Google Webmaster broke the news on Twitter yesterday. Change of Address tool is now available in the new Google Search Console interface. The tool was available in the old console but was not migrated up till yesterday. 

google webmaster

What is the Change of Address tool

The tool helps you communicate to Google that you have moved your site to a new address. For example, if you have a site named ‘abc.com’ and want to change it to ‘abc.org’ or ‘xyz.com’. This tool will help you migrate the Console results to your new site and also tell Google about your changes. 

Here is how you can access the tool in Search Console-

Change of Address tool

Why Should You Care

This is one of the most important tools used by Webmasters while migrating to another URL. It is a channel of communication between Google and you about the change you have made. The tool helps you manage the transition and ask Google to index your new URL. The tool helps you minimize the effects on your current ranking.