How to Rename Your PC in Windows 11

Every Windows 11 PC has a computer name used to identify it on the network, in Remote Desktop connections, and in your organisation’s device management. The default name is usually a random string like DESKTOP-A7K2P3X. Renaming it to something meaningful — like your name, desk location, or asset number — makes it much easier to manage. Here is how to do it.

How to Rename Your PC in Settings

1. Go to Settings → System → About
2. Click Rename this PC
3. Enter the new name — it must be 15 characters or fewer and can only contain letters, numbers, and hyphens (no spaces or special characters)
4. Click Next
5. Choose Restart now or Restart later — the name change takes effect after a restart

The new name appears in File Explorer, on the network, and in Remote Desktop after the restart.

How to Rename a PC via Command Prompt

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

wmic computersystem where caption='CURRENT-NAME' rename 'NEW-NAME'

Replace CURRENT-NAME with the existing PC name and NEW-NAME with the new one. Restart to apply.

Or using PowerShell:

Rename-Computer -NewName "NEW-NAME" -Restart

The -Restart flag applies the change and restarts immediately. Remove it to rename without restarting right away.

Renaming a PC Remotely via PowerShell

If you need to rename another PC on the network:

Rename-Computer -ComputerName "OLD-NAME" -NewName "NEW-NAME" -Restart

This requires PowerShell remoting to be enabled on the target machine and appropriate network permissions.

PC Naming Conventions for Small Businesses

A consistent naming scheme makes IT management much easier. Common formats:

• By user: PC-JSMITH or WS-JSMITH — easy to know who uses it
• By location: OFFICE1-PC01, WAREHOUSE-PC02 — useful for multi-site businesses
• By asset number: WS-00142 — integrates with IT asset tracking
• By role: RECEPTION-PC, ACCOUNTS-PC — for shared machines

Keep names under 15 characters (the NetBIOS limit) and avoid spaces — both requirements for full Windows networking compatibility.

Does Renaming Affect Domain Membership?

If the PC is joined to an Active Directory domain, renaming it updates the computer account in the domain after restart. You do not need to rejoin the domain. However, let your IT administrator know — some organisations track PCs by computer name, and a rename may affect monitoring, Group Policy application, or software deployment tools.

For Azure AD (Entra ID) joined or Intune-managed devices, the same applies — the rename syncs to the directory after restart.

How to Find Your Current PC Name

Several quick ways to check:

• Settings → System → About — shown under Device name
• File Explorer → This PC — the PC name appears in the left panel
• Command Prompt: type hostname and press Enter
• PowerShell: type $env:COMPUTERNAME and press Enter

Related Guides

• How to Use Remote Desktop in Windows 11
• How to Map a Network Drive in Windows 11
• How to Create a Local User Account in Windows 11

Renaming a PC That Is in a Workgroup

If your PC is in a Workgroup (not joined to a domain), the computer name is also the name other PCs on the network see when browsing shared folders. Renaming it means any existing mapped drives pointing to \\OLD-NAME\share on other PCs will break until they are updated to use the new name. Before renaming a shared PC, update the mapped drives on other machines or use the IP address instead of the name in your drive mappings — IP addresses do not change when you rename the PC (unless it is on DHCP).

Why the PC Name Matters for Remote Desktop

When you connect to a PC using Remote Desktop, you enter its computer name in the MSTSC connection dialog. After renaming, update any saved RDP connection files to use the new name. The old name will stop working once the PC has restarted with the new name. If you connect to many machines, consider using IP addresses in your RDP files instead of names — these remain stable even after renames.

Troubleshooting: Name Change Not Taking Effect

If the PC name still shows the old name after restarting:

• Confirm you restarted (not just signed out and back in) — a full restart is required
• Check Settings → System → About again after the restart to confirm the change applied
• On domain-joined PCs, run gpupdate /force in Command Prompt after the restart to push the change to the domain