Google Search Console Change of Address Tool: Step by Step

When to use it (and when not to)

Use it only when the domain or subdomain changes (Search Console Help, Change of Address tool).

Prerequisites checklist

Check all four before you open the tool. The tool will refuse the move if one is missing.

1. You are a verified owner of both properties. Not a full user: owner.
2. The same Google account owns both. If the new site is verified under a colleague's account, add yourself as an owner first.
3. Both are domain-level properties. example.com works. A path property like example.com/shop/ does not.
4. The 301 redirects are live. At minimum the old homepage must 301 to the new homepage. In practice, switch on every redirect first.

How to submit the move

1. In Search Console, open the old site's property.
2. Go to Settings > Change of address.
3. Pick the new site from the list of properties you own.
4. Let the tool run its checks. Google says it confirms you own both sites and checks for 301s on a few pages.
5. Fix anything it flags, then confirm the move.
6. Submit the new site's sitemap in the new property, if you have not already.

Submit every variant

Google asks you to move all variants of the old domain, including www and non-www, even ones you never used, and to verify each one (Google). If you use URL-prefix properties, that can mean one submission per host. A Domain property makes it simpler.

What happens during and after the 180 days

During the 180 days, Google treats the move as active and forwards signals from the old site to the new one. Keep watching traffic in both properties: the old one should fall as the new one rises.

After 180 days, Google no longer recognizes any relationship between the two sites and treats the old site as unrelated. That is why the redirects matter more than the tool. Google's site move guide says to keep redirects for as long as possible, generally at least 1 year (Google Search Central, updated August 2026).

Common problems and fixes

How to cancel a move

You can cancel within the 180 days. Google's order: remove the 301s from the old site, add 301s from the new site back to the old one, then click Cancel Move in the tool. Do the redirects first, or Google sees a move with nowhere to go.