Rename-Computer: Syntax and Examples for Renaming Local & Remote Machines

The Rename-Computer cmdlet renames computers in Windows PowerShell. You can use this command to rename both local and remote computers.

In This Page

Command Syntax.
Parameters.
Examples.
Command Help.

Command Syntax

When renaming a local computer, the only required parameter is -NewName to specify the new name for the computer. An optional parameter is -Restart which forces a restart of the computer.

Rename-Computer -NewName <NewComputerName>
Rename-Computer -NewName <NewComputerName> -Restart

Two additional parameters need to be used when renaming a remote computer:

-ComputerName: Use the parameter -ComputerName to specify the IP address or domain name of the remote computer.
-DomainCredential or -LocalCredential depends on whether the computer is on a Domain controller or Workgroup.

Rename-Computer -ComputerName <IP/Name> -NewName <NewComputerName> -DomainCredential <user-name>
Rename-Computer -ComputerName <IP/Name> -NewName <NewComputerName> -LocalCredential <user-name>

Optionally, you may want to use the -Force parameter to execute the Rename-Computer command on the remote computer without requiring user confirmation.

Rename-Computer -ComputerName <IP/Name> -NewName <NewComputerName> -DomainCredential <user-name> -Force

Note that after renaming a computer, you will need to restart Windows for the changes to take effect.

Parameters

-ComputerName	Use this parameter to specify the IP address or domain name of a remote computer.
-DomainCredential	Use this parameter in a domain controller environment to specify a user account that has permission to rename the computer.
-Force	Run the command without asking for user confirmation.
-LocalCredential	When renaming a computer that is not on a domain, use this option to specify a local user account that has permission to connect to the remote computer.
-NewName	Specifies the new name for the computer.
-PassThru	When this option is used, it displays the result of the command.
-Restart	Restarts the computer after the command is executed.
-Confirm	Prompts for confirmation before executing the command.

Examples

Change the name to 'Desktop-01' and restart the computer:

Rename-Computer -NewName Desktop-01 -Restart

Rename a remote computer in a domain environment:

Rename-Computer -ComputerName Desktop-01 -NewName Desktop-02 -DomainCredential example.com\administrator -Force -Restart

Rename a remote computer in a local network:

Rename-Computer -ComputerName 192.168.100.10 -NewName Desktop-01 -LocalCredential 192.168.100.10\user1

Click the following link to learn how to fix the 'The RPC server is unavailable' error: https://www.configserverfirewall.com/powershell/cannot-establish-the-wmi-connection-to-the-computer/

Find help for the Rename-Computer Cmdlet

To view the full documentation of the Rename-Computer command, run the following command:

Get-Help Rename-Computer -Full

Run the following command to display the list of parameters:

Get-Help Rename-Computer -Parameter *

The following command displays examples of how to use the Rename-Computer cmdlet:

Get-Help Rename-Computer -Examples