Google Business Profile Hours: Set, Change and Special Hours
Your hours on Google are the single fact customers check before they leave the house. To change them, open your Business Profile, choose Edit profile, then Business information and Hours, set each day, and save. For holidays add special hours for just those dates. If you close for a while, mark the profile temporarily closed instead of deleting your hours. This guide covers each case, the mistakes that send customers to a locked door, and what to do when Google changes your hours without asking.
If you do not have a profile yet, how to set up a Google Business Profile comes first. If your profile exists but cannot be edited at all, see suspended profiles.
How to set or change your regular hours
- Sign in to the Google account that manages the profile, then search for your business name or "my business". The profile controls should show above the results. You can also use Google Maps and open your business from the profile menu.
- Choose Edit profile.
- Open Business information, then Hours.
- For each weekday choose open or closed, and set the opening and closing times.
- Save. The change can show within minutes, but allow a day.
Menu names move now and then, so look for similar wording if yours differs. Google also lets you set the hours when you create the profile, and those are the same fields.
Which kind of hours do you need?
| Situation | What to use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Normal week | Regular hours | Set once, edit when the schedule changes |
| One-off day or holiday | Special hours | Overrides regular hours only on those dates |
| Closed for a few weeks (refit, illness, season) | Temporarily closed | Keeps the profile and reviews; you reopen when ready |
| Closed for good | Permanently closed | Do not use this for a break; reversing takes work |
| Split shift (lunch break) | Add another set of hours for the day | Two periods, for example 9-12 and 14-18 |
| Open all day, every day | Open 24 hours | Only if it is true; customers will take you at your word |
| Appointment only | Show the real hours you answer or work, and say so in the description | Do not mark closed if customers can book |
How to add special hours for holidays
Special hours are the answer for Christmas Day, a bank holiday, a staff event or a one-off early close. They replace your regular hours on the dates you pick and then your regular hours resume.
- In Edit profile, go to Business information and find Special hours (sometimes under Hours).
- Choose the date or add several dates.
- Set the hours, or mark the day closed.
- Save.
Do this well before the day. Google may also prompt you to confirm holiday hours; accepting its suggestion without reading it is a common cause of wrong times. Read the dates it shows, then change what is wrong.
A simple habit: put a monthly reminder in your calendar, and on the first of each month open the profile and check the next four weeks. Once a year, before the holiday season, add special hours for every date you will vary.
Why Google keeps changing your hours
Many owners find hours different from what they entered. There are four usual causes.
- Customer edits. Anyone signed in can suggest an edit to hours in Maps. Google may accept it if its systems think it is right, for instance if several users agree or phones tell it people are present.
- Google's holiday prompts. Google may suggest holiday times from patterns in your industry.
- Data from other sources. Your website, listings sites and old data providers may carry other hours.
- Another manager. Staff or an agency with access may have changed them.
To stop it: check the managers on the profile and remove people who should not have access, keep your website hours identical to the profile, and look at "updates from Google" or suggested edits in the profile and decline the wrong ones. Then check weekly for a month. If wrong hours keep coming back, note the dates and ask in the Business Profile Community. Reviews can also give you a clue; a customer who writes "closed on a Tuesday afternoon, sign says open" is telling you the hours are wrong. See review response templates for how to answer that politely, and fix the hours before you reply.
Mistakes that send customers to a closed door
| Mistake | Result | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Hours show 24 hours when you are not | Calls and visits at night, bad reviews | Set real times |
| Holiday not added | Regular hours shown on a day you are shut | Add special hours early |
| Marked permanently closed by mistake | Listing says closed for good, traffic drops | Reopen the listing at once, or ask Google to restore it |
| Temporarily closed left on after reopening | Customers think you are shut | Remove the status |
| Different hours on site and profile | Confusion, Google overrides | Make them match |
| Hours in the business name or description | Against the guidelines for names; goes stale | Use the hours field |
Wrong hours matter beyond lost visits. Google says open-now status affects what is shown to searchers, and a business that looks closed at the moment of a "near me" search is easier to skip. Distance, relevance and prominence still decide the main ranking; for that see Google Maps ranking factors.
