We hope you never have to deal with someone targeting you specifically, such as a stalker, burglar, or another criminal seeking to profit from your personal information. And if you’ve had information about you used to create deepfaked videos, audio messages, texts, and emails designed to part you or your loved ones from their money, you probably want to do what you can to protect yourself. Hiding your home on Google’s Street View is one way to make it a little harder for scammers, stalkers, or other snoops to keep tabs on where you’re living, but it comes with some drawbacks. We’ll show you how to hide your home on Google, but also explain why you may not want to.
What You Should Know Before Blurring Your Home on Google
Blurring a location on a Google map is not reversible. This means that when you’re ready to sell your home, or if you have a change of heart, Google will not unblur the image. In a similar vein, if you are renting a house, or if you live in an apartment, a condo, a duplex, or any other shared building, don’t blur the location on Google Maps.
Anecdotally, my neighbor who blurred his home on Google Maps moved out five years ago. Since that time, two new families have come and gone from the address. In other words, you’re making a decision that affects everyone else who lives at the address after you, so choose wisely.
You should also know that removing the view of your home from Google Maps only blurs it for that platform. Other popular mapping tools, such as Apple Maps, do not allow users to request location obfuscation. Old exterior and interior home photos posted on popular real estate databases can show up in search results, making it pretty easy for anyone to scope out the layout of a home, outdated furniture and all, using just an address. That means that if someone really wants to see where you live, they still can.
Blurring your home’s image may also make it stand out on a street of unblurred houses, leading crafty criminals to believe you’re hiding something of value. Sometimes, the best way to stay private is to blend in with the crowd, so it may be a good idea to check Google Street View and see if anyone else on your street blurred their house, too.
How to Blur Your Home on Google Maps
Still want to hide your home on Google? Follow the steps below to complete the process. Google will respond to your report within a few days or weeks to confirm that your address has been blurred. Sometimes the company reaches out to confirm you actually reside at the address, presumably to keep people from blurring out private businesses or government buildings.
Step 1: Locate Your Home on Google Maps
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Click on the three dots while in Google Street View, and choose Report a Problem.
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Step 2: Report the Location to Google
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Click on the three dots while in Google Street View, and choose Report a Problem.
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Step 3: Submit Your Home for Review
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Adjust the red box’s size to tell Google what to blur in map view. Click Submit.
Other Ways to Disappear Online
There are a lot of more practical ways to protect your privacy online, and one way is to use a data removal service. Tools like Privacy Bee will blur your home on Google, for instance, while also handling your junk-mail opt-outs and removing your information from hundreds of data broker websites.
If you want to put a bit more effort into your privacy regimen, check out our story on how to completely disappear from the internet.
It’s Surprisingly Easy to Be More Secure Online
About Our Expert
Kim Key
Senior Writer, Security
Experience
I review privacy tools like hardware security keys, password managers, private messaging apps, and ad-blocking software. I also report on online scams and offer advice to families and individuals about staying safe on the internet. Before joining PCMag, I wrote about tech and video games for CNN, Fanbyte, Mashable, The New York Times, and TechRadar. I also worked at CNN International, where I did field producing and reporting on sports that are popular with worldwide audiences.
In addition to the categories below, I exclusively cover ad blockers, authenticator apps, hardware security keys, and private messaging apps.
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