, explicit images, or doxxing content. Fill in the URL of the offending search result and your details. Google reviews the request and removes qualifying results.

This works for results showing your phone number, home address, email, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, medical records, or login credentials.

Opt Out of Data Broker Sites

The search results Google shows often come from data brokers like Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, and PeopleFinder. Removing the source is more effective than removing individual Google results.

Spokeo: Go to spokeo.com/optout. Paste the URL of your profile, enter your email, and confirm the opt-out link they send.

WhitePages: Go to whitepages.com/suppression-requests. Find your listing, click “Remove,” and verify by phone.

BeenVerified: Go to beenverified.com/faq/opt-out. Search for your listing and submit removal.

PeopleFinder: Go to peoplefinder.com/optout.php and submit your listing URL.

Repeat for each broker. There are roughly 40 major data brokers. Services like DeleteMe ($129/year) or Kanary automate this process if you do not want to do it manually.

Delete Your Google Activity Data

Go to myactivity.google.com. Click “Delete activity by” and choose “All time.” This removes your search history, YouTube watch history, location history, and voice recordings that Google has stored. Set up auto-delete to automatically purge data older than 3 months, 18 months, or 36 months going forward.

Remove Old Google Account Content

Google Photos: Delete photos you no longer want associated with your account. They remain in Trash for 60 days before permanent deletion.

Google Maps: Delete location history, saved places, and reviews at maps.google.com/locationhistory.

YouTube: Delete old comments and videos from your channel’s Studio page.

Lock Down Future Data Collection

Go to myaccount.google.com/data-and-privacy. Turn off Web & App Activity, Location History, and YouTube History. This stops Google from recording new data, though it reduces the personalization of search results and recommendations.

Set Up Ongoing Monitoring

After cleaning up, set a calendar reminder every six months to Google your name again. Data brokers re-collect information from public records, so opt-outs need periodic renewal. The “Results about you” alerts help catch new appearances automatically.

Ongoing Privacy Monitoring

Removing your information from Google is not a one-time task. Data brokers continuously re-collect and republish personal information from public records, social media, and purchase histories. Set a quarterly calendar reminder to repeat your searches and file new removal requests. Google also offers a tool called Results About You that lets you request removal of search results containing your phone number, email, or home address directly from search results. Enable Google Alerts for your full name in quotes to receive notifications whenever new pages mentioning you appear in search results.

Bottom Line

Use Google’s “Results about you” tool for search result removal, opt out of major data brokers individually or through a service like DeleteMe, and delete your stored Google activity data. Set up auto-delete and monitor every six months.