Rename Windows computer name from the command line

[Andy]

For any reason, if you need to rename Windows computer name from the command line, here's the command:

WMIC computersystem where name="%computername%" call rename name="NewComputerName"

Example output:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>WMIC computersystem where name="OldComputerName" call rename name="NewComputerName"
Executing (\\OldComputerName\ROOT\CIMV2:Win32_ComputerSystem.Name="OldComputerName")->rename() Method execution successful. Out Parameters: instance of __PARAMETERS {    ReturnValue = 0; };

For the change to take effect, restart the computer using the command:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>shutdown /r /t 0

I tested running the commands above from ScreenConnect v21.4.2455.7731, and it worked as expected.

 

[Andy]

Update – July 2025:

As of Windows 11 (especially Home editions), WMIC is no longer included by default. Microsoft has deprecated it since Windows 10 21H1 and fully removed it from newer builds.

If you get:

'WMIC' is not recognized as an internal or external command...

This means the wmic.exe utility is no longer present on your system.

Use PowerShell instead:
To rename the computer, open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Rename-Computer -NewName "NewComputerName" -Force -Restart

This command will rename the computer and restart it immediately.

If you want to skip the restart for now, simply remove -Restart.