Rename a Windows 365 Cloud PC: Step-by-Step Guide

This blog post will demonstrate various methods for renaming a Windows 365 Cloud PC. When a user provisioned a Cloud PC, the Windows 365 service automatically assigned a random computer name.

Note the distinction between the Cloud PC computer name and the Cloud PC display name. The computer name is visible on the Intune admin center and Entra ID, while the display name appears on the Windows 365 Web client homepage. We will know more details about how to rename these in the upcoming sections of the blog post.

The Cloud PC computer name and display name can be customized according to your requirements. To automate the management of Cloud PC computer names, consider utilizing the device name template available through provisioning policies.

Refer to some of the useful Step-by-Step guides on Windows 365:

How to Setup Windows 365: Step-by-Step Guide

How to Connect and Access Windows 365 Cloud PC: 4 Ways

Elevate User to Local Admin on Windows 365 Cloud PC

4 Ways to Restart your Windows 365 Cloud PC

Step-by-Step guides

Cloud PC Display Name vs Cloud PC Computer Name

Please find below the differences between Windows 365 Cloud PC Display Name and Cloud PC Computer name:

1. The Cloud PC’s Computer Name or Device Name is also known as the computer’s hostname. Entra ID and the Intune admin center will display this specific name for device management. To check the Computer name, follow the below steps:
   • Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
   • Type cmd Press enter to open the command prompt.
   • Type hostname Press Enter to get the name of the computer in the cloud PC.

2. Cloud PC Display Name appears on the Windows 365 Web client home page. The display name typically starts with the <name of the provisioning policy> – < user name>. To check the Cloud PC display name, follow the below steps:
   • Sign in to the Windows 365 Web client Home Page using https://windows365.microsoft.com.
   • As shown in the screenshot below, you can find the display name of the Cloud PC with all its specs information on the page.

Guidelines to Rename Your Windows 365 Cloud PC

Before renaming your Windows 365 Cloud PC, there are a few key guidelines. Please find it below:

• Cloud PC name cannot start with a period.
• The PC name cannot include these characters: /:*?”<>&|
• It must have a minimum length of 1 character.
• Have a maximum length of 64 characters.
• It can contain a period.

You can rename the Display Name and Computer Name of a Windows 365 Cloud PC. In the upcoming sections of this blog post, we will guide you through the steps for both options.

Steps to Rename Windows 365 Cloud PC Display Name

To rename your Cloud PC display Name, follow the below steps:

• Launch Microsoft Edge or any other supported browser and browse to https://windows365.microsoft.com.
• Sign in with your organization’s username and password.
• Once on the Windows 365 Home page, click on three Vertical dots and Select Rename to rename your Cloud PC.

• After you click on the Rename option, A pop-up will appear. You can remove the existing name and provide the new name of the Cloud PC here. Click on Rename to complete this change.

• The Cloud PC display name undergoes an instant change, and you’ll receive a confirmation message at the top of your Cloud PC. The message will read: Cloud PC was renamed.

Note that this name refers to the display name of the Cloud PC, visible when connecting via a browser. The computer name, as seen in the Intune admin center and Entra ID, remains unaffected by this change.

Important Note

Steps to Rename Windows 365 Cloud PC Computer Name

Now that we have learned the steps for renaming the Cloud PC display name, we will know how to rename the actual device/computer name of the Cloud PC in the following section.

Unlike the Windows 365 Cloud PC display name, changing the computer name impacts the Intune and Entra ID device object, reflecting the new name.

There are several ways to rename a Windows PC computer name. You can use the Settings App, System properties, Powershell, etc. Currently, we do not have a Rename remote cloud action available for Windows 365 Cloud PC on the Intune admin center. This is available, however, for other Intune-managed device objects.

1. Rename Cloud PC Computer name using Windows Settings App

Follow the steps below to rename your PC for both Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. While I’ll use screenshots from a Windows 11 computer, the overall renaming process remains the same.

• Connect to your Cloud PC and log in using your organization’s credentials.
• Press the Windows + I to open the Settings App.
• On the System page, click on the rename option under the device name and details.

• You will encounter the Current PC name and a textbox to input the New PC name. Type the desired name for the new computer and proceed by clicking on Next.

• Click on the Restart Now button.

• After the restart, reopen the Settings app and verify the new Cloud PC name.

• Verify that the new computer name is reflected in the Intune admin center. To check, sign in to the Intune admin center, navigate to Devices > Windows > Windows devices, and search for the Cloud PC using its new name.

• Verify the new computer name in the Entra admin center. To do so, sign in to the Entra admin center, go to Devices > All devices, and search for the Cloud PC using its new name.

2. Rename Cloud PC Computer name using System Properties

There is another way to rename a Windows 365 Cloud PC computer name, which is by using System properties. Let’s check the steps:

• Connect to your Cloud PC and log in using your organization’s credentials.
• Press the Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
• Type sysdm.cpl and press Enter to open System properties.

• Enter a new computer name and click OK. Restart your Cloud PC to apply the updated computer name.

3. Rename Cloud PC Computer name using Powershell

You can leverage PowerShell to rename your Windows 365 Cloud PC computer name. Follow the steps below for the process:

• Launch the Powershell console as an administrator.
• Type the following command and press Enter to rename it. Please note that the system will require a restart for changes to occur.

Powershell command:

Rename-Computer -NewName "New Computer Name"

Example:

Rename-Computer -NewName "Cloudinfra-02"