Windows 8 Rename Network

[lt8480]

In Windows 7 you could do it but the option seems to be hidden or gone in Windows 8.

In Windows 7 you opened "Network and Sharing Center" and then clicked the icon, here it would then let you change the name and icon. - The icon is gone in Windows 8.

*Please note I'm trying to rename the network itselt, not the network connection / adapter.

At the moment it is listed as "Network 3" which isn't particularly helpful for identifying the network. - Windows 7 on the same network seems to identify it by the router name.

[+BudMan]

Just some clarification - this is what you want to change. And yours says Network 3?

Could you post up a screenshot of yours please.. Just so we are all clear what your seeing and want to change.

edit: Ok not sure if you can do this with some clicking anywhere like you use to be able to do. I am not anywhere near up to speed on win8 changes.

But you for sure can change it here

[+devHead]

In Windows 7 you could do it but the option seems to be hidden or gone in Windows 8.

In Windows 7 you opened "Network and Sharing Center" and then clicked the icon, here it would then let you change the name and icon. - The icon is gone in Windows 8.

*Please note I'm trying to rename the network itselt, not the network connection / adapter.

At the moment it is listed as "Network 3" which isn't particularly helpful for identifying the network. - Windows 7 on the same network seems to identify it by the router name.

Probably another useful feature stripped from Windows 8 because their 'telemetry' showed no one ever changed the name or the icon. Of course, I did, which is why it's gone now. Most likely.

[lt8480]

Thanks BudMan - yep that's exactly what I wanted to change :) - why on earth they would remove the quick click option is beyond comprehension.

[rsrcomp]

Right click "Computer"

Left click "Properties"

Left click "Change Settings"

Left click "Change"

Same as it's been since the days of Windows 2000

[Lee G.]

Right click "Computer"

Left click "Properties"

Left click "Change Settings"

Left click "Change"

Same as it's been since the days of Windows 2000

That's to change the Workgroup name, not the Network name.

[MorganX]

Yeah, this is a useful feature as changing network adapters (most people do with with wireless USB adapters) or making some router changes can leave you with <My Network Name> 2. Doesn't keep anything from working but is quite irritating.

[Ambroos]

Hah. I have like 40 times "The Phone House XX" in my list, where XX is a different number every time. Every store has their own WiFi hotspot, every time you connect Windows creates a different network thing. A bit annoying at times.

[+devHead]

Thanks BudMan - yep that's exactly what I wanted to change :) - why on earth they would remove the quick click option is beyond comprehension.

I'm sure they were using the same logic when removing the ability to change fonts in the UI.

[mrp04]

This is one of the few removed features that really bugs me. Makes setting the default printer per network annoyingly hard.

[ViperAFK]

Probably another useful feature stripped from Windows 8 because their 'telemetry' showed no one ever changed the name or the icon. Of course, I did, which is why it's gone now. Most likely.

I honestly didn't even know you could do this in win7 in the first place :/

[TPreston]

You can set this via a DHCP server 015 DNS Domain Name for the entire network

[Detection]

Mine says DD-WRT which is what my router is named in router settings, changing that should also change the name of the network right ?

[lt8480]

Every router I've ever changed only changes the Wireless name, the ethernet name seems to almost always stay as the name of the manufacturer or even worse is given the generic name "Network".

If you were using only a switch to connect multiple machines then it would almost certainly display only the generic name.

[PaCpiS]

Just to say Thanks a lot BudMan. I wasn't able to get a better solution even in MSft website.

[+BudMan]

You can set this via a DHCP server 015 DNS Domain Name for the entire network

I don't think so, because I set that option to local.lan - and as you saw in my test it showed up as network.

15 1+ Domain Name. RFC 2132

@PaCpiS glad the solution worked for you.

edit: Well I take that back, I might have to look into this a bit. Not sure if use that or option 81? Just looked at a quick sniff and looks like 81 not 15 is being used. Have to test that ;)

[TPreston]

Odd it must be the DNS server then ? It happens whenever i connect a computer to the network via dhcp even without joining to the domain

[+BudMan]

I have not been able to find specifics on how that gets set? Anyone have link to document that states how that name gets determined? Looks like if wireless it might ssid, etc. But like on my wired interface its network, network 1, network 2, etc.. I clearly set the machine to be in a domain and hand out domain via dhcp -- might be option 81 though.. I think 15 is the old option, 81 is in a newer rfc.

