If you thought changing your computer name in Windows 11 was just a matter of right clicking on an icon on the desktop, I have bad news for you. It’s not. That option hides from you now, though you can find it again behind a completely different right click. Here’s where Microsoft hid it.
The quickest way to rename a Windows 11 PC is to right-click the Start menu and click System. Right-clicking the start menu is a good trick to remember when you can’t find something in Windows.
Rename your computer in Windows 11 from the start menu
Right-click the start menu or Windows logo in the taskbar (whatever you prefer to call it these days) and click System. From there, there’s an option called Rename this PC. In the Windows 8 days, Microsoft started stashing everything that looked out of place in Aero in that menu. Most of the stuff you can’t find anymore ends up there, so when you can’t figure out how to do something, that’s a very good place to start looking first.
The long way
The longer, less tricky way is to bring up the Settings applet from the start menu, then navigate to System, then About. From there, you can click Rename this PC. This is perhaps more intuitive, it just takes longer.
Rename your computer in Windows 11
To rename your computer in Windows 11 the old-fashioned way, tap the Windows key or hit the Windows logo in the UI. Type sysdm.cpl and hit enter. Then a 90s-style system properties box pops up that allows you to change the computer name. Enter your new computer name, reboot, and log back in, then you’re finished. Not overly difficult, but certainly not intuitive. But since renaming a computer isn’t something you do often, I don’t know how many people notice.
In Windows 10 you could just find This PC on the desktop, in File Explorer, or in the Start menu and right-click on it. Many instruction guides tell you to do this in Windows 11. But you can’t do that anymore in Windows 11.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.