Why and How to Remove Your Home from Google Street View
You Can't Delete Your House From Google Maps but You Can Blur it.
Google Maps’ Street View feature might be handy for finding a restaurant or mapping out a route, but it also puts your personal space on display, clear as day.
Anyone with a browser can pull up a crystal-clear shot of your front door, driveway, or even that gate you never quite fixed. That’s not ideal, especially if you’re into security, work in sensitive fields, or just don’t like being watched.
This is basic digital hygiene. You don’t leave your windows open when you leave town, so don’t leave your house wide open for literally anyone to see. Blur it, forget it, and move quiet. It’s one way to stay in control of your digital footprint.
Why Remove Your Home From Street View?
Personal Security:
If you’re an operative, or just someone who values discretion, you know better than to broadcast your home base. Whether it’s stalkers, burglars, or just nosy people, Street View gives outsiders recon-level visuals of your perimeter. That’s intel you don’t want floating around.
Reduce Risk of Targeting:
Criminals use Street View like it’s part of their toolkit. They can scope out entrances, security systems, fences, even blind spots. By removing your home from the feed, you’re cutting off their free recon. It’s classic counter-surveillance tradecraft, deny them visibility, deny them advantage.
Privacy for Your Family:
You might be ready to disappear off the grid, but your family? Maybe not. Street View doesn’t blur out kids playing in the yard or people walking to the mailbox. That’s exposure no one asked for.
How to Remove Your Home from Google Street View
The steps are straightforward, more the reason to do it.
1) Go to Google Maps
Pull up Google Maps in your browser.
Enter your home address in the search bar.
2) Enter Street View Mode
Drag the little yellow “Pegman” icon in the bottom right corner onto the map, right in front of your home.
You’ll now see your house from the street perspective.
3) Report a Problem
Click on the vertical 3 dots or on the bottom-right corner of the Street View image, click “Report a problem.”
This opens a new page where you can request a blur.
4) Adjust the View
Use the red box to center the image on your home.
Make sure you’re selecting the exact part you want blurred (house, car, face, etc.).
5) Select “My Home”
Under “Request blurring,” check the option that says “My home.”
You can also request to blur other elements like a car or your face.
6) Explain Why
Google asks for a brief explanation. Say it’s for “privacy and safety” reasons.
7) Submit
Confirm you’re not a bot, hit “Submit,” and you’re done.
Note: The blur is permanent. Once your house is blurred, you can’t undo it. But that’s the point, you’re scrubbing your location from digital visibility like a good operative covering tracks.
Tradecraft is about making smart moves to stay off the radar. If your home’s out there on Street View, it’s an open file in someone else’s dossier. So take it down. Don’t give up free intel, especially when you’ve got the power to lock it down.