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How do I "undo" or remove a Google Search Console change of address?
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I have a client that set a change of address in Google Search Console where they informed Google that their preferred domain was a subdomain, and now they want Google to also consider their base domain (without the change of address).
How do I get the change of address in Google search console removed?
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Thanks. The option under settings actually hasn't been visible for me for months, but I just checked again and it allowed me to make the change.
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Hi Katherine! Did Peter's suggestion take care of it?
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Yes - you can!
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/93636?hl=en
Just follow instructions there. And check 301 redirects for correct location also canonicals, sitemap, robots.txt and links to static assets (CSS/JS) and link to pages.
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