To claim an existing business on Google Maps, open its listing and follow the claim and verification steps. If another account already owns the profile, request access from that owner. If you have lost access to your own account, start with account recovery instead.
The first task is to work out which of those three situations you are in. A business appearing on the map tells you nothing about who can manage its Google Business Profile, the product many owners still know as Google My Business. If the listing exists and you simply cannot edit it, resist the urge to create a fresh one: this guide is about getting into the profile that is already there. For a business that has no listing at all, our step-by-step creation guide is the right place to start.
Find the right listing and account
Before you claim anything, confirm two things: that the listing is really your business and that you are signed in with the right Google account. A similar name, a shared address or a previous tenant’s profile can all look like yours, and a missing claim button often means you already have access under another account.
Search Google Maps for your business name and city. Compare the location, website and visible business details with your own records before opening a claim. This matters most when several businesses have similar names.
Google combines information from business owners, public websites, licensed sources and user contributions, so a listing may contain details you never submitted. That alone does not show who owns it. Check that the listing represents the business you actually operate: a different company that previously occupied your premises is a separate business, even if the street address matches.
Only the owner or an authorized representative may verify and manage a profile, and the business has to meet Google’s eligibility rules. An ordinary online-only business is not eligible for a local Business Profile.
Then check your signed-in Google account. Search for your business or for “my business” while using an account previously connected to the profile. In the Maps app, the Business tab lists the profiles you manage. If the claim button is absent, you may already have access. If it is present, the next screen may tell you that someone else manages the profile. Read that screen before choosing a route.
Claim an unverified listing
An unverified listing is the simplest case: nobody has proven ownership yet, so Google lets you claim it directly from the map and then verify. The sequence differs slightly between desktop and the mobile app, and the moment the screen mentions another manager, you have left this route and need the ownership request instead.
On desktop, use this sequence:
- Open Google Maps and select the correct business.
- Choose “Claim this business”, then “Manage now”.
- Follow one of the verification options offered for that profile.
In the Maps mobile app, open the business, select About, then “Claim this business” and “Manage now”. Continue with the available verification steps.
If the next screen says someone else manages the profile, use the ownership-request route below. If you selected the wrong business, go back and choose the correct one before continuing.
Creating a new listing is appropriate only when your eligible business does not already have one. An inaccessible existing profile needs its access issue resolved, not a replacement created for the same business.
Request access from the current owner
When another account already owns the verified profile, Google’s process is a formal request: you file it through the add-business page, the current owner gets three days to answer, and the outcome arrives by email. Silence is not consent, and the fallback claim option that sometimes appears after three days is not guaranteed.
For a storefront or hybrid business, go to business.google.com/add. Enter the business name and address, then select the existing listing. When Google identifies another manager, choose “Request Access”, complete the form and submit it.
Keep Google’s confirmation email. Use it to check the request and continue the process. The current profile owner receives a notification and has three days to respond.
| Outcome | What to do next |
|---|---|
| Approved | Check the approval email and open the profile to manage it. |
| Denied | You can try to appeal the denial. Follow the available instructions or ask Business Profile support about the access issue. |
| No response after three days | Open the confirmation email and look for "View request", then "Verify". This option is not always available. |
If the claim option is missing, contact support about the existing profile. Keep the original request details available so you can explain where the process stopped.
If you visit customers without a storefront
For ownership of an existing service-area profile without a physical shop or office, Google directs you to Business Profile support. Enter “Transfer ownership of listing” in the help field and select that issue description.
A service-area business does not receive customers at its business address, and its address should be hidden from customers. A hybrid business also serves customers at its own location and follows the storefront ownership-request route.
Recover access to your own Google account
Sometimes the profile is fine and the problem is the account it belongs to: a forgotten password, a lost username or a phone that no longer receives codes. That is a Google account recovery job, not a Business Profile one, and it only works for an account that is genuinely yours, never a former employee’s personal one.
Use Google’s account recovery process. It handles forgotten passwords, forgotten usernames and problems receiving sign-in verification codes. If you have forgotten the email address, recovery requires a phone number or recovery email associated with the account, plus the full name on it. Follow Google’s questions to identify the account and regain access.
For a company-managed account, contact the Google Workspace administrator if the standard recovery steps do not work. Recovery instructions for a personal account do not cover every organization-managed account.
Recover only an account that belongs to you. If a former employee used a personal account, request access to the Business Profile or arrange a transfer with that person. Owning the business does not give you access to their private account.
Once you can sign in, check the profile again. Save current recovery information while you still have account access; you cannot add it during a lockout or while account recovery is in progress.
Complete the verification Google offers
Whichever route got you here, Google decides how the profile is verified, and it may ask for more than one method. Phone, email or a video recording are the common options, chosen by business type, region, public information and hours. Prepare for the method your profile shows rather than the one another business used.
For an offered phone or email method, make sure you can receive the message at the contact shown. Follow the current instructions in the profile. Keep verification codes private, including from people helping you manage the listing.
