How to Remove Your Phone Number and Email From Google and People-Search Sites

Why phone numbers and emails spread so easily

Your phone number and email address are used as identifiers everywhere: for logins, loyalty programs, shipping, two-step verification, and marketing. Each time you share them, there is a chance they end up on a marketing list. Data brokers buy those lists and connect your number and email to your name and address. People-search sites then make them searchable.

They also spread through you. Old resumes posted online, forum signatures, business listings, event sign-up pages, and social profiles from years ago often display contact details in plain text.

The result is that a stranger who has only your number can often find your name, and someone with your name can often find your number. That is why these two details are worth removing.

Step 1: Find where they appear

Open a private window and search:

Note every result: people-search listings, your own profiles, documents, and anything unexpected. For a full audit beyond contact details, see how to see everything online about you.

• Your cell number with dashes, with dots, with spaces, and with no punctuation.
• Your number with the country code.
• Each personal email address in quotes.
• Old numbers and emails you still care about.

Step 2: Use Google's Results about you

Google's policy on private information includes phone numbers and email addresses. Its Results about you tool lets you add the numbers and emails you want monitored, shows results where they appear, and lets you request removal. You can also turn on alerts for new results.

When Google approves a request, the result will no longer appear for searches that include your name or other identifiers, or will not appear at all. The page itself stays on the website. Google weighs public interest, so it may decline to remove business contact details that you or your employer published on purpose. See Google's results about you.

Step 3: Opt out of people-search sites

For each people-search listing that shows your number or email, use the site's opt-out process. Most ask you to find your listing and confirm by email. Use a separate email address for these requests so you are not adding your main email to more lists.

Some sites offer reverse phone lookups. Search your number on those sites too, since the listing may differ from your name listing. See how to remove yourself from people-search sites for the full process.

Step 4: Clean up what you posted

Your own posts are often the easiest fixes:

After you change a page, Google may keep showing the old version for a while. Google's refresh outdated content tool can help. See outdated information about you online.

• Old resumes. Remove contact details from resumes posted on personal sites, portfolio sites, or job boards, or take them down.
• Social profiles. Remove phone numbers and personal emails from the public "about" sections of profiles.
• Forum signatures and comments. Edit or delete posts that include your contact information.
• Business listings. If you run a business, use a business number and email rather than your personal ones.
• Documents. Check for PDFs, slide decks, or event programs that list your details. Ask the host to update them.

Step 5: Change discovery settings

Many apps let other people find you by phone number or email, often by default. Look in privacy settings for options like "Who can look you up using the phone number you provided" or "Let others find me by email." Turn them off for apps where you do not want to be found that way. This does not affect search results directly, but it reduces how often your number is linked to your profile.

Step 6: Use substitutes going forward

The best way to keep your main number and email private is to stop handing them out.

• Secondary phone number. Many carriers and apps offer a second number you can use for sign-ups, deliveries, and listings. Keep your main number for people you know.
• Email aliases. Many email providers support aliases or "plus" addresses. Use a different alias for shopping, newsletters, and accounts. If one starts getting spam, you know where it came from.
• Separate public contact. If you need to be reachable professionally, use a work email or a contact form on a personal website rather than your personal details. See what pages a personal website needs.

Dealing with spam calls and texts

Removing your number from search results will not stop every unwanted call. Registering your number on the National Do Not Call list at DoNotCall.gov tells legitimate telemarketers not to call you, though it does not stop every type of call, and scammers ignore it. If you get unwanted sales calls after registering, you can report them through the same site. Your phone carrier may also offer spam-blocking features.

If your email was in a data breach

If your email shows up in a known breach, which you can check with Have I Been Pwned, change the password for that account and anywhere else you reused it, and turn on two-step verification. A breach does not usually make your email appear in search results, but it increases phishing risk. If you suspect identity theft, use the FTC's IdentityTheft.gov to report and recover.

A note on two-step verification

Some people worry that removing their phone number from accounts will weaken security, since many services use text messages for two-step verification. Keep your number on accounts that need it for security; the goal is to keep it out of public view, not to remove it from your own account settings. Check that the number is set to private or visible only to you. Where a service offers an authenticator app or security key instead of text codes, those options also avoid tying your account security to a number that might be exposed.

Helping a family member

Older relatives are often the most exposed, because their landline numbers have been listed publicly for decades. With their permission, you can run the same searches for their numbers and emails and help them submit requests. Google allows an authorized representative to submit removal requests. Keep them involved, since confirmation emails may go to their inbox. See keeping family out of people-search.

What to expect

Google removals can be decided in days or take longer. People-search opt-outs often take effect within a few weeks. Your number or email may reappear on a new listing later, which is normal. Set up Google's alerts and follow the quarterly privacy recheck to catch them.

If someone posted your contact details to harass you, that is doxxing, and there are faster options. See what to do if you are doxxed.

Common questions

Sources

1. Remove my private info from Google Search (Google Search Help)
2. Results about you (Google Search Help)
3. DoNotCall.gov (Federal Trade Commission)
4. Have I Been Pwned (Have I Been Pwned)
5. IdentityTheft.gov (Federal Trade Commission)
6. Refresh outdated content in Google Search (Google Search Help)