4 Best Ways to Change Computer Name in Windows 10

How do you identify your Windows 10 computer to connect to it over a network? By name. The device name allows you to identify yourself and connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This is why it is very important to have a computer name that is easy to identify. But the default names assigned by Windows seem strange and difficult to remember. So, let’s see how to change your computer name in Windows 10.

There are several ways to change your computer name and we will discuss all of them below.

For clarity, the computer name is the name of the overall hardware system (desktop or laptop) and it is not the same as your user account name. Some Windows 10 users are confused between the two.

On your Windows laptop, you can then create more than one user account on the same computer (one for each family member) and give it different names. Thus, a computer can have several user accounts. However, the name of your Windows computer will appear the same regardless of which user account you access it from. That said, if you want to change just the computer name, we’ll walk you through how. Read on.

Choice of computer name

There are certain naming convention rules prescribed by Microsoft that you should keep in mind before giving your computer a new name. You are free to use alphabets (az) and numbers (0-9) but no special characters. The hyphen (-) is however allowed. The minimum character length is 1 and the maximum length is 15. You should also note that Microsoft has reserved selection words and you cannot use them.

Note:
Changing your computer name will not change the path of your user profile folder if that is the reason you are doing it. For example, C: Users old-name will remain the same. This is because it is a username and not the name of the device or computer.

1. Windows settings

This is where you’ll find all of the settings you can use to modify, configure, and customize for your Windows 10 computer.

Step 1: Press Windows key + I to open Settings and go to System> About. Click the Rename this PC button.

2nd step: A blue screen pop-up will reveal where you enter the new computer name. You will also be informed of the current name.

Step 3: Click Next and enter the password for the administrator account if requested. You will need to restart your computer once for the changes to take effect.

2. Windows system properties

There is another way to change your computer name the old fashioned way.

Step 1: Find Control Panel in the Start menu and open it.

2nd step: Go to System and Security> System> Advanced System Settings (left sidebar) and click Change settings.

Step 3: Click the Edit button on the Computer Name tab in the pop-up window that follows.

Step 4: You will enter the desired computer name in the box provided.

Save the changes and restart your computer.

3. Command Prompt (CMD)

This method is only intended for advanced users who like to use the command line interface (CLI). If you are not comfortable with Command Prompt, feel free to ignore this tip.

Step 1: Find CMD in the Start menu and click Run as administrator to open it with administrator rights.

2nd step: Give the command below and press Enter to run it. Remember to replace the text “Computer-Name” with the name you want to give to your computer.

wmic computersystem where name="%computername%" call rename name="Computer-Name"

Wait for the command to run, then restart your computer once to implement the changes.

4. PowerShell

PowerShell is the advanced version of the Command Prompt and is configured to replace it later. Better get used to it now.

Step 1: Find PowerShell in the Start menu and open it with administrator rights. You can also use Windows hotkey + X to open a hidden menu.

2nd step: Type the command below and press Enter. Replace the last part “Computer-Name” with the name you want to give to your computer.

Rename-Computer -NewName "Computer-Name"

Restart your computer. That’s it.

Say my name

Now that you know different ways to name your Windows 10 computer, you need to give it a name. I wouldn’t say the same for a corporate computer as they are logged into a system and have several administrator level apps installed that rely on the computer name to function properly. More importantly, the IT administrator may have blocked you from making such changes. Best if you send him an email.

Earlier versions of Windows required users to choose a name when installing the Windows operating system, but this is no longer the case with Windows 10. Note that changing the computer name in Windows 10 may require you to reconnect bluetooth devices like TWS and Wi-Fi, but that’s it. Not a big deal and shouldn’t take more than a few moments. You can do this as you use them.

You can use any of the tips mentioned above, and if that doesn’t work for you, there’s always another one on the list.