How to Remove Your Address From the Internet

To remove your address from the internet, start with the sources that publish it most widely: opt out of people-search sites, then ask Google to drop results that show your address through “Results about you.” After that, deal with the upstream sources that keep feeding those sites, such as property records, voter files, change-of-address data, domain registrations and business filings, and use a separate mailing address so new records don’t carry your home address.

You usually can’t erase a home address from every public record, because some of those records exist by law. What you can do is make it hard for a stranger to connect your name to your front door. This guide focuses on the address itself: where it leaks, which sources you can close, and which you can only reduce. For a wider cleanup of everything about you, see our guide on how to remove your information from the internet.

Why your address is harder to remove than other details

A phone number or email mostly spreads through sign-ups and data sharing. A home address is different, because official records create it again and again. When you buy a home, register to vote, file a business, or move, a record with your address is created somewhere, and data brokers collect many of those records in bulk.

That means removal has two halves:

• Downstream: the websites that display your address to anyone who searches, such as people-search sites and search results.
• Upstream: the records those sites draw from, such as property files, voter lists and business registrations.

If you only clean up downstream, the address tends to reappear. If you only work upstream, the existing listings stay up. You need both.

Step 1: Find every place your address appears

1. Search your full street address in quotes on Google and Bing, with and without the unit number and ZIP code.
2. Search your name with your city, and with any previous cities, to catch listings tied to old addresses.
3. Run your address through the big people-search sites. Many support a reverse address search, which shows every name linked to your home, including past residents and relatives.
4. Check real estate sites for your home’s page and any old listing photos.
5. Look at your own footprint: business profiles, online stores, personal websites, event pages and social posts that tag your home location.

Record each result with its URL, what it shows and how it can be removed. That list becomes your plan.

Step 2: Opt out of people-search sites

People-search sites are the fastest way a stranger finds your address, so they come first. Most offer a free opt-out: you find your listing, submit its URL, and confirm by email or phone. Some sites focus on addresses specifically, such as Addresses.com, or on property ownership, such as BlockShopper, which publishes home sales and owner names.

• Search under name variations and old addresses, since one person can have several listings.
• Use a dedicated email address for opt-out requests.
• Keep a log of each request, the date and the confirmation.

Our guide to removing yourself from people-search sites covers the general method, and the data broker opt-out list gives you a checklist to work through.

Step 3: Ask Google to remove results showing your address

Google’s “Results about you” tool lets you request removal of search results that show your home address, phone number or email, and it can alert you when new ones appear. Add your address to the tool so you hear about new listings early. Our guide to Results about you walks through it.

The limit: Google removes the result from its search pages, not the page from the website. The listing is still live on the source site and may still show up on Bing, which has its own removal process.

Step 4: Reduce what property records reveal

If you own your home, the county assessor and recorder usually hold public records that list the owner’s name and the property address. Real estate sites, data brokers and sites like BlockShopper pull from these files. You generally can’t make a property record disappear, but you have some options:

• Check for a confidentiality or redaction program. Many states and counties let certain people, such as judges, law enforcement officers, election workers and survivors of domestic violence, ask for their name or address to be shielded on public property records. Eligibility and the process vary, so ask your county recorder or assessor’s office.
• Change the mailing address on the tax record. Some counties show a separate mailing address for tax bills. Using a PO box there keeps that one field from pointing back to you, though the property address itself stays public.
• Think ahead for future purchases. Some people buy through a trust or LLC so their personal name is not attached to the deed. This has legal, tax and lending implications, so talk to a real estate lawyer before you do it.

For the broader picture of what public records can and can’t be removed, see our guide on removing public records from the internet.

Step 5: Limit your voter record

In many states, voter registration records, including name and residential address, are available to campaigns, researchers and sometimes the public. Some websites republish voter data, which is how an address can surface on sites such as VoterRecords.

• Opt out of the sites that republish voter data. This removes the public listing, even though the official record remains.
• Ask your election office about confidentiality. Many states let protected groups, such as survivors of abuse or stalking and some public officials, keep their residential address confidential on voter records.
• Don’t cancel your registration to hide your address. Losing your vote is a high price, and confidentiality options usually exist for people who genuinely need them.

