---
title: "Reviews are turned off for my business category"
url: https://reviewsnot.com/reviews-turned-off-for-my-category/
summary: "No reviews section at all on your profile. Google limits reviews by category and region, and switches them off permanently for some."
published: 2026-10-02
updated: 2026-10-02
author: "Jack Stovell"
publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited"
language: en-GB
---

# Reviews are turned off for my business category

No reviews section at all on your profile. Google limits reviews by category and region, and switches them off permanently for some.

## Quick answer

Google says reviews are available only in certain countries or regions and for certain business categories. If your profile has no reviews section, check your category first — that is the one part of this you can change.

## Check this first

- [ ] Open your profile signed out and check whether a reviews section appears at all.
- [ ] Read your primary category exactly as Google has it, not as you describe the business.
- [ ] Check whether the category changed recently, for example after a merge or a re-verification.

## Causes

### Your category is wrong for the business

- Status: Fixable - You can sort this yourself.
- Google ties review availability to the profile's category: it says reviews are available only in certain countries or regions and for certain business categories.
- Fix: If the primary category does not describe the business, change it to one that does. This is the only cause on this page you can act on yourself.
- Source: [Manage customer reviews — Google Business Profile Help](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474050?hl=en-GB)

### Google has temporarily disabled user content for your profile

- Status: Platform’s call - Only the platform can change it. Report or appeal.
- Google says it might temporarily disable user-created content, including reviews, for certain Business Profiles or business categories to protect business owners.
- Fix: Wait for Google to lift it. It is temporary and not something the profile's settings control.
- Source: [About missing or delayed reviews — Google Business Profile Help](https://support.google.com/business/answer/10313341?hl=en-GB)

### Your category genuinely has reviews turned off

- Status: Can’t be fixed - The platform’s rules say no. We say so plainly.
- Google says reviews are available only in certain countries or regions and for certain business categories.
- Fix: Nothing to do. Changing to a category that does not describe your business to get reviews back would be a misrepresentation of the profile.
- Source: [Manage customer reviews — Google Business Profile Help](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474050?hl=en-GB)

### You are categorised as a school for ages 6 to 18

- Status: Can’t be fixed - The platform’s rules say no. We say so plainly.
- Google says reviews and ratings are removed and disabled for Business Profiles primarily categorised as educational institutions for students aged 6 to 18.
- Fix: Nothing to do. This one is permanent for that category.
- Source: [About missing or delayed reviews — Google Business Profile Help](https://support.google.com/business/answer/10313341?hl=en-GB)

Checked 2026-10-02.

You open your profile and there is no review section at all — no button, no star rating, nothing to reply to.

Google says reviews are available only in certain countries or regions and for certain business categories. So the first thing to read is your own primary category, exactly as Google has it rather than as you would describe the business. That is the one part of this you can change, and a category that does not fit is a common way to end up here.

The checklist below walks through it. The causes after it are sorted by who can act: you, Google, or nobody.

## Related

- [Can't leave a Google review](https://reviewsnot.com/cant-leave-a-google-review/)
- [Google review link not working](https://reviewsnot.com/google-review-link-not-working/)

## Sources

- [Manage customer reviews — Google Business Profile Help](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474050?hl=en-GB)
- [About missing or delayed reviews — Google Business Profile Help](https://support.google.com/business/answer/10313341?hl=en-GB)

## Questions people ask

### Can I turn Google reviews back on?

There is no switch for it. Reviews follow the category and region; the only thing in your hands is whether the category is right.

### Should I change my category to get reviews back?

Only if the current one is genuinely wrong. Picking a category that does not describe the business to unlock reviews misrepresents the profile.

### Why did my school's reviews vanish?

Google says reviews and ratings are removed and disabled for profiles primarily categorised as educational institutions for students aged 6 to 18.