Key takeaways
- Google shows pages from other websites. Removing a result from Google does not delete the page itself.
- If a page is gone or has changed, the outdated content tool asks Google to update its old copy. Anyone can use it.
- For your phone number, address, or email, use Google's Results about you tool or its personal information form.
- Copyright, defamation, and other legal problems go through Google's legal removal request forms.
- Google decides every request. Nobody can force a removal or promise how long it will take.
You got an old page taken down, or a site finally removed your name. Then you search yourself and the old title is still sitting in Google. It is frustrating, and it can feel like nothing changed.
Google has several free tools for problems like this, and each one does a different job. This guide explains what de-indexing means, what each tool is for, and how to pick the right one, even if you do not own the website.
Removing from Google versus removing from the web
Google keeps an index, a huge list of web pages and what is on them. When you search, it shows results from that list. De-indexing means removing a page from Google's list, so it stops showing in Google Search.
The page itself lives on a website that Google does not control. So there are two very different kinds of removal:
Removed at the source
- The page is gone for everyone.
- Google drops it over time, or faster with its tools.
- Other search engines stop showing it too.
Removed from Google only
- The page is still online.
- People can still reach it through links or the site itself.
- Other search engines, such as Bing, need their own requests.
When a page is gone or has changed
Google does not see a change the moment it happens. It can keep showing an old title, snippet, or image for a while. Google's outdated content tool (also called "refresh outdated content") asks it to look again. You do not need to own the website to use it.
Copy the exact link
In Google, find the old result and copy its link. For an image, copy the image link.
Open the tool
Search for Google's refresh outdated content tool and sign in with any Google account.
Submit the link
Paste the link and start a new request.
Explain what changed
If the page is gone, Google checks that. If it has changed, Google asks for a word that is no longer on the page, such as your name.
Track the request
The tool shows the status of each request. Save a note of the date you sent it.
When it shows your personal details
Some results can be removed from Google even while the page stays online, because they break Google's own policies. These have their own forms:
- Contact details: your phone number, home address, or email. Use Results about you, where available. Our guide on removing personal details from Google walks through it.
- Sensitive information: ID numbers, bank details, private medical records, or content made to dox you.
- Intimate images shared without consent: Google has a dedicated form. Our guide on what to do if someone shares your private photos explains the first steps.
- Pay-to-remove sites: Google has a policy on sites that charge people to remove content, such as some mugshot sites. Our guide on getting an old mugshot removed covers this.
Legal removal requests
If a page may break the law, Google has a separate set of legal removal forms. You choose the type of problem, then explain it.
- Copyright: someone posted your photo, video, or writing without permission. Our guide on copyright takedown notices explains how they work.
- Defamation: a page makes false claims that harm your reputation. Whether it is unlawful is a legal question.
- A court order: if a court has ruled that content is unlawful, you can send Google the order.
- The right to be forgotten: in the EU and the UK, you can ask Google to delist some old or irrelevant results for your name. It has its own form, explained in our guide on the right to be forgotten.
Google checks each legal request against the law where you are. It may share a copy of the request with a public research database. This guide is not legal advice, and we are not lawyers. A lawyer can tell you whether a legal route fits your case.
Which tool to use: a quick guide
- 01Source firstAsk the site to remove or change it.
- 02Pick the toolMatch your problem to a form.
- 03Send itAdd the exact links and proof.
- 04Check statusFollow up, or try the next route.
- The page is gone or no longer mentions you: the outdated content tool.
- It shows your phone, address, or email: Results about you, or the personal information form.
- It uses your work without permission: the copyright form.
- It may be unlawful, or a court ruled on it: the legal removal forms.
- It is old news about you, and you live in the EU or UK: the right to be forgotten form.
- You own the website: Google Search Console, Google's free tool for site owners.
If the page is true, current, and none of these fit, Google will usually keep showing it. You can still make it less visible with honest, positive results. Our guide on pushing down negative search results explains how.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Every platform and country has its own rules, and they change. We are not lawyers. For legal questions about your case, please speak to a qualified lawyer.