How to remove my mobile number from all websites

You can’t remove your mobile number from all websites.

For instance, if it lands on the dark web, there’s virtually nothing you can do to delete it.

But—

You can remove your number from the regular internet (or at least most of it).

There isn’t a one-stop-shop solution for it, though.

So, we’ve put together this five-step guide on how to get your cell phone number off the internet.

Let’s dive in!

How to remove your phone number from the internet

As mentioned above, there are 5 steps to online privacy.

With each step, you scrape more of your personal contact info from the web.

It’s not a walk in the park, though.

Online privacy isn’t an easy thing to achieve—it comes with some compromises and requires continuous effort.

But it’s doable. 

In fact, the most crucial steps can be fully automated, taking most weight off your shoulders.

Here are 5 steps to remove your phone number from nearly all websites:

Steps to online privacy	Can it be automated?
Step 1: Opt out from people search sites.	YES
Step 2: Remove your phone number from Google Search results.	NO
Step 3: Contact web-page owners to delete your phone number from their sites.	NO
Step 4: Opt out from the private databases of data brokers.	YES
Step 5: Remove your cell phone number from social media platforms and online accounts.	NO

Completing these steps won’t remove your phone number from all websites (which is virtually impossible), but it’s the closest you can get to doing so.

If you’re looking for quick and effective results—skip forward to Steps 4 and 5.

If you want to stop spam, see our dedicated guide.

Step 1: Opt out from people search sites

In short

People search sites store and share your personal information, including your phone numbers. To remove this data, you can either opt out individually from each site that holds your information or subscribe to a data removal service.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “people search sites,” here’s a quick recap for you.

People search sites are like search engines for people. You type in a name, and a set of profiles matching your query appears—profiles with real data on real people.

Each website of this kind has its own database, often including your addresses, criminal history, employment history, education, family members, houses you’ve lived in, and so on.

And, of course, your personal phone number—available to anyone who’s willing to pay a small fee.

These sites go by different names: people finders, people search sites, online phone books, etc.

Since most of your data is hidden behind a paywall or isn’t indexed at all, it won’t appear on Google—meaning, you can’t use the content removal tool to report it (presented in Step 2).

Here’s some good news: You can opt out from people search sites.

Now, for the bitter part: You have to do it manually for each profile you find.

Each people search site comes with its own opt-out process, and it usually takes around 10 minutes to wrap up.

The catch? There are hundreds of these sites.

Requesting the removal of your personal information from each one may prove to be a titanic effort.

Alternatively—

Let someone else handle the heavy lifting.

Consider signing up for a professional service that’ll continuously search for your personal information on these sites and get it removed for you.

The choice is yours:

• If you prefer to opt out from people search sites manually, check out our data broker opt out guides for over 80 sites.
• If you’d like the process handled for you, consider subscribing to Incogni.

Step 2: Remove your phone number from Google Search results

In short

You can remove your phone number from appearing in Google Search results. To do this, use a dedicated content removal tool to submit a request. You’ll need to provide URLs of the domains that are publishing your number and confirm your identity.

Your mobile phone number qualifies as personally identifiable information (PII).

If a privately owned website published your number without your consent, you can ask Google to remove it from its search results.

There’s a dedicated content removal tool to file your request.

Go to the content removal tool and follow the instructions provided there.

If you’re not sure how to go about it, have a look at our in-depth guide here.

Important: Removing content from search results is not the same as removing the content from the source site. 

Even after your request has been processed, your phone number will still be displayed on the website and could appear in other search engines.

That means you’re not quite done yet.

Step 3: Contact web-page owners to delete your phone number from their sites

In short

There isn’t a tool that can directly delete your number from websites. If you want your personal details removed, you need to reach out to the person managing the site—either via email or a contact form—and ask them to delete your number.

Even if Google removes your phone number from its search results, this won’t change the fact that it’s still up on the original website.

To get your personal info taken down from private websites, you’ll have to ask for it—that means reaching out directly to the site’s manager and requesting they delete your number.

We know what you’re thinking—

To make it easier, here’s a template you can use:

For a formal tone of voice	For a casual tone of voice
Dear [Website Owner], I am writing to inform you that I found my phone number listed on your website, [insert URL or location of the listing]. I did not authorize the publication of my number, and I am requesting its immediate removal. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, [Your Name]	Hi [Website Owner], I recently found my phone number listed on your website ([insert URL or location of the listing]), and I was surprised to see it there as I never authorized its publication. Could you please remove it? I would really appreciate your assistance with this matter. Thank you for your understanding and prompt attention to this issue. Best regards, [Your Name]

The question now is: Who to contact and how?

• Contact us form: For most cases, you can simply send your request through the “contact us” form, which is available on nearly all websites.
• Whois search: If you can’t find any contact information, look up the domain on Whois or just run a Google search for “whois www.domain.com”—this should give you information about who registered the domain, along with their contact details.
• Site-host search: If Whois doesn’t help and no contact information is published, you might consider reaching out directly to the site’s hosting company to request more details.

Step 4: Opt out from the private databases of data brokers

In short

Some data brokers store personal information, such as phone numbers, in private databases that are later traded to other companies. You can request to have your data removed, but there aren’t standardized procedures for this. Consider using a professional data removal service instead.

People search sites are services run by companies called data brokers.

Data brokers do business by finding, gathering, and trading people’s personal data.

But people search sites account for only one type of data broker. Theirs are what we refer to as public databases—ones that anyone can access and search.

There are also private databases, hidden away from public view.

These private datasets are traded between companies—mostly for marketing purposes.

What does that mean for you?

Those annoying calls you’re getting from companies trying to sell you stuff are possible because your data is being passed around in these transactions.

Just like with people search sites, you can opt out of these private databases, too. 

There’s a catch, however. In fact, there are two.

First, since these records aren’t public, you can’t really tell for sure who has your data. Sometimes it’s even difficult to recognize a data broker (they’re not advertised like people search sites are).

Second, having your data removed means reaching out to each data broker individually for every single dataset you want gone.

Now, here are your options:

• You can go it alone—but there isn’t really a straightforward opt-out procedure, like with people search sites. 
  You’ll need to contact these brokers by email, often backing up your claim with legal regulations—for example, the California Consumer Privacy Act.

Or—

• Have professionals handle it for you—Incogni will remove your data from both people search sites and private databases—all through one service.
  Ready to give it a try?

Step 5: Remove your cell phone number from social media platforms and online accounts

In short

Review your online accounts and remove your phone numbers wherever possible. For your social media profiles, you have the option to either remove your number or set your account to private mode.

Remember the last time you created an online account without the need to enter your phone number?

Ten to one, you don’t.

These days, just about every platform you want to sign up for asks for your mobile phone number. That phone number can be displayed publicly, hidden behind a paywall, or breached in a data incident.

Luckily, usually you can remove your number after you’ve set up the account.

We can’t give you a specific list of sites to check, but here are some handy tips:

• Go through all your social media accounts and either remove your phone number or switch your profile to private mode.
  • How to make Facebook private
  • How to make Twitter private
  • How to make Pinterest private
  • How to make Venmo private
  • How to make TikTok private
  • How to make Instagram private
  • How to make Linkedin private
• Check your old accounts, especially those on sites with less robust security (they’re more vulnerable to data breaches), and delete your phone number.
• If you can’t remember which websites you’ve shared your phone number with, try a quick Google search for your number—some lesser-known or long-forgotten sites may pop up.

FAQ