Once you connect a printer to your computer, Windows uses the default manufacturer-defined name as the printer name. In a vast majority of cases, the default name works just fine. However, if you have multiple printers with the same name or you don’t like the default name, it might be helpful to rename the printer to reduce confusion. Thankfully, there are several ways to change the printer name. In this tutorial, we’ll show you two ways to rename a printer. Let’s get started.
Note: The steps are tested to work on Windows 11 & 10.
Note: Printer renaming requires administrator privileges.
Warning: Renaming a networked printer will disconnect it from the network. You’ll have to reconnect it with its new name to use it.
Rename Printer Using the Windows Settings App
First, press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app. Once it opens, click on the Bluetooth & Devices option on the sidebar and then click on Printers & Scanners on the right panel.
You will see all your printers on this page. Click on the printer you want to rename. For example, I want to change the name of the “Microsoft Print to PDF” printer.
On the printer settings page, click on the Printer Properties option.
Click on the General tab and then click on the Change Properties button at the bottom.
Now, enter a name of your choice in the first field and click OK to save it.
Finally, close the Settings window and restart your computer or reconnect the printer. Once you do that, the printer is renamed. To verify it, re-open the Settings app (press Windows key + I) and navigate to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & Scanners page.
PowerShell Command To Change the Printer’s Name
If you are looking for an alternative method, you can also change the name of a printer via terminal/PowerShell using the Rename-Printer command. Here’s how:
Start by pressing Windows key + X to open the power user menu and then select Terminal (Admin). Windows 10 users can select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Note: Terminal opens with PowerShell tab open and active by default. If not, click the down arrow icon on the terminal’s title bar and choose Windows PowerShell.
In the terminal/PowerShell window, run the below command to get the names of all your connected printers. Identify the printer you want to rename and note down its name.
Get-Printer | Format-List Name
Once you have the printer name, run the below command replacing the Old_Name with the name you got earlier and New_Name with the new name you want to assign.
Rename-Printer -Name "Old_Name" -NewName "New_Name"
After executing the command, close the terminal/PowerShell window. Optionally, restart your computer. Your printer is renamed. To verify it, open the Settings app (press Windows key + I) and navigate to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & Scanners page.
And there you have it! It is that simple to change your printer’s name on Windows. I hope this little guide helped you.
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