Special cases
Businesses that work by appointment or on call
If you see customers only by appointment, put the hours in which you take bookings or answer the phone, and say "by appointment" in the description and on the website. If you are a service area business, your hours still matter: customers expect a reply during them. See service area setup.
Seasonal businesses
If you close for the winter, set the profile temporarily closed from the last day, or use special hours for the whole season if the tool lets you. Put a line on the website with the return date. Switch back the day before you reopen.
Several locations
Each location has its own hours. A chain should keep a single sheet of hours per location and change them on the profile in the same sitting, or use bulk edit if the account has it.
Extra hour types
Some categories allow more hours, such as delivery, takeaway or pickup. If you offer them, add them separately so customers know when each is available. If the option is not in your profile, your category may not support it.
A quick weekly check
- Search for your business name on your phone, from a private window.
- Look at the open-or-closed line and compare it with today's real hours.
- Open the hours panel and check the next holiday.
- Check reviews for any mention of hours.
- Fix anything wrong the same day.
This takes five minutes and prevents most hours complaints. It also shows how your profile appears to customers, which is useful when you are unsure whether a problem is visibility or accuracy; see verified but not showing for that.
Hours for common trades
The right setup depends on how you work. A few examples of how owners set it up well:
- A café sets the real opening and closing time each day, adds special hours for each bank holiday, and sets the kitchen's last order only in the description if the category has no separate field.
- A salon or barber lists the days it takes clients, even if some appointments start after the posted closing time for a regular. Customers read the hours as when they can walk in or book.
- A plumber or electrician shows the hours the phone is answered. If you offer emergency call-outs at night, say it in the description and on the website rather than setting 24 hours, unless someone will truly pick up.
- A clinic or practice lists the reception hours and uses special hours for training days and closures, since patients plan around them.
- A market stall or seasonal shop uses special hours for each trading day and a clear temporary closure for the off season.
What customers do with your hours
Hours show in three places: the main listing, the open-now label in search results and Maps, and the "closes soon" or "opens at" note. People tap call or directions on the strength of these. If the label says open and you are shut, you get an unhappy visit and often a one-star review about it. If it says closed and you are open, you lose the sale and never find out. That is why a five-minute weekly check beats any other hours advice. For how reviews that mention wrong hours can be answered without arguing, see how to respond to a negative Google review.
Keep one source of truth
Write your hours once in a note or a shared sheet, and update everything from it: the profile, your website footer, your social pages, any delivery apps and directories. When they all start from one note, Google's systems see the same times across the web and are less likely to override yours. This is the same idea as keeping your name, address and phone consistent across listings; see Google Maps citations for how to audit those.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change my hours on Google?
Open your Business Profile, choose Edit profile, Business information, then Hours, update the days and save.
How do I add holiday hours to Google Business Profile?
Use Special hours, pick the dates and set the times or mark closed. Add them before the day.
Why does Google show the wrong hours for my business?
Customer edits, Google's own suggestions, data from other sites or another manager are the usual causes. Check the profile, your website and the managers list.
Should I mark my business temporarily closed?
Yes, for a planned break of some weeks. It keeps the profile and reviews. Do not use permanently closed unless you have closed for good.
How long do hours take to update?
Usually within minutes to a day. Some changes go through a review first.
Can I show different hours for different services?
For some categories you can add extra hour types such as delivery or pickup. Otherwise explain it in the description.
What to do next
Once your hours are right, the next thing customers see is your rating. Compare your Google reviews with your nearest rivals, free, and get a review link and printable sign. More help is on the guides page.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help: "Edit your business hours" and "Add special hours".
- Google Business Profile Help: "Mark your business as temporarily closed".
- Google Business Profile Help: "Guidelines for representing your business on Google".