Changing the name of a device such as a computer or mobile phone is very useful for a reason, because it becomes so easily identifiable on the network, when you want to create a direct connection between two devices in Wifi. The name by which a computer or any device that can connect to a network is recognized is called hostname .
You can, for example, open the connection log on the router to check all the connected computers identified with their hostname.
On Windows PCs the choice of the computer name occurs during the installation phase, except in Windows 10 where the name is automatically assigned randomly.
On Android phones and iPhones the name is generally the model of the phone and changing it is useful both to recognize it in bluetooth connections and in the hotspot function.
In this concise guide we see how to change the name on a Windows PC, on a Mac, on a Chromebook, on an Android smartphone or tablet and on an iPhone or iPad .
Change the name of a Windows 10 PC
Microsoft has simplified the Windows 10 installation process by skipping the step of entering a name for the PC.
To give your computer a personalized name, open the "Settings" menu from the Start menu, go to the " System " category and then click on "Information" at the bottom of the list.
Press the "Rename PC" button and write a new computer name.
The change will take effect after a reboot.
Change name on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 PC
In versions prior to Windows 10, you can change the computer name from the Control Panel, to the " System and Security " category and then to " System ".
Click on the " Advanced system settings " link located on the left sidebar, go to " Computer name " and press the Change face button to the words: " To rename the computer .. ".
After modification, press OK.
On all Windows PCs it is also possible to change or add PC information on the vendor name and logo .
Change name to MAC computer
On a Mac, the name change option is found in the System Preferences window.
To access it, click on the Apple menu in the top bar, open the " System Preferences ", then click the share icon and then write a new name for the Mac in the "Computer name" field at the top of the window.
Rename iPhone and iPad
This option is available in the Settings, in the General category and then in " About ".
Touch the "Name" field at the top of the About screen and enter a new name by which the iPhone will be identified on the network.
Rename an Android mobile phone or tablet
On Android, there is no option to change the device name so that it is identified on the network with a custom name.
The only name that can be changed is the name of the network when creating a wifi hotspot (going to Settings> Other (under Wireless and networks > Hotspot> Configure hotspot).
To change the name of an Android smartphone or tablet, the only way is through the Hostname app which however requires root access to the system.
However, you can use the MAC address of the device to uniquely identify it.
An Android device can instead be renamed to Google Play, in order to be recognizable when you install applications from the website and when you want to track it in case it has been lost.
The page to change the name of Android devices is play.google.com/settings.
Click on the "Edit" button and write a new name for each device.
Rename a Chromebook
As for Android, even on Google's ChromeOS you cannot change the computer name and the only way to identify it on the network is by using the MAC Address.
Chrome OS however, since it is based on Linux, it can be put in developer mode, install Linux and then change anything you want, including the name.
