How Do You Transfer Ownership of a Google Business Profile?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

If you’re the primary owner, you can make another owner or manager the new primary owner in People and access. That person must already be on the profile. If someone else controls your profile and won’t hand it over, use Google’s request access process. Google says the current owner gets 3 days to respond, and if they don’t, you may be able to claim the profile by verifying it.

What this means

There are two situations.

You have control and want to move it. Maybe a manager set up the Google Business Profile (GBP) years ago under a personal account, and you want it under a business account. Or you’re selling the business. The current primary owner adds the new account, waits for them to accept, then makes them primary owner.

Someone else has control. Maybe a former agency or an old employee verified the profile and won’t respond. You request access through Google. The current owner gets an email.

Say Oak Hollow Bakery’s previous owner set up the profile on his personal Gmail. The new owner bought the business. The cleanest path: the old owner adds the new owner’s business account, waits for acceptance, then hands over primary ownership. If the old owner won’t cooperate, the new owner uses request access.

Why it matters

Your profile is a business asset. It holds your reviews, photos, and years of history. You don’t want to start over.
Duplicates cause problems. Creating a new profile because you can’t get into the old one usually makes a duplicate, which can lead to suspension (see 14.2.6 Duplicate Profiles).
Timing matters. Google says new owners and managers have to wait 7 days before they can transfer primary ownership or remove other users. A rushed handoff on someone’s last day may not work.

Who this applies to

Owners whose profile sits under a personal or former employee’s account
Businesses changing or ending an agency relationship
Anyone buying or selling a business
Anyone locked out of a profile someone else verified

How to do it

If you’re the primary owner and want to transfer:

Add the new person as an owner or manager first (see 14.8.2 Owners and Managers). They must accept the invite.
Go to business.google.com. Select More, then Business Profile settings, then People and access.
Select the person, then Edit next to Access.
Choose Primary owner and save.
Check People and access afterward to confirm the new primary owner and your own role.
If you’re leaving the business, remove yourself only after the transfer is done. Google requires primary owners to transfer primary ownership before they can stop managing the profile.

If someone else controls the profile:

Go to business.google.com/add and enter your business name and address.
Select your business. If someone else manages it, Google shows a message saying so.
Select Request Access, fill out the form, and submit.
Google says the current owner is notified by email and has 3 days to respond.
If approved, you’ll get an email and can manage the profile.
If there’s no response after 3 days, Google says you may be able to claim the profile. Open the confirmation email, select View request, then Verify, and follow the steps. Google notes this isn’t always available.
If denied, Google says you can appeal or suggest edits to the profile.

Google’s help says service-area businesses without a storefront should contact Google support and choose the option to transfer ownership of the listing instead of using the form.

What proof to keep

Screenshots of People and access before and after the transfer
The request access confirmation email and any replies
For a business sale, the section of the sale agreement that lists the GBP and other online accounts as part of the sale
Proof you own the business, such as formation papers or a license, in case Google asks

Store these with your account and legal records.

Common mistakes

Making a new profile instead of transferring. You lose your reviews and risk a duplicate suspension.
Trying to transfer to someone who isn’t on the profile. Add them first and wait for them to accept.
Leaving before the transfer is done. Do the transfer while everyone still has access.
Not planning around the 7-day wait. New owners can’t transfer or remove users for 7 days.
Leaving online accounts out of a sale. List the GBP, website, domain, and social accounts in the sale agreement.
Arguing with Google support about who owns the business. Have your paperwork ready instead.

When to get help from a pro

Attorney: when buying or selling a business, so online accounts are listed and handed over as part of the deal (see 27.5 Selling Your Business). Questions to ask:

Does the sale agreement require the seller to transfer the Google Business Profile and other accounts?
What happens if the seller doesn’t cooperate?

A GBP specialist: if request access is denied or you can’t reach the current owner.

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, a client who had to recover a profile from a former agency, or how long a typical request access process took.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty handles Google Business Profile setup and ownership recovery.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: which account became primary owner and how the transfer went]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: People and access before and after]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

How do I get my profile back from a former employee or agency? Ask them to transfer it first. If they won’t, use Google’s request access form from business.google.com/add.

What happens when I request ownership? Google emails the current owner, who has 3 days to respond. If they don’t, you may be able to claim the profile by verifying it.

Can I transfer primary ownership to someone who isn’t on the profile yet? No. Add them as an owner or manager, wait for them to accept, then transfer.

What happens to the profile when I sell my business? Nothing, unless you transfer it. Add the buyer, make them primary owner, then remove yourself. Put this in the sale agreement.

Audit check

Question: Is primary ownership held by the current business owner’s business-controlled account, with no lost or disputed control?
Pass looks like: The primary owner is the current owner’s business account. Any past transfer is documented. Sale agreements list online accounts.
Fail looks like: A former owner, employee, or agency still holds primary ownership. A second profile created because the first was lost.
Evidence to collect: People and access screenshots, transfer or request access emails, and any sale agreement section on online accounts.

Where this fits

Do this first: 14.8.2 Owners and Managers

Do this next: 14.8.4 Suspensions and Reinstatement

Sources

Google Business Profile Help, "Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Business Profile Help, "Request ownership of a Business Profile" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Business Profile Help, "Manage your Business Profile owners and managers" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.