Don’t like the randomly generated name Windows 10 gives your PC after a clean install? Here’s how to change it. Windows 10 has a lot of great things going for it, but one feature that deserves a big thumb’s down is the randomly generated name it gives your PC during a clean install. Instead of letting you name your computer something memorable, Windows 10 tags it with a name that begins “DESKTOP” followed by a string of numbers and letters.
If you have more than one Windows 10 PC this can get confusing, fast. Is DESKTOP-2P57JKL the PC in the dining room or the one upstairs? Who knows?
How to change your computer name in Windows 10
Right-click on the Start button and select System from the context menu. In the window that opens, under the heading “Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings,” click Change settings on the far right.
The Change settings option will take you to a screen where you can give your computer a proper name.
The System Properties window will open with the “Computer Name” tab selected. Here click the Change. button next to “To rename this computer or change its domain or workgroup, click Change.”
A third window opens, here you can just change the name of your PC to whatever you’d like, click OK, and close any of the open windows.
You’ll be prompted to restart your PC, and once you do, the name change will be complete.
