Pick the smallest role that gets the job done
Google has three levels of access. There’s one primary owner, who is an owner with the extra ability to hand that top spot to someone else. There can be several owners, who control everything including who else has access. And there are managers, who can run the profile day to day but can’t change the guest list or delete the listing.
For the person answering reviews at the front desk, the agency writing your posts, or a family member updating holiday hours, Manager is plenty. Save Owner for people you’d trust to remove you. That sounds dramatic, but it’s how Google built it: owners can remove other owners.
What the person needs first
Each user needs their own Google Account. That can be a Gmail address or another email tied to a Google Account. Shared team inboxes set up as Google Groups won’t work as users. If your staff share one login, that’s a sign to set up individual accounts now, so you can remove one person later without changing everyone’s password.
Invitations and pending users
After you select Invite, the person appears in a PENDING section of People and access until they accept. Google says invited users can accept and become users right away, and you’ll get an email when they do. If an invite sits unanswered, or you spot a typo in the email, use Cancel invitation and send a fresh one.
The first-week limits
New owners and managers have a 7-day waiting period for a short list of actions: deleting or restoring the profile, removing other owners or managers, and transferring primary ownership. Editing hours, adding photos and replying to reviews aren’t on that list. If you’re adding someone because you’re about to hand the business over, invite them at least a week before you need them to take primary ownership.
Good habits for access
Look at People and access a couple of times a year. People change jobs and agencies change, and old access tends to linger. Google keeps a removed person’s past replies and posts on the profile, so cleaning up access doesn’t erase their work. If you run several locations, sharing access through a business group is easier than adding people profile by profile.
If it doesn't work
- There's no Add button: you probably have manager access. Only owners can add people, so ask an owner to send the invite.
- They never got the invite: check the email for typos, then cancel it under PENDING with Cancel invitation and send it again.
- You tried to add a team mailing list: Google Groups can't be owners or managers. Invite each person's own account.
- A new owner can't remove someone or take primary ownership: that's the 7-day wait for new users, not a bug.
Questions owners ask
What's the difference between an owner and a manager?
Owners have full control, including adding and removing users, editing the profile and deleting it. Managers can do nearly everything else but can't add or remove users or remove the profile. Google says managers were formerly called site managers.
Should my marketing agency be an owner?
Usually not. A manager can edit the profile, post and reply to reviews, which covers most agency work. Keeping ownership in-house means you, not the agency, decide who has access if the relationship ends.
Is there a limit on how many people I can add?
Google's owners and managers page doesn't state a maximum number of users. Every person needs their own Google Account, so add only the people who do the work.
What can a new user not do in their first week?
For 7 days, new owners and managers can't delete or undelete the profile, remove other owners or managers, or transfer primary ownership. If their account is deleted during that week, they drop off the profile and need adding again.
Sources
- Manage your Business Profile owners & managers (support.google.com)
- Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile (support.google.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.