Step 6: Be careful with change-of-address and mail

When you file a permanent change of address with USPS, the new address can be shared with mailers who are licensed to update their lists from USPS change-of-address data. That’s useful for your bank, but it also means marketers and list compilers can learn your new home address.

• Use a temporary change of address where it fits your situation, or give your new address directly to the organizations that need it.
• Use a PO box or a private mailbox for subscriptions, online orders, warranty cards and anything public-facing.
• Opt out of prescreened credit offers to cut down on mail that confirms your address to more companies. Our guide to OptOutPrescreen explains how.

Step 7: Fix domain, business and online listings

Home addresses often leak through things people set up years ago and forgot.

Source	What to do
Domain name registration (WHOIS)	Log in to your registrar and turn on its privacy or redaction option. Many registrars now hide personal details by default, but older domains are worth checking.
LLC or business filing with the state	Use a registered agent service and a business address where your state allows it, then update the filing. Old filings may stay on record.
UK company records	Directors and people with significant control can apply to remove their address from Companies House documents.
Google Business Profile for a home-based business	Hide the address and set a service area instead, if you serve customers at their location.
Online store, newsletter or podcast	Replace your home address in footers, contact pages and email sign-offs with a PO box or business mailbox.
Street View imagery	Request a blur of your house. See our guide on how to blur your house on Google Street View.
Social posts and photos	Remove location tags that show your home and photos where your house number is visible.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client.

Rosalind, a teacher, moves across town after a difficult breakup and wants her new address kept private. She finds her old address on four people-search sites and her new one on two, because she filed a permanent change of address and bought the home in her own name.

• Week one: she opts out of the six listings, adds both addresses to Google’s “Results about you,” and requests removal of the results showing them.
• Week two: she asks the county recorder about its confidentiality program. She doesn’t qualify for full redaction, so she changes the tax mailing address to a PO box.
• Same week: she switches her online orders and subscriptions to the PO box, and finds her old craft blog’s domain still shows her details in WHOIS. She turns on privacy at the registrar.
• Three months later: a reverse address search turns up one new listing. She removes it the same day.

Her address isn’t secret, because the property record still exists. But a stranger searching her name no longer finds her home on the first page of results.

What you can’t fully remove

• The official record itself. Property, court and voter records exist for legal reasons. You can often shield or reduce them, rarely delete them.
• Data sold privately. Some brokers don’t publish profiles and only sell data to businesses. You may not see their listings, though state privacy laws may let you request deletion. Our guide to do not sell my personal information requests explains how.
• What people already know. Removal lowers how easy it is to find you. It doesn’t undo a copy someone saved.

Common mistakes

• Removing listings without fixing the sources. The address comes back within months.
• Forgetting old addresses. Past homes link you to relatives and can be used to trace your current address.
• Using your home address on new accounts right after a cleanup, which starts the cycle again.
• Skipping reverse address searches. A name search misses listings filed under a spouse, roommate or former name.
• Doing it once. Set a reminder to re-check every few months.

When to get help

You can do all of this yourself. Help makes sense if you’re dealing with a stalker or harasser, if your address appears on dozens of sites, or if you’re a public figure whose home has become a target. In urgent safety situations, work with law enforcement and an advocate first. Our personal reputation management service handles opt-outs, re-checks and search cleanup, and our guide to executive privacy protection covers higher-risk cases.

Frequently asked questions

Can I completely remove my address from the internet?

Usually not completely. You can remove it from people-search sites and many other pages, and ask Google to drop results that show it, but official records such as property and voter files often stay public. The realistic goal is making your address hard to connect to your name.

Why does my address keep coming back after I opt out?

Data brokers refresh their files from public records, change-of-address data and other brokers. A new record, such as a home purchase or a new account, can create a fresh listing. Fixing upstream sources and re-checking every few months keeps this under control.

Is my address on Zillow a privacy problem?

Zillow shows property details from public records, usually without the owner’s name on the page, but old listing photos can reveal the inside of your home. Owners can often claim the home and manage those photos. See our guide on how to remove your house from Zillow.

Who can use an address confidentiality program?

Eligibility is set by each state. Most programs cover survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, and some include other groups at risk. A local victim advocate or the program’s office in your state can tell you whether you qualify.