A sale, a new agency, an employee who leaves, or a tool that is supposed to reply to reviews: sooner or later someone else needs access to your Google Business Profile. If you improvise, you can quickly end up locked out, for example when the only owner account belongs to a former agency. Based on Google's current help pages, this guide shows how to add users, change the primary owner and request access when someone else manages the profile. It also covers the seven-day waiting period that slows down every handover, plus a checklist for agency changes and business sales.
Quick answer: which route fits your situation?
You never transfer the profile itself, only the right to manage it. The profile stays the same, with all of its reviews. Depending on your starting point, one of these routes gets you there:
| Situation | Route | Who can do it? |
|---|---|---|
| Employees, an agency or a tool should help manage the profile | Invite them as a manager | Owners |
| Someone should also be able to manage users | Invite them as an owner | Owners |
| The business changes hands | Add the new person as an owner, make them primary owner after seven days | The primary owner |
| A former owner or agency holds the profile and does not respond | Request access through Google's request form | An authorized representative |
| An agency or employee leaves | Remove the person | Owners |
| A service-area business without a storefront | Contact Google support | An authorized representative |
The button labels are taken from Google's English help pages as of October 2026. Google occasionally renames menu items; the process usually stays the same.
The roles: owner, manager and primary owner
Google has two roles for managing a Business Profile: owner and manager. Managers used to be called "site managers". A profile can have several owners but exactly one primary owner. That status is not a separate role but an owner with one additional right.
| Task | Owner | Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Edit business information such as hours, address and phone number | Yes | Yes |
| Reply to reviews and questions | Yes | Yes |
| Manage photos, posts and products | Yes | Yes |
| Export insights | Yes | Yes |
| Add or remove users | Yes | No |
| Remove the profile | Yes | No |
| Transfer primary ownership | Only the primary owner | No |
For most helpers, the manager role is therefore enough. Managers can fully maintain the profile and reply to reviews, but they cannot lock anyone out or delete anything. Each person needs their own Google account: Google recommends separate accounts so that nobody has to share a password, and Google Groups cannot be added as owners or managers.
Adding users: step by step
An owner adds new people in the "People and access" section. Here is how:
- Open the profile. Sign in at business.google.com with an account that owns the profile and open it.
- Go to People and access. Select "More", then "Business Profile settings" and "People and access".
- Add the person. Select "Add" at the top left and enter the email address of their Google account.
- Choose the role. Under "Access", choose "Owner" or "Manager".
- Invite. Select "Invite". As soon as the person accepts, they have the chosen role, and you receive an email.
Open invitations are listed under "Pending", where you can withdraw them with "Cancel invitation". To change someone's role later, select the person, choose "Edit" next to "Access", pick the new role and select "Save". Only owners can do this as well. Owners and managers alike find the link and QR code for asking customers for reviews in the profile; the post on the Google review link shows how.
Changing the primary owner: really transferring the profile
If the business changes hands, adding another user is not enough. The primary ownership has to move as well. In its help article "Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile", Google explicitly gives the reason: this way, business data such as reviews is retained. Three rules apply:
- Only the primary owner can transfer primary ownership.
- The new person must already be an owner or manager of the profile.
- They must have held that role for at least seven days.
The process in four steps:
- Add. Invite the new person as an owner as described above and have them accept.
- Wait. Once they accept, the seven-day period starts. Before it ends, Google shows an error when you try to transfer.
- Transfer. Under "People and access", select the new person, choose "Edit" next to "Access", select "Primary owner" and save.
- Clean up. Only now does the previous person remove themselves with "Stop managing" or get removed by the new owner.
Creating a new profile for the same location is no substitute for a transfer. It starts without the reviews of the old profile, and Google has a separate troubleshooting page for duplicate profiles. Always transfer the existing profile.
The seven-day waiting period: plan a week ahead
According to Google, anyone who becomes an owner or manager has to wait seven days before they can use some profile features. During that time, Google shows an error if the new person tries to
- delete or undelete the profile,
- remove other owners or managers, or
- transfer primary ownership.
The waiting period also works the other way round: an existing owner cannot hand primary ownership to someone who joined only a few days ago. Plan every handover with at least a week of lead time, and only remove old access once the new primary owner is in place.
Requesting access when someone else manages the profile
The unplanned case is harder: a former agency, a previous owner or an employee who left still manages the profile and cannot be reached. If you want to take over such a Google Maps listing, you request ownership. Google describes this in its help article "Request ownership of a Business Profile":
- Find the listing. Go to business.google.com/add, enter your business name and address and choose your business from the list.
- Request access. If you see the notice "Someone else may manage this Business Profile", select "Request Access".
- Submit the form. Fill out the form and select "Submit".
