Powershell

How to use the Rename-Computer (Microsoft.PowerShell.Management) Cmdlet in PowerShell?

Windows has a GUI-based interface to change the computer name. However, the computer name can also be changed using PowerShell’s “Rename-Computer” cmdlet. The stated command is specially designed to rename a local or a remote computer. It renames one computer at a time.

This post will provide details regarding the “Rename-Computer” cmdlet in PowerShell.

How to use the Rename-Computer Cmdlet in PowerShell?

In PowerShell, to rename a computer, first, write the “Rename-Computer” cmdlet. Then, specify the new name of the local computer as a parameter value to the “-NewName”. To know more about the stated cmdlet, let’s have a look at the below-provided examples.

Example 1: Use the “Rename-Computer” Cmdlet to Rename a Local Computer
To change the name of the local computer, first, specify the cmdlet “Rename-Computer”. Then, write the “-NewName” parameter and provide it with the new name for the local computer:

Rename-Computer -NewName "User1"

Note: When the “-Restart” parameter is not provided then the computer will not restart immediately. However, changes will take effect when the user restarts the system.

Example 2: Use the “Rename-Computer” Cmdlet to Rename the Local Computer and Prompt a User to Enter the Credential
Run the following command to rename a local computer with administrator privileges. Moreover, after executing this command, the computer will restart because the “-Restart” parameter specified at the end of this command:

Rename-Computer -NewName "User1" -DomainCredential "Admin" -Restart

Example 3: Use the “Rename-Computer” Cmdlet to Rename a Remote Computer with Administrator Privileges
In order to rename a remote computer, use the provided command:

Rename-Computer -ComputerName "User1" -NewName "User2" -DomainCredential Admin -Force
    According to the above-given code:

  • First, specify the “Rename-Computer” cmdlet.
  • Then, add the “-ComputerName” parameter to select the old user name.
  • After that, specify the new computer name to the “-NewName” parameter.
  • Lastly, use the “-DomainCredential” parameter to prompt the user to enter credentials and apply the “-Force” parameter:

Parameter’s Glossary

Here is the description of all parameters that are used in this post:

Parameter Description
-NewName It is used to set the new name for a local computer.
-ComputerName It is used to rename the specified remote computer.
-DomainCredential It is utilized to prompt the user to type credentials and rename a computer.
-Restart It is used to restart the computer after the execution of the provided command.
-Force It is used to run a cmdlet without the user’s confirmation.
-Confirm It prompts the user to confirm the action to be performed.

That’s all! You have successfully learned the ways to rename a computer using a “Rename-Computer” cmdlet.

Conclusion

PowerShell’s “Rename-Computer” cmdlet is particularly designed to rename a local computer and a remote computer. However, it cannot rename computers in bulk. Instead, it renames one computer at a time. This guide has presented a number of examples to demonstrate the “Rename-Computer” cmdlet.

About the author

Muhammad Farhan

I am a Computer Science graduate and now a technical writer who loves to provide the easiest solutions to the most difficult problems related to Windows, Linux, and Web designing. My love for Computer Science emerges every day because of its ease in our everyday life.