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How to set holiday hours on Google Business Profile
Thanksgiving and December change your hours, and customers check Google first. Here is the exact path, Google’s limits and a date checklist so your profile is right before the rush.
In this article
- How do you set holiday hours on Google Business Profile?
- Is it called Special hours or Holiday hours?
- What limits does Google put on special hours?
- Which dates should you check before Thanksgiving and December?
- How do you set holiday hours for many locations?
- How do you check that your holiday hours are live?
- What mistakes make holiday hours wrong?
- Should your website and other listings match?
- Quick answers about Google Business Profile holiday hours
How do you set holiday hours on Google Business Profile?
Sign in at business.google.com, choose Edit profile, open Hours, and click Edit next to Special hours. Pick the date, set the opening and closing time or leave it closed all day, then save. Your main hours must be set to Open with main hours, or special hours will not show.
Source: Google Business Profile Help: special hours (accessed 2026-11-10).
| Situation | What to do in Google Business Profile |
|---|---|
| Changed hours or closed for 1 to 6 days in a row | Use Special hours |
| Closed for 7 days or more, or for an unknown time | Mark the business as Temporarily closed |
| Open past midnight | Split it in two sets: one ends at 00:00, the next starts at 00:00 the next day |
| Two shifts in one day | Use More, then Add hours |
| Delivery or in-store pickup | Use More hours instead of Special hours |
| Many locations | Use the Special hours column in the bulk spreadsheet |
Is it called Special hours or Holiday hours?
Both names exist. Google’s help page says Special hours, while Search Engine Journal describes Edit profile, Business information, the Hours tab and a Holiday hours option. Menu names vary by device and account, so look for either label under Hours instead of expecting one exact path.
Scheduling ahead lets Google switch the hours on that day by itself, with no manual edit that day and nothing to undo later.
Source: Search Engine Journal: set Google holiday hours (accessed 2026-11-10).
What limits does Google put on special hours?
Special hours cover temporary changes or closures of up to six days in a row. One set cannot run longer than 24 hours, so a schedule past midnight is split in two. They also replace your normal hours for that day, so retype any part of the regular schedule you want to keep.
For a schedule past midnight, make one set that ends at 00:00 on the first day and another that starts at 00:00 the next day. If you will be closed seven days or more, or you do not know for how long, mark the business as Temporarily closed instead. To add two shifts in one day, use More, then Add hours.
Source: Google Business Profile Help: special hours (accessed 2026-11-10).
Which dates should you check before Thanksgiving and December?
Check every day your hours differ from normal, and Google also recommends confirming official holidays even when the hours match your usual schedule. Start with Thanksgiving week, then list each December date you close early, open late or shut. Look up this year’s exact dates yourself.
- Days you close for the whole day.
- Days you open late or close early.
- Days with two shifts, set with More, then Add hours.
- Delivery or pickup hours that differ, set with More hours.
- Closures of seven days or more, which need Temporarily closed.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help: special hours (accessed 2026-11-10); Search Engine Journal: set Google holiday hours (accessed 2026-11-10).
How do you set holiday hours for many locations?
Use the bulk upload spreadsheet and its Special hours column. Write each date as YYYY-MM-DD followed by the hours in 24-hour or AM/PM format, and use x for a full-day closure. Separate several shifts with commas. For existing businesses, include only the store code and special hours columns.
Be careful with empty columns: a column that has a header but no values erases the existing data. Keep only the two columns you need before you upload.
Source: Google Business Profile Help: special hours (accessed 2026-11-10).
How do you check that your holiday hours are live?
After you save, search your business name on Google and open your listing to confirm the special hours show on the right dates. Check Maps too, and view the profile on a phone as well. Fix any date that looks wrong right away, because customers will trust what Google shows.
Open the Hours section again to see that your regular hours are still listed and that no old special hours remain from a past year.
What mistakes make holiday hours wrong?
The common ones are leaving the profile marked open when the business is closed, editing by hand on the day and forgetting to change it back, and using holiday hours for closures longer than six days. Wrong hours hurt customer trust, so schedule ahead and recheck the profile once the date passes.
If your profile is not appearing at all, read why a business is missing from Google Maps.
Source: Search Engine Journal: set Google holiday hours (accessed 2026-11-10).
Should your website and other listings match?
Yes. Google’s profile is only one place customers see your hours. Update your website and every other listing where customers find you with the same holiday schedule, so the hours never disagree. Different versions of one business confuse Google and AI assistants about which listing is real.
Our guide to local citations and NAP consistency shows how to find listings you forgot, and the local SEO checklist covers the rest of your profile.
A complete profile also needs the right primary category. See our guide to Business Profile categories.
Quick answers about Google Business Profile holiday hours
Most holiday hours questions come down to timing, length and where else your hours appear. The short answers below cover what owners ask most. Each one points back to the steps above, and none of them depends on a ranking promise, because Google decides what customers see on your listing.
Can I set holiday hours in advance?
Yes. Schedule the special hours ahead and Google switches them on that day by itself, so nothing needs editing on the holiday.
How long can special hours last?
Up to six days in a row. For seven days or more, or when you do not know how long, mark the business as Temporarily closed.
Do special hours replace my normal hours?
Yes, for that day. Retype any part of the regular schedule you want to keep.
Should my website show the same hours?
Yes. Use the same holiday schedule everywhere customers find you, so no listing disagrees with another.
Hours are one detail of a full profile. Run the free AI visibility checker to see how your business shows up, or see how we handle local SEO.