Using Command Prompt (CMD) to Change Your Computer Name

Written by Eric Wyatt (last updated December 14, 2020)

1

I discussed elsewhere that your computer has two names associated with it—your account name and the computer's name. In another article, I talked about possible reasons why someone might want to rename their computer. In that article, I went over how you can change your computer name using PowerShell. PowerShell is not the only way you can change your computer's name, however. You can also use Command Prompt (CMD), and all you need is a simple command to easily make the change.

To use Command Prompt for this task, you will need to run it as an Administrator. To do this, start by pressing the Windows key and typing (without quotes) "CMD." Do not press Enter yet; Windows should show you a few options on the screen. Either right-click on the Command Prompt search result and choose "Run As Administrator" or press Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Regardless of the approach, Command Prompt launches in Admin mode. You will be able to tell it is in Admin mode if the resulting Command Prompt window shows "\Windows\system32>" as the prompt.

Next, enter the command below and press Enter. You need to change the last part of the command, "Computer-Name" to what you want your computer's name to be:

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

Once the command has finished, close the Command Prompt window and restart your machine for your name change to take effect.

Please remember that if you are part of a network administered by an IT administrator, they may not allow you to change your computer's name. If that is the case, contact your system administrator to see if they can assist you.

 This tip (13811) applies to Windows 10.

Author Bio

Eric Wyatt

Eric Wyatt is a swell guy (or so his friends tell him). He is a formally trained designer and branding expert, bringing a wide range of skills to his Tips.Net articles. ...

MORE FROM ERIC

Downloads and Storage Sense

Storage Sense can free up limited storage space on your computer automatically. Make sure you don't have it delete files ...

Discover More

Taking Control of Your Storage Space

Storage space on your computer is vitally important. New storage settings introduced in Windows 10 Version 1903 provides ...

Discover More

Clean Boot Windows 10

When your computer is not running the way it should, you can try a clean boot. A clean boot in Windows 10 provides more ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Listening with One Ear

If you use a single speaker to listen to your computer audio, you may be missing out on some sounds. Two quick changes to ...

Discover More

Improve Performance by Turning Off 3D Effects

Windows does a lot of nuancing to provide the user with a pleasing visual experience. All this attention to detail, ...

Discover More

Changing the Start Screen's Theme

You'll spend a lot of time viewing the Start screen in Windows. If you want to change up things, you can modify which ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 + 8?

2020-12-15 18:20:07

Bill Jeffrey

I recently changed the name of my Windows 10 computer from (let's say) JEFF-123 to JEFF-ABC. It was easily done from Start -> Control Panel -> System. However, the name of my computer appears to be resident in some additional place(s), and they didn't get the memo on the change. And sadly, one or more of those places seem to involve my computer's location on my local network. Did the name change described in this TIP intend to pick up all those places? Is there a list of places where the computer name resides? Any and all info would be welcome.

Jeff


Newest Tips