Can Someone Write an Anonymous Google Review
There may be unique circumstances where an individual may want to leave a Google Review for a local business anonymously. For instance, a person may have had a bad experience with a local business but rather not have their name associated with the feedback for fear of retaliation from the company’s staff. On the other hand, a customer may have had a great experience at a local medical clinic or psychiatrist but prefer not everyone see what services they utilize.
Leaving a review anonymously was tricky in the past. Now, there is a way to use a nickname and alternate image when leaving Google reviews online.
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Should I Leave a Google Review Anonymously
By default, we recommend that you leave a Google Review the traditional method, where your name is displayed. Using your name on reviews allows the business to validate that you were a customer and reach out to rectify the situation.
We’ve seen multiple situations where a business has gone above and beyond to fix an issue that occurred. The business was able to take corrective measures because they heard their customer’s complaint via a Google review and reached out to make the situation right.
However, there still may be some situations where you truly do want to leave reviews anonymously, in which case you can follow the steps in the following section.
How to Leave an Anonymous Google Review
Google requires a Google account to leave a review for a local business. In the past, some individuals tried changing the name associated with their Google profile to create anonymity, but that action could cause issues with other services tied to their Google Account. This workaround is no longer needed.
On November 19th, 2025, Google announced they started rolling out a feature that allows Google users to choose a nickname (display name) and profile picture to specifically be associated with a user’s reviews.
The demonstration video below (courtesy of Google) shows where to go on your account to change your display name and profile picture. Keep in mind that this feature is still rolling out gradually, so you may not yet see this option on your account.
- Navigate to your Google Account Profile.
- Select Edit Profile.
- Select Use a Custom name and picture for posting.
- Keep in mind that this nickname and alternate picture for reviews are used for all reviews that your user account creates.
- Enter your desired nickname (display name).
- Select an alternate photo from your phone or from Google’s library of illustrations.
- Select save.
You’ll see that your new Google account profile (or Google Local Guide profile) shows your updated display name and photo.
Will Anonymous Reviews Lead to More Fake Reviews on Google
Honestly, this is definitely possible. However, spammers and fake reviewers already have methods to create multiple Google accounts and leave fake positive reviews or malicious negative reviews on competitors’ Google Business profiles. Malicious users can easily change the default name of their Google account to a fake name and create multiple Google accounts.
It’s certainly arguable that the ability to leave reviews with nicknames could make fake reviews easier.
That said, Google states “…don't worry about Grinches trying to spoil the fun: Our built-in protections still monitor for suspicious and fake reviews 24/7, since no matter what nickname you use publicly, reviews are still associated with your Google Account behind the scenes.”
So, in theory, if a user is leaving fake reviews for a bunch of local businesses, Google should still be able to detect that and take action. If you’re interested, you can learn more about how Google filters reviews for spam.
Ultimately, if the new separate nickname (display name) feature gets abused, I would not be surprised if Google removes this ability. Time, and Google’s data, will tell.
Additionally, if you know that fake reviews are being left on your company’s Google Business Profile, you can report the fake reviews to Google.
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