Protect Your Privacy by Blurring Your Home on Google Maps
Google Maps is the most popular navigation app. In addition to making it easier for you to get to your destination, Google Street View gives you a photo of any address. While this can be helpful, you may not want your front door, yard, or driveway visible to anyone searching.
On the one hand, this raises privacy concerns. If you prefer your personal space not to be visible to strangers online, there are simple steps you can take to make it less exposed.
Here’s how to protect your privacy and limit your home’s visibility to strangers.
To learn more, check out Google Maps’ essential travel tips.
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Watch this: How to blur your house or an object in Google Maps
How to blur your house on Google Maps
You will need to do this on your computer as the blur feature is not available in the Google Maps app on iOS or Android. It is accessible through your mobile device’s web browser, but it is rather difficult to use. So your best option is a reliable web browser on your Mac or PC.
On maps.google.com, enter your home address in the search bar in the upper right, press Return, then click the photo of your home that appears.
Click on the photo of your accommodation, just above your address, in the upper left part of the page.
Then you will see the Street View of your location. Click Report a problem bottom right. The text is very small, but it is there.
This is the Street View of your location.
Now it’s up to you to choose what you want Google to blur. Using your mouse, adjust the view of the image so that your house and anything you want to blur are all contained within the red and black area. Use your cursor to move and the plus and minus buttons to zoom in and out, respectively.
If you want to blur more than what is in the red and black area, use the + button to zoom.
Once you’ve finished adjusting the image, choose what you want to blur underneath:
- A face
- Your house
- License plate/car
- A different object
You will be asked to provide a little more detail about what you want to blur in case the image is occupied by cars, people, and other objects.
Also make sure that what you select is exactly what you want to blur. Google warns that once you blur something on Street View, it’s permanently blurred.
Finally, enter your email (this is required), check the captcha (if necessary) and click Submit.
You need to provide additional information about what you want to blur, so be thorough.
You should then receive an email from Google letting you know that it will review your report and respond to you once the request is denied or approved. You may receive more emails from Google asking for more information regarding your request. Google doesn’t provide any information on how long it takes to process your request, so just keep an eye out for any further emails.
To learn more, learn how Google created Immersive View for Maps.
