Google gives individuals several official tools for asking it to take material out of Search, and you can file most requests yourself for free. This is a practical walkthrough of how to make a Google content removal request with each tool, one per section, covering what it does, what it does not do, and the exact steps. For the bigger picture of what can be removed and why, read the explainer on how negative content removal works and the plain answer on whether you can remove negative content from Google. This page stays strictly procedural.
One point applies to every tool below. Removing a result from Google Search does not delete the underlying page from the site that hosts it. Google is explicit that it can restrict access to content in its own products, but “that content may still exist elsewhere on the web,” which is why it also recommends contacting the site owner directly. See Google’s legal help overview for that framing. Filing under the wrong category slows things down, so choose the right tool first.
The Results About You Tool for Exposed Contact Information
If your home address, phone number, or email address is showing up in Search, the fastest self-service path is the “Results about you” tool. Google built it specifically for personal contact information, and it both scans for your details and lets you request removal from one dashboard.
What it does: it lets you monitor Search for your personal contact information and submit removal requests for individual results. According to Google’s support page for the tool, the eligible data types are your phone number, home address, and email address.
What it does not do: it does not remove the information from the original website, only from Google Search results. It generally will not remove content you control yourself, such as your own social profiles, and it may decline results Google judges “valuable to the public,” such as government, educational, or news sites. It is also age gated to users over 18 in the markets where it has rolled out.
The steps:
- Open the “Results about you” page in the Google app or on the web and select “Get started.”
- Enter the name and contact details you want Google to watch for.
- Turn on notifications so Google alerts you when matching results appear.
- Review flagged results in the “To review” tab and submit a removal request for each one you want taken down.
- Track each request’s status inside the same dashboard.
Legal Removal Requests Through Google’s Troubleshooter
When your situation is legal rather than simple exposure of contact details, Google routes you through a separate removal flow. This is the correct tool for court-ordered defamation removals, doxxing, non-consensual explicit imagery, and copyright.
What it does: it lets you report content that violates the law or your legal rights across Google products. Google’s legal troubleshooter walks you to the right form by category, and confirms it handles each of these:
- Court-ordered defamation. You can “report content that a court decision has determined is unlawful.” In the United States a court order finding a statement defamatory is the standard path, because truthful content is generally protected. The sibling guide on defamation versus negative content explains where that line falls before you invest in litigation.
- Doxxing and personal information. You can report content that shows your contact information alongside “explicit or implicit threats.”
- Non-consensual explicit imagery. You can report “intimate or explicit images and videos that were created or shared without your consent.”
- Copyright under the DMCA. You can report “unlawful use of copyright-protected work,” the correct route when someone republishes your photos, writing, or other original work without permission.
What it does not do: it does not remove lawful, truthful content because you dislike it, and requirements vary by category. Copyright claims require you to confirm you own the work or represent the owner, and court-order categories expect you to attach the ruling. Google also notes that legal and product-policy reports are separate tracks, so “you must file each report separately.”
The steps:
- Open the legal troubleshooter and select the Google product where the content appears.
- Choose the violation category that matches your situation.
- Paste the exact URL of the offending page or image, not a homepage link.
- Explain what violates the law or your rights, and attach any supporting document such as a court order.
- Submit and keep the confirmation email, which carries a reference number.
The Remove Outdated Content Tool for Pages That Already Changed
Sometimes the page is already fixed or gone, but Google still shows the old version. That is exactly what the “Remove Outdated Content” tool, also called Refresh Outdated Content, is for. It is not a way to remove a live page you object to.
What it does: it asks Google to update or drop a result when the source page has already been changed or deleted. Per Google’s refresh outdated content support page, you use it after the page no longer shows the text or image you are worried about.
What it does not do: it does nothing if the page is still live and unchanged. Google states plainly that “if you’ve already updated a live page, you don’t have to fill out the form,” and it cannot force removal of current content. It works only because the live page and Google’s cached snapshot no longer match. For stale press coverage specifically, the companion guide on how to remove old news articles covers when this tool applies.
The steps:
- Confirm the source page has actually been changed or removed, because the tool checks the live URL against Google’s version.
- Open the Remove Outdated Content tool at search.google.com/search-console/remove-outdated-content and select “Request refresh.”
- For a page, paste the URL that still shows outdated text. For an image, find it on images.google.com, copy the image address, and submit that.
- Submit and monitor the status in Google Search Console.
Reporting Content That Breaks a Product’s Policies
Separate from legal claims, each Google product has its own content policies, and you can report material that violates them even when no court is involved. On Search, this covers doxxing, non-consensual intimate imagery, and content involving minors, handled under Google’s personal content policies.
What it does: it lets the subject of the content, or a representative, ask Google to check a result against its personal content policies and remove it if it breaks them. Google’s policy removal guidance states that “as long as you’re the subject of the content, you or a representative can start a request,” and that Google will “remove it from Google search results if it violates our personal content policies.”
What it does not do: it does not apply to ordinary criticism, honest reviews, or lawful reporting, which do not violate the policies. It also does not reach other Google products, which have their own reporting paths, and like every tool here it removes the result from Search rather than deleting the source page.
The steps:
- Open the personal content removal form linked from Google’s policy guidance.
- Identify yourself as the subject of the content, or as an authorized representative.
- Select the policy category the content violates and paste the exact result URL.
- Describe how the content breaks the policy and submit, then watch for Google’s decision by email.
When a Google Content Removal Request Is Not Enough
These four tools cover most self-service removals, and for a single exposed phone number or one clearly unlawful page they are often all you need. The limits show up when content is lawful but damaging, spread across many URLs, or contested by whoever posted it. In those cases a Google content removal request may not succeed at all, and the realistic strategy shifts toward suppression, which the pillar on negative content removal explains in full. A related situation, clearing a booking-photo listing, is covered in the mugshot removal guide.
If you have hit a wall, that is usually the signal to bring in specialists who file removals at volume and coordinate the legal and technical steps. You can compare vetted content removal companies to match a provider to your problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does removing a result from Google delete the web page?
No. Every Google content removal request only affects what appears in Google Search or the relevant Google product. Google states that restricted content “may still exist elsewhere on the web,” so the original page stays live on its host site. To remove the source itself, contact that website’s owner.
Which Google tool should I use for my personal phone number or address?
Use the “Results about you” tool, built specifically for personal contact information such as your phone number, home address, and email address. It scans Search for those details and lets you file removal requests from one dashboard. It is limited to users over 18 in markets where it has rolled out.
Can I use the Remove Outdated Content tool on a page I simply dislike?
No. That tool only works after the source page has already been changed or removed, so its live version no longer matches Google’s stored copy. Google says that if the page is still live and unchanged, the form will not help. For content that is current and lawful, removal is generally not available, and suppression is the practical route.
Do I need a court order to remove defamatory content?
For allegedly false statements in the United States, yes, a court order is usually required. Google’s legal troubleshooter accepts reports of content “that a court decision has determined is unlawful,” which is why a defamation judgment is the standard path. Understanding the difference between defamation and merely unflattering content is the first step before pursuing this route.
How do I report doxxing or non-consensual explicit images?
You have two paths. The legal troubleshooter handles them as legal violations, including contact information paired with threats and intimate images shared without consent. The product-policy path also covers them under Google’s personal content policies, and you can file through both tracks separately for the same content. All of these official tools are free to use directly, with costs arising only if you hire a firm or need an attorney to obtain a court order.