You then receive a confirmation email. The current owner is notified by email as well and has three days to respond. You can track the status at business.google.com or via the link in the confirmation email.
| Outcome | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Approved | You manage the profile, with the restrictions of the first seven days |
| Denied | Suggest an edit to the profile or appeal the decision |
| No response after three days | In the confirmation email, select "View request" and then "Verify", and follow the instructions |
If there is no response, you can also sign in to your Business Profile and look for a "Claim" or "Verify" button. Google points out that the option to claim a profile is not always available. Service-area businesses without a storefront that serve customers at their locations take a different route: they contact Google support through the help center and enter "Transfer ownership of listing" as their issue.
Before every request, check whether the profile already belongs to you. If your listing shows no "Claim this business" or "Own this business" button, it has already been claimed. Check first whether another account of your own business manages it, for example an old Gmail account from the early days.
Removing people and removing yourself
When an agency or employee leaves, an owner removes them under "People and access": select the person and choose "Remove person". Only owners can remove owners and managers. If you cannot select anyone, you probably only have the manager role. During your own first seven days, Google also shows an error when you try to remove someone.
The removed person receives an email and can no longer make changes. Their past replies to reviews, posts and comments stay on the profile. An agency change does not cost you a single reply.
To remove yourself, select yourself under "People and access", then "Stop managing" and "Confirm". As the primary owner, you first have to transfer primary ownership to someone else.
Checklist for agency changes and business sales
A handover is easiest when access is already in order beforehand. These points protect you:
- Take stock. Check under "People and access" who is listed and who the primary owner is.
- Keep primary ownership inside the business. It belongs to an account of the business, not to an agency and not to one person's private account.
- Two owners from the business. That way, access does not depend on a single person who might fall ill or leave.
- Service providers as managers. Agencies can then maintain everything and reply to reviews, but cannot remove anyone.
- One week of lead time. The seven-day waiting period sets the pace of every handover.
- Remove old access last. Old accounts leave the profile only once the new primary owner is in place.
- Check connected tools. Tools for replying to or analyzing reviews access the profile through a Google account. If that account loses its role, the tool loses its access too. Reconnect it with an account that is an owner or manager.
- Never share passwords. Every person gets their own access, even for short projects.
Connecting your Google profile to RateGate: the role you need
For RateGate to fetch your Google reviews and let you reply directly, connect a Google account in RateGate that manages your Business Profile as an owner or manager. In addition, Google must have verified the profile: profiles whose verification is still in progress do not get access to the review interfaces.
After connecting, you import your locations directly from the Business Profile. New Google reviews then arrive in the shared inbox together with Trusted Shops and ProvenExpert, and you reply directly from RateGate. From the Silver plan, the Automatic replies feature answers new reviews based on your rules.
Include the connection in your access plan: if the connected Google account belongs to an agency or to a person who is leaving, reconnect RateGate in good time with an account of the business. How to word replies to criticism is shown in the templates for negative reviews, and how a well-maintained profile strengthens your visibility in Google Maps is explained in the local SEO guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do I transfer a Google Business Profile to another account?
Add the new account as an owner under "People and access", have it accept the invitation and make it the primary owner after seven days. The old account can then remove itself. The profile stays the same, with all of its reviews.
What is the difference between an owner and a manager?
Managers can do almost everything: edit business information, reply to reviews, manage photos and posts. Only owners can add or remove users and remove the profile.
How do I change the primary owner?
Only the primary owner can do this. The new person must already be an owner or manager and must be past the seven-day waiting period. Then select them under "People and access", edit their access, choose "Primary owner" and save.
How long does it take to request access to a Business Profile?
According to Google, the current owner has three days to respond. If they do not, an option to verify the profile yourself may appear in the confirmation email. This is not guaranteed.
Do reviews stay when the owner changes?
Yes, if you transfer the existing profile. Google explicitly recommends transferring primary ownership when a business changes hands so that reviews are retained. A newly created profile, by contrast, starts without reviews.
Why can't I remove anyone from the profile?
Either you only have the manager role, or you joined less than seven days ago. According to Google, both prevent removing other owners and managers.
Do a former agency's replies stay visible?
Yes. According to Google, replies to reviews, posts and comments by a removed person stay on the profile.
Which role does a review tool like RateGate need?
The connected Google account must manage the profile as an owner or manager, and Google must have verified the profile.
Conclusion
A Google Business Profile does not move; only the hands that manage it change. Once that is clear, the right order follows: invite the new person, wait seven days, transfer primary ownership, remove old access. If the profile is in someone else's hands, the route is an access request with its three-day deadline. And if you plan access from the start, with two owners from the business and service providers as managers, there is nothing to rescue at the next handover.
RateGate brings the reviews of your connected Google profile together with Trusted Shops and ProvenExpert in one inbox and, from the Silver plan, can reply to them automatically. The features page gives an overview.
