Can you remove a Yelp review?
No. As a business owner, you cannot directly delete or remove a review from your Yelp page. Only Yelp's moderators can remove a review — and only if it violates Yelp's content guidelines. The reviewer can also choose to delete their own review.
What you can do: flag the review for Yelp to evaluate. If the flag is accepted, Yelp removes the review. If rejected, the review stays and cannot be flagged again for the same reason.
Which reviews Yelp will remove
- Identify a specific content-guideline concern and provide relevant evidence. Yelp decides whether its policy is breached; a disagreement about facts or a paid third party cannot guarantee removal.
- Describes the wrong business: the reviewer is clearly reviewing a different establishment
- Conflict of interest: posted by a competitor, a current employee, or someone with a financial relationship to the business
- Extortion: reviewer threatened to post a negative review unless paid or given free services
- Hate speech, threats, or harassment: content targeting race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or containing personal threats
- Contains personal information: includes someone's address, phone number, or other identifiable personal data
- Promotional content: the review is an advertisement disguised as a review
Yelp will not remove a review simply because it is negative, critical, or harsh — provided it describes a genuine customer experience.
How to flag a Yelp review
Claim your Yelp Business Page
You must have a claimed Yelp Business Page to manage and respond to reviews. If not yet claimed, go to Yelp for Business and claim it.
Find the review and click the flag icon
On the review in question, click the flag icon (or the "…" menu). Select "Report this review" and choose the reason from Yelp's list.
Provide specific detail
When prompted, explain clearly and specifically why the review violates guidelines. Reference the specific guideline you believe applies. Generic "this review is fake" reports are less likely to succeed than specific, documented explanations.
Wait for Yelp's moderator review
Yelp's moderators evaluate the flag. This can take several days to a few weeks. If accepted, the review is removed. If rejected, you receive a notification and the review remains.
Yelp's recommendation algorithm
Separately from the removal process, Yelp's recommendation algorithm filters some reviews into a "Not Currently Recommended" section. These reviews are visible (via a link at the bottom of the business page) but do not count toward the star rating. Reviews are typically filtered when Yelp's algorithm identifies them as less reliable — the reviewer is new to Yelp, has minimal activity, or exhibits posting patterns associated with fake reviews.
This means some legitimate negative reviews may be filtered without you doing anything, and some fake positive reviews may also be filtered. The algorithm operates independently of the flagging process.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay Yelp to remove a review?
Identify a specific content-guideline concern and provide relevant evidence. Yelp decides whether its policy is breached; a disagreement about facts or a paid third party cannot guarantee removal.
A reviewer has threatened to post a bad review unless I give them a refund. What do I do?
This is extortion under Yelp's guidelines and qualifies for removal. Document the communication (screenshot the message if possible). If they post the review, flag it with the specific "reviewer threatened to post negative review unless compensated" reason, and include or reference the documented evidence. Yelp takes extortion reports seriously.
The reviewer was never a customer. Can I prove that?
If you have booking records, order history, or other documentation showing no customer interaction matching the reviewer's account occurred, include this detail in the flag report. Yelp's moderation is not a court of law — documentation of implausibility is the best available evidence, though removal is not guaranteed.
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Document the issue and follow the current platform route
Keep a source reference, the review text and relevant evidence. Identify the specific policy ground rather than simply stating that the account is unfair. A platform determines whether its own rules justify removal.
Current interface labels and response times can change. Use the official guidance linked below and the available account support/reporting route. No removal outcome or fixed processing deadline is guaranteed.
A record not matching a customer name is not conclusive proof of inauthenticity. Genuine experiences can include interactions that do not result in a completed purchase or stay. Keep any public response factual and avoid publishing private records.
Sources and further reading
Reviewed by ReviewsBlender on 1 November 2026. External policies and product terms can change; consult the linked official source for the current requirements.