To remove links from Google search results, you almost always have to deal with the page itself first. Google shows what’s on the web. If the page is gone, changed or blocked from indexing, the link drops out. If it’s still live and public, Google will usually keep showing it unless the content breaks one of its removal policies or the law.
So the right path depends on two questions: do you control the page, and what kind of content is it? Below I’ll walk through each option Google offers today, how long each one lasts, and where people waste time on tools that don’t do what they think.
Quick answer: which removal option fits your case
| Your situation | What to use | Does it last? |
|---|---|---|
| It’s your site and you want a page gone fast | Search Console Removals tool, then delete or noindex the page | The tool hides it for about 6 months. Deleting or noindexing makes it permanent. |
| It’s someone else’s page and it’s already deleted or edited | Refresh Outdated Content tool | Yes, if the change on the page is real |
| Your phone number, address, email or ID number shows up | Results about you, or Google’s personal information removal form | Removed from Google Search only. The page can stay live elsewhere. |
| Defamation, copyright or other legal issues | Google Legal Help Center request | Depends on the law and Google’s review |
| Spammy backlinks pointing at your site | Usually nothing. Disavow only in rare cases. | Disavow doesn’t remove anything from search results |
If it’s your own website
1. Hide the URL fast with the Removals tool
In Google Search Console, open Indexing > Removals and create a new request. You can hide a single URL or everything under a prefix, like a whole folder. Google’s Removals tool documentation is clear that this block only lasts about six months. It’s a stopgap, not a fix.
The same tool has a Clear cached URL option. It wipes the snippet shown in results until Google crawls the page again. Use it when you’ve edited sensitive text on a page and don’t want the old version showing in the description.
2. Make the removal permanent
Before the six months run out, do one of these on the page itself:
- Delete it so the URL returns a 404 or 410 status.
- Add a noindex tag if the page needs to stay live for users but not in Google.
- Put it behind a login or password if it’s private.
- Redirect it with a 301 if there’s a newer page that replaces it. This keeps any links and traffic the old page earned.
Don’t rely on robots.txt for this. Blocking a URL in robots.txt stops Google from crawling it, which also stops Google from seeing your noindex tag. The URL can stay indexed, often with no description. If you want to understand why, my guide to crawling, indexing and ranking covers how each step works.
3. Check that it’s actually gone
Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to confirm Google sees the 404, 410 or noindex. For a quick spot check, a site:yourdomain.com/page-url/ search works too. My post on Google search operators has more searches like this for cleaning up stray pages, test sites and old PDFs.
If you’re finding lots of pages that shouldn’t be indexed, it’s usually a sign of a bigger issue: tag archives, internal search pages, staging copies. That’s the kind of thing a technical SEO audit sorts out at the source.
If it’s on someone else’s website
1. Ask the site owner first
This is the only way to get the content off the web, not just out of Google. Find a contact page, the author, or the domain’s hosting provider. Be specific and polite: the exact URL, what you’d like changed, and why. Old staff bios, outdated business details and old forum posts often get fixed with a single email.
If they won’t help, a lookup on the domain can show who hosts it. Hosts will act on clear legal or policy violations, but not on content you simply dislike.
2. Use the Refresh Outdated Content tool once the page changes
Say the owner deletes the page or removes your details, but Google still shows the old version. Submit the URL through Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool. It’s built for people who don’t own the site.
- If the page is gone, Google drops it from results once approved.
- If the page still exists but the content changed, you’ll enter one or two words that were in the old snippet and are no longer on the page. Google then updates or clears the snippet.
It won’t work if the information is still on the live page. That’s the most common reason requests get denied.
3. Request removal under Google’s policies
Google will remove some content from its results even when the page stays live. Its personal information removal policy covers things like:
- Contact details such as your home address, phone number or email
- Government ID numbers, bank account or card numbers
- Images of your signature or ID documents
- Private records such as medical records
- Login details and passwords
- Doxxing content, where your details are shared with threats or calls for harm
Google also handles requests for non-consensual explicit images, fake explicit imagery, and content on sites with exploitative removal practices, each with its own form.
4. Use Results about you for personal details
If your contact details keep showing up on people-search sites, Results about you saves a lot of manual work. You add the details you want monitored, Google alerts you when it finds results containing them, and you request removal from one dashboard. In February 2026 Google expanded it to cover government IDs such as driver’s licences, passports and Social Security numbers, starting in the US, as covered on Google’s blog.
You can reach it from your Google account or by tapping your profile picture in the Google app. You can also start a request from the three-dot menu next to many search results.
5. Submit a legal request
Defamation, copyright infringement, trademark issues and court orders go through the Google Legal Help Center. In the EU and UK, data protection law also gives people a right to ask for some results about them to be delisted, often called the right to be forgotten. Google weighs those requests against public interest, so outcomes vary. For anything serious, talk to a lawyer before you file.
What doesn’t remove links from Google
An earlier version of this post got this wrong, so I want to be clear about it.
- The disavow tool doesn’t remove anything from search results. It tells Google to ignore certain backlinks when assessing your site. Google says most sites don’t need it and that it’s meant for sites with lots of spammy links that have caused, or could cause, a manual action. Its disavow documentation also warns that using it wrongly can hurt your rankings. If you’re worried about your link profile, my link building service includes a proper backlink review before anything gets disavowed.
- Google won’t remove a page because it’s negative. A bad review, an unflattering news story or a critical blog post usually stays unless it breaks a policy or the law.
- A removal from Google isn’t a removal from the web. The page can still show on Bing, social media or direct links. Bing has its own content removal tool if you need it.
When you can’t remove it: push it down
Sometimes there’s no valid removal route. In that case, the realistic goal is to make sure better pages rank above it for your name or brand. That means:
- Strong, up-to-date pages on your own site, like an about page and service pages
- Complete profiles on platforms that rank well for names, such as LinkedIn and industry directories
- A complete Google Business Profile if you’re a local business
- Fresh, useful content that earns links and mentions over time
This takes months, not days, and nobody can promise a specific result. But it works for what removal requests can’t touch. If you want help planning it, get in touch. Curious what ongoing SEO support might involve? The SEO cost calculator gives you a starting point.
FAQ
How long does it take to remove a URL from Google?
A Removals tool request on your own site usually takes up to a day to process, according to Google, and approval isn’t guaranteed. Policy and legal requests can take days or weeks. Permanent removal through a 404 or noindex happens after Google recrawls the page.
Can I remove a link from Google if I don’t own the website?
Only in specific cases. If the page has changed or been deleted, use the Refresh Outdated Content tool. If it shows personal details, doxxing or explicit images, use Google’s removal forms. If it breaks the law, file a legal request. Otherwise, ask the site owner.
Is the Search Console removal permanent?
No. It lasts about six months. To keep the page out of Google, delete it so it returns a 404 or 410, add a noindex tag, or put it behind a login.
Will removing a page from Google hurt my SEO?
Removing thin, outdated or duplicate pages usually doesn’t hurt and can help. If the page has backlinks or traffic, redirect it to the closest relevant page instead of deleting it outright.
Does Google remove negative reviews or news articles?
Generally not. Google removes content that breaks its policies or the law, not content that’s simply unflattering. The better long-term move is to build stronger pages that outrank it.