If video recording is offered, plan the evidence before you start. Record through the profile on a mobile device in one continuous, unedited take lasting at least 30 seconds. A video recorded offline and uploaded later is not accepted.
Show where the business operates, evidence that it exists and proof that you manage it. Storefronts need matching permanent signage; a service business can show its tools, work equipment and access to business assets. Keep private information, sensitive document numbers and other people’s faces out of the recording. If Google rejects the video, review the stated issues and include the missing evidence in a new recording.
Google says verification review can take up to five business days after you complete the steps. This is separate from the current owner’s three-day response period, and neither should be presented as a guaranteed total time to gain access.
Resolve a blocked access process
When every route stalls, the way forward is a precise support request, not a workaround. Gather the listing URL, the request confirmation and the exact error message, say which of the three situations you are in, and list what you have tried. Duplicates, suspensions and agency lock-ins each have their own process; deleting content fixes none of them.
If no verification option works, follow the help route in the profile or Business Profile Help. State whether you are claiming an unverified listing, disputing another owner’s access or recovering your own account, and include what you have already tried. That gives the request a clear starting point without guessing which process failed.
If you find duplicates, confirm that they represent the same business; distinct eligible businesses can share an address. Google reviews merge requests. Merging genuine duplicates can combine reviews, but review replies may be lost.
Do not remove profile content and managers as a way to reset access. That action can permanently remove owner posts, photos and review replies, while customer reviews remain. It also does not guarantee that the listing disappears from Maps.
A suspension or account restriction is a separate problem. Follow the relevant reinstatement process and do not create another profile for the same business while its appeal is under review.
If an agency retains control, Google’s third-party policies require the client to retain ownership or co-ownership, and there is a policy complaint route. A complaint and an ownership request serve different purposes, and neither promises an outcome.
Check ownership and profile details after access
Getting in is half the job. Once you can open the profile, look at who holds the primary owner role and who else has access, arrange a proper transfer if you bought the business, tighten the account, and read the public listing as a customer would. Access you cannot keep is not a result.
Open Business Profile settings, then People and access. Check which account is the primary owner and which people have owner or manager roles. A manager can handle many daily tasks but cannot add or remove users.
If you bought the same operating business and the current owner cooperates, arrange a transfer of primary ownership. The current primary owner must make that transfer to another user on the profile; accepting manager access alone is not the handover.
New owners and managers face a seven-day restriction on certain actions, including removing other users and transferring primary ownership. Plan the handover around this restriction; it does not mean all profile work stops for seven days.
Limit access to people who need it. Use separate accounts, remove former staff when permitted, and review unexpected access requests. Turn on two-step verification and keep account recovery details current.
Check the name, contact details, business hours and location information. Keep the real-world business name and the correct public-address setting, and after management changes review these details again. After saving corrections, check their status: they may be accepted, pending or not approved. Google can also update details using other sources, so claiming a profile does not make its public information permanently fixed. For the full maintenance routine that follows, see the complete setup and management guide.
Frequently asked questions
Five questions come up around almost every claim: whether Google charges, whether reviews survive a change of owner, whether a previous tenant’s listing can be reused, whether you can fix wrong details before access is resolved, and whether claiming lifts rankings. The short answers: no, usually yes, no, only as a suggestion, and no.
Does Google charge to claim a business?
Google does not charge to add or claim an eligible Business Profile. An agency may charge for its own assistance or management services. Ask what that service includes; its fee is separate from Google’s free profile.
Will the business keep its reviews?
Google says reviews remain when a business has a new owner or manager and keeps the same name. A new owner does not get a fresh review history. Separate moderation, duplicate-merging or significant business changes can affect reviews.
Can I claim the previous tenant’s listing?
If you are opening a different business at the address, do not repurpose the previous tenant’s profile. Google distinguishes a new business from an ownership transfer or an eligible rebrand. Follow the rules for that business identity.
Can I correct information before access is resolved?
You can suggest a factual correction through Google Maps. Google reviews those suggestions, so submission does not guarantee approval. Suggesting an edit also does not give you ownership or management access.
Does claiming guarantee higher Google Maps rankings?
No. Verification and accurate information can help Google understand the business, but local rankings depend on several factors. Google provides no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Stuck at one of these steps? CyberLab’s Google Business Profile service covers profile access and setup, monthly profile management keeps it in order afterwards, and you can contact the team with the public listing link and a short description of where the process stopped.
Sources
Key guidance from Google, checked 7 September 2026. The research file behind this article covers 30 Google Help pages; three of them are linked here.
- Google Business Profile Help. “Add or claim your Business Profile.” https://support.google.com/business/answer/2911778
- Google Business Profile Help. “Request ownership of a Business Profile.” https://support.google.com/business/answer/4566671
- Google Account Help. “How to recover your Google Account or Gmail.” https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/7682439
