How to change PC name on Windows 10

Changing your Windows 10 PC name isn’t just about personalization, it’s about making things easier. We’re living in a time where we use multiple devices, which can include a combination of a desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone. If we don’t keep these devices organized, it’ll soon become difficult to inventory them and take advantage of additional features.

For instance, on Windows 10, most people now use a Microsoft account to sign in. This type of account not only helps you to sign in to multiple devices with the same credentials, but it also allows you to keep an organized inventory, and access other perks, such as features to locate your device and the ability to re-activate Windows 10 after a hardware change. If you don’t rename your Windows 10 PC accordingly, it’s more difficult to use these features.

In addition, a name can help you identify your computer when you have multiple devices connected to the local network. Using a descriptive name, it’s easier to connect with other devices around the house, or even to configure your router to allow or deny access to the internet.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to change the name of a Windows 10 desktop, laptop, or tablet using the Settings app, Control Panel, Command Prompt, and even PowerShell.

• Change PC name using Settings on Windows 10
• Change PC name using Control Panel on Windows 10
• Change PC name using Command Prompt on Windows 10
• Change PC name using PowerShell on Windows 10

Change PC name using Settings on Windows 10

To rename a Windows 10 PC using the Settings app, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on About.

4. Under the “Device specifications” section, click the Rename this PC button.

   

5. Specify a new name for your computer.

   Quick tip: You can use a combination of letters, numbers, and hyphens. Avoid any special characters, keep it short (less than 15 characters is always recommended), and don’t leave a space when you’re trying to use multiple words.

6. Click the Next button.

   

7. Click the Restart now button.

Once you complete the steps, the device will restart, and it’ll start with new name.

You can also watch the video below to learn the steps to change the name of your computer on Windows 10.

Change PC name using Control Panel on Windows 10

To rename the computer name with Control Panel on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Control Panel.

2. Click on System and Security.

3. Click on System.

   

4. Click the Change settings option.

   

5. Click the Computer Name tab.

6. Click the Change button.

   

7. Specify a new name for your computer.

   Quick tip: You can use a combination of letters, numbers, and hyphens. Avoid any special characters, keep it short (less than 15 characters is always recommended), and don’t leave a space when you’re trying to use multiple words.

8. Click the OK button.

   

9. Click the OK button again.

10. Click the Close button.

11. Click the Restart Now button.

After you complete the steps, the computer will reboot, and upon restart, it’ll start using the name.

Change PC name using Command Prompt on Windows 10

To change your PC name on Windows 10 using Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to reveal the current device name and press Enter:

   hostname

4. Type the following command to rename the Windows 10 PC name and press Enter:

   WMIC computersystem where caption='CURRENT-PC-NAME' rename 'NEWPCNAME'

   Quick note: Make sure to update the command with your information, and you should use double quotation marks, or single quotation marks, on the caption switch, and even more important when you’re using a hyphenated name.

   

5. Type the following command to restart the device and press Enter:

   shutdown -r -t 00

Once you complete the steps, the changes will apply after restarting the computer.

Change PC name using PowerShell on Windows 10

To change a Windows 10 PC name with PowerShell, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to reveal the current PC name and press Enter:

   Rename-Computer -NewName "NEW-PC-NAME"

   

4. Type the following command to restart the device and press Enter:

   Restart-Computer

After you complete the steps, the computer will restart to apply the changes.

While renaming a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet using the Settings app only works on Windows 10, you can use the System Properties and Command Prompt, and even PowerShell to change the name of a device all major releases of the operating system, including Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and other versions.

Update July 1, 2020: This guide was originally published in September 2016, and it’s been revised to reflect changes on Windows 10.