How to file a copyright removal request with Google
Google has a free web form for asking it to remove search results that infringe your copyright. This guide walks through every field and gives you the values to paste. You file the request yourself, from your own Google account.
A removal request takes the URL out of Google's results; it does not delete the page. Send a notice to the site or its host as well, so the copy is gone at the source.
Step by step
Collect the URLs
Copy the exact address of every page that shows your work, and of every Google result that leads to one. Google asks for specific URLs, not a site's homepage.
Sign in and open the form
The copyright removal form needs a Google account. Choose Web Search for pages and Image Search for images; Google asks for a separate request per product.
Fill in each field
Enter your name, email and the URLs in the helper below. It shows the value for each field and what to fill in yourself, with a copy button.
Keep the reference number
Google emails a confirmation with a reference number and may ask you questions. Keep it, and check the results again after a few days.
What Google does with your request
Google's copyright removal FAQ says the average processing time across all requests submitted through its web form for Search is approximately 6 hours, and that many factors affect it. That is an average, not a promise for one request.
Google can decline a request. Its FAQ lists reasons such as not enough information about why a URL infringes, not finding the content, signs that the process is being misused, and fair use. A complete, specific request is the best way to avoid that.
Your name and Lumen
Google shares a copy of copyright notices with the Lumen database, including the name of the person who filed it, the rights holder's name, the reported URLs and a quote of what the notice is about. Contact details are not shared. A results page affected by a removal may show a note that links to the published request. Think about which name you file under before you start.
When copyright is not the right route
Copyright usually belongs to the person who took the photo or made the video. If someone else made it, or the content is intimate imagery of you shared without your consent or an AI fake, and you are not selling it, Google's personal content policies are the route. In Google Images you can report such an image from the result itself, signed in to your own Google account, and Results about you tracks those requests.
When the page is already gone
If the site has removed the page but Google still shows it, the Refresh Outdated Content tool asks Google to update its result. It needs a Google account and takes one request per page.
Filing for many URLs every week takes time. If you would rather have it done for you, we file these requests as your agent and check that each result is gone. See search engine de-indexing
The notice generator and form field helper need JavaScript. Enable JavaScript to use the tool; you can still read this guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is filing with Google free?
Yes. Google's copyright removal form is free to use. This guide and the field helper are free too, and need no account with us.
Do I need a Google account?
Yes. The copyright removal form asks you to sign in to a Google account.
Does removing a result delete the content?
No. Google removes the result from its search; the page stays on the site until the site or its host removes it. Send them a notice too.
Do you see what I type in the helper?
No. The values are put together in your browser and are not sent to Adult Model Protection or stored; the helper is excluded from session replays. You paste them into Google's form yourself.
How many URLs can one request have?
The form takes the URLs one per line, so list every copy you found. Keep your own list of what you filed, so you can check the results later.
Sources
- Copyright removal requests FAQ, Google Transparency Report Help (opens in a new tab)
- Report content for legal reasons, Google Legal Help (opens in a new tab)
- Lumen and legal removals, Google Legal Help (opens in a new tab)
- Remove personal sexual content from Google Search, Google Search Help (opens in a new tab)
- Results about you, Google Search Help (opens in a new tab)
- Refresh Outdated Content tool, Google Search Console Help (opens in a new tab)