How To Change Computer Name In Windows

But renaming your Windows computer may have some implications as we will discuss below along with a complete step-by-step guide on how to do it. Let’s begin.

Why Rename Windows Computer

Here are a few reasons why users may wish to change their Windows PC name.

It was named something that’s cannot be pronounce – random alphabets and digitsIt is named something generic making it difficult to recognize among a sea of computers in the same networkYou don’t like the given name and want it to reflect your identity, thoughts, or profileYou want others to easily identify and remotely connect to your computer

Windows Computer Name vs Hostname

A computer name, in the traditional sense, is the name of the local device that you are probably reading this article on. Name of the computer using which Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other devices search and connect to it in the household. A local computer name that no one except the user knows about. A hostname (AKA nodename) is another name for a computer name but has a larger role to play. If your Windows computer is part of a network, a hostname will be assigned to its IP address, to help other computers that are also part of the network identify it. So, it acts as a network identifier. That said, Windows PC name and hostname can be the same or different, depending on what you want to do. Usually, they are kept the same by admins to reduce confusion and make it easier for others to identify and connect to the host computer. For most ordinary users, home computer users, for example, you don’t have to worry about hostname. It is good to know but no required. Worry about it if you are an admin.

Windows Computer Naming Conventions

Microsoft has a long and detailed page on what you can and cannot include while naming your Windows computer. Whether it is hostname, NetBIOS, or domain names. For the purpose of this guide, we will focus on just the computer name. The minimum character limit is 2 while the max is 63. Previously it was 15 characters only and on closer look, Windows still generates and uses 15 characters names at some places. Again, for most users, a smaller name should be good enough but if you are feeling adventurous, try something longer. Then there are some special characters that can’t be part of the name like a dollar sign or tilde. Name cannot contain blank space and certain names like -TAC, -GATEWAY are reserved. In short, a combination of alphabets a to z, A to Z, numbers 0 to 9, and hyphen (-) are allowed. We recommend using a name that’s easy to read, write, pronounce or speak, and understand so there is less confusion when you are in the office/cafe/hall with hundreds of computers around. The command to check your Windows computer hostname is easy. Just open Command Prompt (CMD) with admin rights and give hostname command. By default, it should be the same as your computer name.