How to Blur Your House on Google Maps
Updated 2026-07-09 · ~10 minute read
A clear photo of your home on Google Street View is a gift to stalkers, scammers, and data brokers. The good news: Google will permanently blur your house if you ask correctly. Here's the exact process — plus the mistakes that get requests denied.
TL;DR
- Open your address in Google Maps → Street View.
- Click Report a problem in the bottom-right.
- Choose My home and drag the red box over your entire house.
- Enter your email, submit, and wait for Google's email review.
- The blur is permanent once approved.
Step-by-step
1Open your address on Google Maps
Go to maps.google.com on a desktop browser (it's easier than mobile). Type your full home address in the search bar. Drag the yellow Pegman icon from the bottom-right onto the street in front of your house to enter Street View.
2Frame your home in Street View
Pan and zoom until your house is clearly visible and roughly centered. Whatever is on screen is the exact image Google's reviewer will see, so make sure the front of the house, the roofline, and the driveway are all in the frame.
3Click ‘Report a problem’
On desktop, scroll to the bottom-right corner of the Street View window and click Report a problem. On mobile, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right and choose Report a problem.
4Select ‘My home’ and adjust the blur box
Under Request blurring, choose My home. A red box appears over the image — drag the corners so it fully covers your house, roof, driveway, any visible cars, license plates, and people. Under-blurring is the #1 reason requests come back needing changes.
5Enter your email and give a short reason
Use an email you check regularly. For the reason, keep it brief and factual — ‘personal safety and privacy’ is enough. Google may reply asking for extra proof, so don't use a throwaway address.
6Submit and wait for Google’s review
Click Submit. Google typically responds in a few days to a few weeks. If they approve, the blur is applied to current imagery and to every future Street View update of that address.
Common mistakes that get requests denied
- The blur box is too small. Cover the entire house plus the driveway, cars, and any people. Reviewers often reject partial blurs.
- Framing is wrong. The submitted image is what Google reviews. If your house is off-screen or tiny, the reviewer can't tell what to blur.
- Throwaway or misspelled email. Google emails you with follow-ups. Miss those emails and the request quietly dies.
- Only doing Google. Apple Maps and Bing Streetside still show your home unless you file separate requests with each of them.
FAQ
Is it free to blur my house on Google Maps?
Yes — Google's blur request is free. The cost is your time, the back-and-forth with Google, and the risk of getting it wrong (blurs are permanent, so you don't get a second try on the same imagery).
How long does it take?
A few days to a few weeks. Google may email you asking for a tighter blur or more detail before approving.
Is the blur permanent?
Yes. Once approved, the blur stays applied to all future Street View imagery of that address and cannot be reversed.
Does this also remove my house from Apple Maps or Bing?
No — each map provider has its own separate request process. StreetPrivacy submits your request across the major platforms so you don't have to file it three or four times.