Google Search Console Sends New Owner Email Notifications - Bug?

Many of you may have woken up this morning to emails from Google Search Console notifying you of a new owner on your Search Console accounts. I received a couple, as did many of you. I was a bit alarmed when I saw it but the notifications were about someone who already had access, which I found weird but relieving.

Here is what the email looks like, the subject line says "new owner..."

I saw a number of posts around these notifications across Google Webmaster Help Forums, Reddit and on X.

Here are some of those complaints:

We manage a Search Console property and have received several "new owner added" notification emails recently, naming users who were actually added as owners a long time ago (some as far back as 2021/2025).

I am getting an email regarding a new owner on a certain page of a website and another website that I owned that runs on WordPress today .

Woke up this morning to 2 dozen (plus) Google Search Console notifications for 'new owners'- every last one of the notices was wrong. All of the users were existing users and owners on the accounts in question.

@rustybrick

I woke up to New owner emails from GSC, but they are older owners.

Seems others are having the same issuehttps://t.co/74qmy6T5E5

— Max Peters (@maxjpeters) August 24, 2026

I keep getting GSC notifications that just aren't true.

Either this is a fantastic phishing campaign, or Goog is smoking crack again. pic.twitter.com/nRO3ft5dJS

— Chris Riley (@LCSlates) August 24, 2026

Again, it seems like these folks already have access but I am not sure why these emails are going out now. It must be some sort of bug...

Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help Forums, Reddit and on X.

Update: Google confirmed it was a bug, so no need to panic.