How to change PC name in Windows 10 and Windows 11

When we buy a new computer, it is identified with a generic name that is far from identifying its owner. That is why if we want to personalize the name with our own or another that represents us, we can do it without problems. For this, Microsoft has different ways to carry it out in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

And it is that, when installing or configuring Windows for the first time, the system is responsible for giving it a generic name by default, which usually begins with DESKTOP, followed by a series of letters and numbers. In order to customize it to our liking, we are going to see how to rename it in Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well as learn about some details that we must take into account so that the new name respects the operating system’s regulations.

change PC name in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Name change conditions

When it comes to changing the name, we can do it very easily, but we must take into account some conditions imposed by Microsoft that we must respect for the new name to be valid.

  • You need to log in from an Administrator account
  • We can only use standard characters, including letters A through Z (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers 0 through 9, and the “hyphen” symbol (-).
  • The new name cannot exceed 15 characters in any case.
  • It cannot consist solely of numbers.
  • it can consist only of letters.

Once these details are taken into account, we can rename the team to our liking.

How to change it in Windows 10

To change the name of our computer when we use Windows 10, we can use both the Configuration menu and from the Control Panel and the Command Prompt. We tell you the steps to follow to do it in any of these ways.

From Settings

The first thing we are going to do is access the Configuration menu, something that we can do in different ways, possibly the easiest being through the keyboard shortcut “Windows + I”. Later we click on the “System” section, which will open a new screen. Here in the left column we will click on the “About” section . Next, on the right side of the computer specifications, click on the “Change the name of this computer” button .

Windows 10 cambiar nombre de este equipo

This will open a new floating window where we can write the new name. It also shows us the current name of the team and reminds us that we can use a combination of keys, hyphens and numbers. Once written, click on “Next”.

Windows 10 escribir nuevo nombre para el PC

Once this is done, the window informs us that the name change has occurred and that it will take place after reboot, so it gives us the option to “Reboot now” or “Reboot later”.

Windows 10 reiniciar después de cambiar el nombre al equipo

Using the Control Panel

Despite the fact that Microsoft is increasingly limiting its use, the Control Panel continues to have different functionalities, among which is the possibility of renaming the PC. Therefore, if we feel comfortable using it, we can carry out this process in a few steps.

The first thing will be to open the Control Panel, for which we can use the keyboard shortcut “Windows + R”, which will open the “Run” command. Here we write Control Panel and press Enter or the OK button. Now in the search box located at the top right we type “system”. Within the options that appear, we must select “Change the name of this computer” .

Windows 10 cambiar nombre de este equipo en Panel de control

This will open a new floating “System Properties” window, in the “Computer Name” tab. Here we have the possibility to write a description inside the box “Description of the equipment”. To rename the equipment we must click on the “Change” button.

Windows 10 propiedades del sistema cambiar nombre al equipo

In the new window that will open, it shows us the current name so that we can change it. Once this is done, click on “Apply” and “OK” to save the changes that will take effect once we have restarted our computer.

Nuevo nombre del equipo para Windows 10

Using Command Prompt

If we prefer to do the name change from the command line, we can do it using the Command Prompt tool. To do this, we type cmd in the Start menu search box and run it with administrator rights . Once the console appears, type the following command and press Enter:

wmic computersystem where name="%computername%" call rename name="Nuevo nombre"

Once this is done, it will be necessary to restart the PC for the changes to take effect, so we can do it directly using this command:

shutdown /r

Rename PC in Windows 11

To change the name of the computer using the new Microsoft operating system, we can choose to do it from the Configuration menu itself, through System Properties or CMD. In any case, the process is very simple and we detail it below.

Use the Settings menu

To access the Settings menu, just press the keyboard shortcut “Windows + I”. Once here, we can carry it out in ways. On the one hand, by clicking on the System option found on the left side panel and then clicking on “Change name” that we find on the right.

Windows 11 cambiaar nombre desde Configuración

This will open a new window where we can enter the desired name for which we can use a combination of keys, hyphens and numbers. Once written, click on “Next”.

Windows 11 cambiar nombre de tu PC

Once the change has been made, it will inform us of it and that it will take place effectively after restarting, so we can press both the Restart now button, if we want an immediate restart, or Restart later, if we prefer to do it later.

Windows 11 nombre cambiado y reniciar

We can also carry out the same process, from the “About” section , which we find at the bottom of the screen. When clicking on it, a new screen appears where we find the “Change the name of this computer” button, which will guide us through the same steps seen previously.

Windows 11 cambiar nombre de este equipo en acerca de

Via System Properties

Another method by which it is possible to change the name of our PC is through the System Properties, as they also offer us this possibility. In fact, it is the oldest mechanism to do it and that in Windows 11 continues to work as well.

To activate it, we press the keyboard shortcut “Windows + R”, which will open the Run command. Here, we type sysdm.cpl and hit Enter or OK button. Once your pop-up window appears, we simply have to click on the “Change” button .

Windows 11 cambiar nombre desde propiedades del sistema

This will cause another window to open again where we can write the new name for our team. Click “OK” to close the window, and finally “Apply” and “OK” so that the changes are saved and will take effect the next time we restart the system.

Windows 11 propiedades del sistema nombre del equipo

With Command Prompt

Finally, we can make the change on the command line using the Command Prompt tool. To activate it, click on the magnifying glass icon on the toolbar, type cmd and click on “Run as administrator”.

Once in the console we write the following command and press Enter:

wmic computersystem where name="%computername%" call rename name="Nuevo nombre"

As it is necessary to restart the computer for the changes to take effect, we can do it from here with the following command and pressing Enter

shutdown /r