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How to Rename Your Printer on Windows 10

Having an easy-to-identify printer name can make managing multiple printers much simpler. The default printer names Windows assigns are usually long strings of numbers and letters that don’t mean much. Fortunately, renaming a printer in Windows 10 is easy. Here are step-by-step instructions for renaming your printer using various methods.

Why Rename Your Printer

There are several good reasons you may want to rename your printer in Windows 10:

  • The default name is long and confusing (e.g. HP452F94A8620)
  • You have multiple printers and want names that identify the location or purpose (e.g. Upstairs Printer, Photo Printer)
  • You are a network admin and need names to comply with a device naming policy
  • The printer was reinstalled and has the wrong name
  • You simply don’t like the default name

Whatever the reason, Windows 10 makes it easy to rename your printers.

Before You Rename Your Printer

Before renaming, keep a few things in mind:

  • Shared Printers – If a printer is shared over a network, existing connections from other PCs will break when it is renamed. Any PCs connecting to that printer will need to set up the connection again.
  • Confirm Functionality – Make sure the printer is working before renaming it. This will eliminate the printer itself as the cause if issues emerge after renaming.
  • Admin Rights – You need administrator rights to rename a printer in Windows 10. Standard users do not have permission.

As long as you understand the implications, renaming shared printers and have admin rights, you are ready to rename your printer.

Method 1: Rename Printer in Settings

The Settings app provides an easy graphical interface for renaming your Windows 10 printers:

  1. Open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners
  2. Under “Printers & scanners”, select the printer you want to rename
  3. Click Manage > Printer properties
  4. Under the “General” tab, click Change properties
  5. Type the new name and click OK
  6. Confirm renaming a shared printer by clicking Yes

And your printer is renamed! This method works for local and network printers.

Method 2: Rename Printer in Control Panel

The traditional Control Panel interface also allows you to easily rename printers in Windows 10:

  1. Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers
  2. Right-click the printer and select Printer properties
  3. Under the “General” tab, click Change properties
  4. Enter the new printer name and click OK
  5. Confirm renaming a shared printer by clicking Yes

Like with Settings, you can rename any local or networked printers here.

Method 3: Rename Printer Using PowerShell

For more advanced users, you can rename your Windows 10 printer using PowerShell commands:

  1. Search for “PowerShell”, right-click it, and select Run as administrator
  2. Type Get-Printer and note the printer’s current name
  3. Type:
   Rename-Printer -Name "Current Printer Name" -NewName "New Printer Name"
  1. Replace “Current Printer Name” with your printer’s actual name, and “New Printer Name” with your desired new name

For example:

Rename-Printer -Name "HP452F94A8620" -NewName "Upstairs Printer"

PowerShell allows you to rename both local and network printers.

Method 4: Rename Printer Using Command Prompt

You can also rename printers using the Command Prompt and the prncnfg.vbs script:

  1. Open an elevated Command Prompt by searching for “Command Prompt”, right-clicking it, and selecting Run as administrator
  2. Type the command:
   cscript %WINDIR%\System32\Printing_Admin_Scripts\en-US\prncnfg.vbs -x -p "CURRENT-PRINTER-NAME" -z "NEW-PRINTER-NAME"
  1. Replace “CURRENT-PRINTER-NAME” with your printer’s actual name, and “NEW-PRINTER-NAME” with your desired new printer name

For example:

cscript %WINDIR%\System32\Printing_Admin_Scripts\en-US\prncnfg.vbs -x -p "HP452F94A8620" -z "Downstairs Printer"

This allows you to rename local and networked printers from Command Prompt.

Tips for Printer Names

When deciding on a new name for your printers, keep these tips in mind:

  • Be Descriptive – Use location or purpose descriptors to differentiate printers, e.g. “Upstairs Printer” or “Photo Printer”
  • Be Consistent – Follow a consistent naming convention for simplicity
  • Be Brief – Keep printer names reasonably short for usability
  • No Spaces – Avoid spaces in printer names to prevent issues

Also consider adding your own initials or department name as a prefix to identify groups of printers, for example:

  • MKTG-ConferenceRoomPrinter
  • ACCT-Floor2Printer

Troubleshooting Printer Name Changes

If your renamed printer is not working correctly after a name change in Windows 10, here are some things to try:

  • Restart your computer and any connected devices
  • Reinstall the printer driver and/or re-add the printer
  • Check for errors or alerts related to the new printer name
  • For shared network printers, remove/re-add on client PCs

In most cases, a simple restart resolves any issues after renaming printers.

Conclusion

Knowing how to rename a printer in Windows 10 gives you more control and organization over your local and networked printers. Whether you want to set up location-based descriptors, follow a standard naming convention, or just change a printer’s default name, the process is straightforward using Settings, Control Panel, PowerShell, or Command Prompt.

With great power comes great responsibility. Use your new renaming abilities judiciously. And may your future printer names be descriptive, consistent, and brief!

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