You can delete your own Yelp review through your account, but Yelp may keep a record and the review may reappear if Yelp's filter removes it later
If you posted a review on Yelp and want it gone, you have direct control over your own reviews. You can delete it yourself in a few steps through your Yelp account. However, deletion is not the same as erasure — Yelp's systems may retain data about the review, and in some cases a review you delete can reappear if Yelp's automated filters had previously hidden it from public view.
The process takes less than a minute, but understanding what happens after you delete matters. A deleted review stops showing on the business's page and in search results, but the business owner may have already seen it, and you cannot control whether they took a screenshot or saved the text elsewhere.
Key Takeaways
- You can delete your own Yelp review by opening it from your profile, clicking the trash icon, and confirming the deletion.
- Once deleted, your review disappears from the business page and public view, but Yelp may retain records of it in your account history.
- Yelp filters some reviews automatically before they appear publicly; deleting a filtered review may cause it to reappear if the filter changes.
- If you want to edit rather than delete, you can change the text and rating of an existing review without losing the original timestamp.
- You cannot delete reviews posted by other people, but you can report them to Yelp if they violate the site's content policy.
Steps to delete a review you posted
Start by logging into your Yelp account on a computer or through the Yelp app. Go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture in the top right corner. Select "Reviews" from the menu that appears.
Find the review you want to delete in the list. Hover over it (on desktop) or tap and hold (on mobile), and a trash icon will appear. Click or tap the trash icon. Yelp will ask you to confirm the deletion. Click "Yes, delete this review" and the review is removed from public view when ready.
The review will no longer appear on the business's Yelp page, in your profile, or in search results. However, if you return to your account settings or your review history, you may still see a record that the review existed, depending on how Yelp displays deleted content in your personal account.
What happens to filtered reviews when you delete them
Yelp uses automated filters to identify reviews that may violate its content policy — for example, reviews that appear to be fake, written by competitors, or posted by someone with a conflict of interest. These filtered reviews are hidden from the public page but may still exist in Yelp's system and in your account.
If you delete a review that was filtered, it disappears from your view. But if Yelp's filters change or the review is later deemed acceptable, the review can reappear on the business page without your permission. This is rare, but it is a reason to be cautious about what you write even if you plan to delete it later.
If you want to prevent a filtered review from ever reappearing, contact Yelp directly through their support form and explain that you want the review permanently removed from their records. Yelp does not always grant these requests, but it is worth asking if the review contains information you do not want associated with your account.
Editing a review instead of deleting it
If you want to change your mind about the rating or tone but keep the review visible, you can edit it instead. Open the review from your profile, click the pencil icon, and change the text or rating. The edited review will show the original date you posted it, not the date you edited it, so readers will not see that you changed it.
Editing is useful if you had a bad experience and posted a harsh review, then the business fixed the problem. You can lower the rating or soften the language without deleting the review entirely. The business owner will see that you edited it, but the public will see only the current version.
Why a business owner may have already seen your review
Yelp sends notifications to business owners when new reviews are posted, even if the review is later filtered or deleted. If the owner saw the notification before you deleted the review, they know what you wrote. Deleting the review from Yelp does not erase it from their memory or from any records they kept.
Some business owners take screenshots of negative reviews or copy the text before responding. If you are concerned that a review you posted may have been captured this way, deletion will not remove it from those records. Your only recourse is to contact the business owner directly and ask them to disregard the review, though they are not required to do so.
Reporting or flagging reviews posted by others
You cannot delete reviews written by other people. If a review violates Yelp's content policy — for example, it contains hate speech, personal information about you, or false claims — you can report it to Yelp. Open the review, click the flag icon, and select the reason it violates the policy.
Yelp reviews reports and may remove the review if it breaks the rules. However, Yelp does not remove reviews straightforward because they are negative or unfair. If a review is harsh but factual, Yelp will leave it up. If you believe a review contains false information about you personally, you can contact Yelp's support team to request removal, but the decision rests with Yelp, not with you.
What Yelp keeps in your account after deletion
When you delete a review, Yelp removes it from public view, but your account may still show that you posted a review to that business at some point. Depending on your privacy settings, other Yelp users may see that you have reviewed a business even if they cannot see the text of the review.
If you want to remove all traces of your activity on Yelp, you would need to delete your entire Yelp account, not just individual reviews. Deleting your account removes your profile, your reviews, and your activity history from public view, though Yelp may retain data for legal or operational reasons. You can delete your account through your account settings under "Account" and then "Close Account."
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete a review if the business owner is harassing me about it?
Yes, you can delete your review at any time for any reason. If a business owner is harassing you, report the harassment to Yelp through their support form. Yelp prohibits businesses from contacting reviewers to pressure them into changing or deleting reviews, and the site may take action against the business.
Will deleting my review hurt my Yelp profile or account?
No. Deleting reviews does not affect your account status, your ability to post future reviews, or your standing on Yelp. You can delete as many reviews as you want without penalty.
If I delete a review, can the business owner see that I deleted it?
Yelp does not notify business owners when a review is deleted. However, if the owner saw the review before you deleted it, they will remember it. Yelp does not show owners a list of deleted reviews or tell them when a review disappears.
What if I posted a review under a fake name or anonymous account?
You can still delete it the same way — by logging into the account that posted it and following the deletion steps. If you no longer have access to that account, you cannot delete the review yourself. You would need to contact Yelp's support team and explain the situation, though Yelp may not remove it without verification that you are the original poster.
Can I delete a review I posted years ago?
Yes. Yelp does not set a time limit on how old a review can be before you delete it. You can delete reviews from any point in your account history as long as you still have access to your account.