Renaming your WiFi is one of the easiest ways to personalize your network. It not only makes it easy to identify your WiFi connection among other networks but also makes it a bit more secure from automated attacks that rely on default router names. To change the WiFi name, you can either do it from the router configuration page or use the Windows 11 settings. I will show both methods. Follow the one you like. Let’s get started.
1. Using Router’s Web Interface
Since your wireless network is managed by your router, you can change the WiFi name (SSID) directly from the router settings page. Once changed, your WiFi network will appear with the new name on all your computers, mobile phones, and any other network devices. Here’s how to do it.
First of all, type your router’s IP address in the browser’s address bar and press the Enter key. If you don’t know the IP address, you can find it on the backside of the router. If the default IP address is not labeled, use one of the below IP addresses depending on your router manufacturer. For example, mine is TP-Link so I used 192.168.1.1.
- Linksys: Default IP – 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1
- D-Link: Default IP – 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1
- Netgear: Default IP – 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1
- TP-Link: Default IP – 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1
- Asus: Default IP – 192.168.1.1
- Belkin: Default IP – 192.168.2.1
- Cisco: Default IP – 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1
- Buffalo: Default IP – 192.168.11.1 or 192.168.1.1
- Huawei: Default IP – 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.3.1
- MikroTik: Default IP – 192.168.88.1 or 192.168.1.1
- DD-WRT: Default IP – 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1
When you see the router login page, type the username and password and press the Enter key or click on the login button. If you don’t know the login details, either use the default username and password or contact the person who set up the router. For example, if your router is configured by your ISP or tech-savvy friend, you might have to contact them for the router login details.
The default username for the most popular router brands is “admin” and the default password is either “admin”, “password”, or “blank” (blank as in empty, don’t type anything).
After logging into the router settings, go to the WiFi Settings or Wireless Settings page, and type a new name in the “Wireless Network Name” or “WiFi SSID” field. Click on the “Save” or “Ok” button to save the changes.
Next, go to the Reboot page and press the “Reboot” button to restart your router. Alternatively, simply switch off the router, wait for five seconds, and switch on again.
After restarting, all your devices will show the new WiFi name.
2. Using Network List Manager
If you don’t have access to the router or don’t want to change router settings, you can use the Windows Network List Manager policy setting to rename WiFi. This method changes the WiFi display name on your Windows 11 computer but will not change the actual name in the router. Here’s how to do it.
First, ensure you are connected to the WiFi network you want to rename. Next, click on the Windows logo on the taskbar to open Start. Type “Local Security Policy” and click on the top result. This will open the Windows 11 Local Security Policy settings window. You can also open it by typing “secpol.msc” in the Run window (press Windows key + R).
Select the “Network List Manager Policies” folder on the sidebar of the Local Security Policies window and double-click on the WiFi network you want to rename on the right panel. If you don’t see the wireless network you want to rename on the right panel then you are not connected to it.
Choose the “Name” radio option, type a name of your choice in the blank field, and click on the “Ok” button.
After that, restart your computer (press Start > press Power icon > select Restart). From now on, Windows 11 will display the WiFi network with the new name. As I said earlier, this method only changes the display name and not the actual name given by the router. That means the new name will only appear on your computer. Other devices will still show the WiFi network with the old name.
3. Using Registry Editor
As an alternative, you can modify the Profile value of your WiFi network in the registry to rename it. This method is helpful when cannot access the router login page and local security policy. While the process is not difficult to follow, you should be careful while changing a registry value. Any mistake can stop your system from starting. To avoid that, back up the registry and only then follow the below steps.
Make sure you are connected to the WiFi network you want to rename and open the Registry Editor. To open it on Windows 11, click on the Windows logo key and search for “Registry Editor” in the Start menu. Once opened, go to the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE” > “SOFTWARE” > “Microsoft” > “Windows NT” > “CurrentVersion” > “NetworkList” > “Profiles” folder on the sidebar of the Registry Editor window.
Expand the Profiles folder and you will see more subfolders with random alphanumeric names. Select each one and look at the “ProfileName” value on the right panel. It shows the name of the network. Find the name you want to change, right-click on the “ProfileName” value, and choose “Modify”.
Replace whatever in the Value Data with the new WiFi name and press the “Ok” button. Finally, close the registry window by pressing the X button on the title bar and restart the computer.
Once restarted, Windows 11 will display the WiFi network with the new name. Just as with the Network List Manager method, this method only changes the display name and not the actual name given by the router. That means the new name will only appear on your computer. Other devices will still show the WiFi network with the old name.
Best Practices When Changing WiFi Name
When renaming your WiFi network, follow the below best practices to be safe and secure.
- Avoid using or including your personal information such as your name, family name, date of birth (year), phone number, etc., in the WiFi name.
- Avoid using inappropriate or offensive names as it can bother others in your WiFi range.
- If you have multiple WiFi networks, keep the name simple yet unique. This makes it easy to identify the network you want to connect to.
- (Optional) To improve security, consider mixing special characters and numbers in the WiFi name. This makes it hard for attackers to guess the name if you choose to hide your WiFi SSID. Remember to keep the name simple so that it is harder to guess but easy to remember for you.
Conclusion
Changing the WiFi name on Windows is nothing hard. You can either use your router’s web interface or Windows tools such as Network List Manager or Registry Editor. I recommend following the router method because it is responsible for broadcasting the WiFi name and all the devices in the network range can instantly see the new name. However, if you are unable to access the router’s web interface, you can follow one of the other two methods (Network List Manage and Registry Editor). Do keep in mind that the other two methods only change the display name of the WiFi network and not the actual SSID (name) on the router. That means the name change is only applicable to your computer. All the other devices will still see the old name broadcasted by the router.
I hope this small yet detailed tutorial helped you.
If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.
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