Google reCAPTCHA Migration Deadline: What You Need to Do Before the End of 2025

BY David Dwyer

Have you heard the latest news from Google? If your website uses Google reCAPTCHA to improve user security, there’s an important update you need to know about.

By the end of 2025, all reCAPTCHA keys are required to be linked to a Google Cloud Project.

While this change will affect millions of websites worldwide, it’s a planned migration, so you don’t need to worry! Google is offering plenty of support to make the process as smooth as possible.

And as your trusted digital agency in Glasgow, Inspire Digital is also here to guide you in this shift and help you stay ahead of these kinds of changes. In this blog, we’ll dive into the ins and outs of this updates and explore the steps you can do to stay compliant.

Why is This Happening?

If you’re wondering why this change is happening, the main reason is Google wants their customers who use Classic reCAPTCHA to enjoy the latest features of the Google Cloud platform, which have not been able to take advantage of some of their long-time customers.

With this migration, reCAPTCHA will operate under a single set of terms with clearer pricing structures. Plus, the migration also means new enhanced security features and new capabilities like enterprise-grade features and control.

What Users Need to Do

To make the migration smoother, Google provided an overview of how the process will take place:

All Classic reCAPTCHA customers will receive a notification informing them regarding this upcoming migration. If you’re a Classic reCAPTCHA user, you will get this notice early in 2025.
This change won’t happen in just a snap - migration will be done in phases throughout the year. After the first notice, you will receive a second email to notify you that your keys are ready.
Once you have eligible keys, Google will automatically provide a Google Project linking to your keys. After that, you’re ready to explore GCP console and test out the latest security features!

While no immediate action is required, Google highly recommends users to manually migrate to get ahead of this process, so you can immediately experience the latest features GCP offers.

Key Features Available with Google Cloud Project Integration

As we mentioned earlier, there are several exciting and new features that come with this migration. These features provide an extra layer of protection to your site, so it won’t be vulnerable to security attacks.

Let’s take a look at the features that you shouldn’t miss out:

Enterprise-grade features

One of the major benefits of migrating your reCAPTCHA keys to a Google Cloud project is access to powerful tools designed to give you better visibility, control, and performance insights.

Once your reCAPTCHA keys are linked to a Google Cloud project, you can take advantage of Google Cloud Monitoring and Looker, two platforms that work together to enhance your website’s security and performance management.

Google Cloud Monitoring helps you track how your reCAPTCHA is functioning in real time. It allows you to:

Monitor reCAPTCHA traffic and trends
Detect unusual activity, like spam spikes or bot attacks
Set up automated alerts when something goes wrong

On the other hand, Looker offers advanced data visualisation and custom reporting capabilities. By integrating reCAPTCHA with Looker, you can:

Create dashboards tailored to your business needs
Analyse historical data for performance insights
Share real-time reports with your team or stakeholders

Other advanced features

Aside from integration of Google Cloud Monitoring and Looker platform, Google also listed the following security features that will reinforce the safety of websites around the globe:

account defender
multi-factor authentication
password leak detection
related account detection
payment fraud prevention
SMS fraud prevention
Cloud Armor integration
third party WAF integrations
Express protection for environments without a client SDK
mobile SDKs for Android and iOS platforms
platform logs
audit logging and fraud intelligence reports.

Impact on Existing Integrations

If you’re worried about code changes while this update happens, don’t be! This integration doesn’t require any code changes on your end.

All users are still allowed to use their keys on the legacy SiteVerify API endpoint even after the migration. But, if you want to experience the new and advanced features of reCAPTCHA, it’s recommended to migrate your keys to the CreateAssessment API endpoint.

How to Migrate Your reCAPTCHA Keys

If you access your keys in the reCAPTCHA admin console, then you’re using the Classic version. Below we’ll outline the steps on how to migrate from reCAPTCHA classic to the latest reCAPTCHA.

But before you begin migrating, go first to Google Cloud console to select or create a Google Cloud project.

Next, enable billing for your Google Cloud project. You can do this by connecting your credit card or using an existing project billing ID.

Accessing reCAPTCHA Enterprise API

reCAPTCHA offers three tiers - Essentials, Standard, and Enterprise - all can be accessed on reCAPTCHA Enterprise API.

To enable it, visit Google Cloud console and go to reCAPTCHA Enterprise API page. Choose your project there and click Enable.

Migrating Classic to reCAPTCHA

Migrating your reCAPTCHA keys to a Google Cloud project may sound technical, but with the right guidance, it's a straightforward process. Here's a quick and easy step-by-step guide to help you through it:

Step 1: Confirm you have the right permissions

Before you begin, make sure your user account meets these two requirements:

You're listed as an owner of the site key in the reCAPTCHA Admin Console.
You have one of the following IAM roles in the Google Cloud project:
Project Owner (roles/owner)
Project Editor (roles/editor)
reCAPTCHA Admin (roles/recaptchaenterprise.admin)

If you don’t have the right role, ask your admin to grant it or follow Google’s access guide here.