But I clearly setup domain local.lan and is set on all my machines and dhcp, and dns -- used as search domain, etc. And never shows that for network name. But will test that option 15 to see what happens.

edit: have not been able to find a GOOD document on all the variables that come into play that are checked on how windows determines that your on a different network. I know its more than just gateway addess and mac, there are quite a few things looked at to setup the profile of the network, so that it knows if your on a different one and to ask if private or public and setup firewall rules. But have not seen a good writeup on how the process works.

[mahara]

Does MS provide any OFFICIAL statement on why this network renaming feature is being removed in Windows 8?

[Denis W.]

..snip...

Another kudos for that tip (Y)

[mrp04]

Does MS provide any OFFICIAL statement on why this network renaming feature is being removed in Windows 8?

I don't think so. If they wanted to remove it, they should have made some other way to make the default printer (based on network) dialog usable.

[remixedcat]

Mine says DD-WRT which is what my router is named in router settings, changing that should also change the name of the network right ?

Every router I've ever changed only changes the Wireless name, the ethernet name seems to almost always stay as the name of the manufacturer or even worse is given the generic name "Network".

If you were using only a switch to connect multiple machines then it would almost certainly display only the generic name.

on mine some of the wired clients pick it up as network and some of them pick it up the same as the wireless one called "pinkiepie" for the main network and "derpy" for the guest network....

[Zdenek Nejedly]

Hi there, same problem here and i found out the solution :)

Hit Winkey + R to open Run prompt and type gpedit.msc

Navigate to: Computer Configuration | Windows Settings | Security Setting | Network List Manager Policies

Choose your Network name from the right pane. Here you can change the NAME, if is PRIVATE or not, The ICON of the network and so on :)

[sachamo]

Thanx Budman This helped me out alot..

[jessicamills782]

I've just been having a lot of trouble with Windows 8. Driver issues and what not. Beginning to think it isn't worth the effort!

[Jim Doyle]

Guys I had a heck of a time with this problem and finally found what I consider the best solution to it.

There is a quirk in the Windows 8 OS that will force your connection to to take on the name of the WIRELESS SID if you have BOTH Ethernet and wireless NIC cards/functionality in your PC (most do now) and the Ethernet card is unable to take its private IP from your wireless/hard-wired router. In my case my PC arrived from the factory with its own Ethernet private IP with DNS active. That made it unable to get its initial private IP from my router over the wired LAN and it was then able to connect on the wireless side. That had the obtuse effect of naming that Ethernet connection to the channel name of the wireless channel it was connected (mine is dual band/channel) to even though it was also set up as a hard wired lan connection.

I read all the advise about hand regediting the network profile names - but that is NOT the way to fix this problem and it leaves one open to corrupting the registry if you fat finger in the wrong keys. Those profile come and go like spam every time a new wireless connection comes into range (people walking by or driving by in the parking lot etc.). I learned the proper way to do this from this bright guy named Dmitri (http://dmitrychernik...4#comment-78578). The big confusion comes from the fact that there are THREE different names associated with a connection and these names are given to different conceptual levels of a network connection: 1) HW Adapter Name; 2) Gateway Name and ; 3) Network Name. Most people are being advised to edit the adapter & profiles names via regedit but need or want to change the latter NETWORK name so that all their old non-wireless LAN hardwired PCs at home can connect to the network that contains both wireless and Ethernet HW lines. To me it was just too "irrational" to connect an Ethernet LAN PC hardwire to a connection network auto-named by Windows 8 as "Wireless2.4Ghz" (the name my network initially took when it set up the connection over a wireless router channel rather than over its Hardwired LAN cable).

A lot of people simply forget to set up the network permissions and defaults from the administrator tool and this where all these changes can be made.

The proper way to edit the connection name is to go into the administrator utility and set it up proper there. Go into a PowerShell and type "secpol.msc" (or click Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Local Security Policy). Once here you simply edit the name you want and also all the other defaults that general non-admin users (if any) can tinker with so there's at least an initial definition for all fields of the connection record.

From the same utility you can also change the icons and images used to depict your network that is now named to something more endearing to you.

Saved me hours of head scratching and very simple solution that requires no hand editing of the register.

Best of Luck