Someone else owns your Google Business Profile? How to get it back
Updated
A former employee, an old agency or a stranger set up the profile, and now you cannot get in. Google has a request-access flow for this. The owner on record gets 3 days to answer, not 7, which is what most videos say.
The short answer
Go to business.google.com/add, enter your business name and address, choose your business, and when Google says someone else may manage it, select Request access and submit the form. The current owner has 3 days to respond. If they do not, Google may give you the option to claim the profile from the email it sent you, though Google says that option is not always available. Once you are owner, Google makes you wait 7 days before you can remove other users or transfer ownership. Do not create a second profile instead: it becomes a duplicate.
What you see
- "Someone else may manage this Business Profile" when you try to add your business.
- A profile with your business name that you cannot edit.
Why it happens
Someone set it up before you
An employee, a relative, an agency or a previous owner verified it with their own Google account.
The account that owns it is lost
The email was an old one, the password is forgotten, or the person who had it has left.
What to do, step by step
Start the request
Go to business.google.com/add and enter the business name and address. Choose your business; Google says someone else may manage it.
Add or claim your businessRequest access
Select Request access, fill in the form and submit. Google emails you a confirmation.
Wait 3 days
Google gives the current owner 3 days to respond.
No response? You may be able to claim it
Open Google's email, select View request, then Verify. Google says this option is not always available.
Denied? Appeal or suggest an edit
Google says you can try to appeal the decision, or suggest an edit to the profile.
Business Profile: Contact usLost the email or password instead?
If it was your own account, recover it with Google's account recovery. If an old employee or agency holds it, ask them to add you as an owner; if they will not, use the request flow above.
Google account recoveryOnce it is yours: add a second owner
Google makes a new owner wait 7 days before removing others or transferring primary ownership. After that, add a second owner you trust, each with their own Google account, so this never happens again.
Your message in the access request
Paste into the request-access form, then replace the parts in brackets.
I am the owner of [your business name], [address], [your city]. I did not authorise anyone else to manage this profile [or: a former employee / our previous agency set it up and no longer works with us]. Please add me as owner. I can confirm the business with [GST certificate / shop and establishment licence / a utility bill] and the business phone number.
What not to do
- Do not create a second profile instead of requesting access. It becomes a duplicate and does not show.
- Do not approve owner or manager requests from people you do not know. Google warns about exactly this.
- Do not share one Google login among staff. Google says each user needs their own account.
- Never give anyone the OTP or PIN Google sends you.
What the videos get wrong
You will hear
The owner gets 7 days to answer.
Google's own page says
Google gives the current owner 3 days. The 7 days is something else: how long a new owner waits before removing others or transferring ownership.
What Sunaam does, and does not
Sunaam connects to your profile through Google's own sign-in, so you stay the owner on Google and we never see your password. Every reply Sunaam drafts waits for your approval before it is posted.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Google Business Profile ownership request take?
Google gives the current owner 3 days to respond. If there is no response, you may get the option to claim the profile from Google's email, though Google says that is not always available.
What if the current owner rejects my request?
Google says you can try to appeal the decision or suggest an edit. Contact Business Profile support with documents showing you run the business.
Our old agency owns our profile. What do I do?
Ask them to add you as an owner. If they will not respond, use Google's request-access flow; the agency gets 3 days to answer.
Why can't I remove the old manager right after I get ownership?
Google makes a new owner or manager wait 7 days before deleting the profile, removing other users or transferring primary ownership.
From Google's own help pages
Read on 8 Nov 2026. Third-party sources are marked.
Related problems
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Sunaam (Teknesya Networks Pvt Ltd) is an independent service and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Google. Google Business Profile is free from Google.