Step 2: Choose the site key you want to migrate

Head to the reCAPTCHA Admin Console.
Click the settings (gear) icon and select an active site key.
Supported types for migration: reCAPTCHA v2 Checkbox, v2 Invisible, or v3.
Click Copy site key to save it since you’ll need it in the next steps.
Step 3: Prepare to migrate the site key

You can use one of the following tools to perform the migration:

Google Cloud Console
Cloud Shell
gcloud CLI
reCAPTCHA Enterprise REST API

If you're using the gcloud CLI or Cloud Shell (the easiest for many users), make sure you’re logged in by running:

gcloud auth login

Step 4: Send the migration request

In your terminal or Cloud Shell, run the following command:

curl -X POST \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \
-d "" \
"https://recaptchaenterprise.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/keys/SITE_KEY:migrate”

Replace:

PROJECT_ID with your actual Google Cloud project ID
SITE_KEY with the key you copied earlier

Step 5: Confirm the migration was successful

Once the request goes through, you’ll receive a JSON response confirming your site key has been successfully migrated.

To double-check:

Go to your Google Cloud Console
Navigate to the reCAPTCHA page
Look for your migrated site key in the reCAPTCHA keys section

Pricing and Billing Considerations

Pricing structure also changes with this migration, it’s recommended to check your monthly usage in the Classic Admin Console and proceed to this pricing calculator to know how much you are expected to pay based on your usage.

If your company expects millions of assessments every month, it’s better to reach out to Google’s sales team to discuss pricing discounts.

You can also check the full pricing tiers of reCAPTCHA here.

What Happens After Migration?

Once your reCAPTCHA site keys are successfully migrated to your Google Cloud project, you can now take advantage of the advanced features and tools designed to your site extra protection in the digital space.

Here’s what to expect post-migration:

Access to advanced features

With your keys now part of a Google Cloud project, you’ll have access to enhanced features, including:

Google Cloud Monitoring
Looker platform
Security features like MFA, payment fraud detection, account defender, and more.

Consistent billing

All usage will now be tied to your credit card or Google Cloud billing account, providing a streamlined and consistent billing experience. This makes it easier to monitor costs, forecast usage, and manage all your services under one invoice.

Enhanced key management

Managing your reCAPTCHA keys post-migration is simple and secure within the Google Cloud Console. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to edit or delete your keys after migration.

How to manage your reCAPTCHA keys

Before you start, make sure your Google account has the following IAM role: reCAPTCHA Enterprise Admin (roles/recaptchaenterprise.admin).

Editing a reCAPTCHA key

Visit the Google Cloud reCAPTCHA page.
Select your project through the resource selector.
Scroll to the reCAPTCHA keys section and choose the relevant key.
Click the three dots next to the key and choose Edit key.
On the Edit page, update the required fields and click Update key to save your changes.

Keep in mind that you can only edit certain attributes here. Platform type (e.g., Web, Android, iOS) cannot be changed.

Deleting a reCAPTCHA key

Go to the Google Cloud reCAPTCHA page.
Select the correct project using the resource selector.
In the reCAPTCHA keys section, find the key you want to remove.
Click the three-dot menu next to the key and select Delete key.
In the confirmation box, type DELETE and click Delete to confirm.

Before deleting a key, it’s important to know that this action can cause errors on your site or app. Once deleted, these keys cannot be recovered.

Resources and Support

Knowledge is power, and we’re here to help you gain as much information as possible, so you can better understand this migration.

Google Cloud Community Page: Use this for any questions and clarifications on reCAPTCHA migration.
Full guide to reCAPTCHA migration: You can find here the complete details of this update – from the process of migrating to managing your keys.
Billing information: This document provides on overview of how billing of reCAPTCHA works.
Google Sales Team: Use this contact form to reach out to sales team regarding volume discounts.
Google Cloud Contact Form: For any inquiries and concerns regarding the migration, you can ask for support from Google here.

Ready for the Migration?

These changes to Google reCAPTCHA are essential for staying secure, compliant, and ahead of the curve. With the right support, the migration process can be smooth, stress-free, and even beneficial to your long-term digital strategy.

At Inspire, we’re here to guide you every step of the way of this process. Our expert team understands the ins and outs of Google Cloud integrations and can help you navigate these updates with confidence.

Contact us today and let’s make sure your reCAPTCHA setup is secure, future-proof, and fully compliant before the 2025 deadline.

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