Getting started
Google Webmaster Tools vs Google Search Console
They are not competing tools. Google renamed Webmaster Tools to Google Search Console in May 2015, then rebuilt much of the product in the following years.
Checked against Google Search Central · October 2026
Short answer
Google Webmaster Tools is the former name of Google Search Console. You do not need a separate account, migration or second tracking code. Use the current Search Console with the Google account that has access to your property.
Google announced the rename on May 20, 2015 ↗ to reflect that the product serves site owners, SEOs, marketers, developers and others—not only “webmasters.”
SAME PRODUCT · EVOLVED REPORTS
Google Webmaster Tools
The historic name found in older guides and bookmarks.
Google Search Console
The current product, interface and documentation.
What stayed the same
The core purpose did not change with the name.
Property access
Sites are still organized as properties with verified owners and permitted users.
Search visibility data
The product still helps you understand how Google Search sees and surfaces your site.
Technical feedback
It still reports crawling, indexing, security and search-enhancement issues.
Google account
Access continues through a Google account; the old name does not create a separate login.
PRODUCT HISTORY
What changed after the rename
The current interface is more than a new label. Reports were rebuilt, expanded, combined or retired over time.
New name
Google changed the brand from Webmaster Tools to Search Console.
New Search Console
Google introduced a rebuilt experience with Search Performance and Index Coverage.
URL Inspection
A new tool exposed crawl, indexing, canonical and serving information for a specific URL.
Current report set
Performance, Page indexing, URL Inspection, Core Web Vitals, enhancements, links and security reports form the modern workflow.
Old terminology is a clue, not a current menu path
Older tutorials can still explain useful concepts, but report names and workflows may no longer match the interface.
How people still search for the old name
Console webmaster tools, Google Search Console webmaster and Google website master tools usually mean the current Google Search Console. “Webmaster Tools” is a historical product name, not a different Google service.
CURRENT PRODUCT
What to use now
Open the current Search Console at search.google.com/search-console. If an older bookmark redirects there, that is expected. Choose the correct property and use current documentation for report names and counting rules.
search.google.com/search-console ↗