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How To Rename Device in Device Manager

Windows by default uses generic names for hardware devices in the Device Manager unless a device provides a specific name. This can be confusing and not very helpful, especially during tasks like troubleshooting or when trying to differentiate between similar devices. Thankfully, you can easily rename any device in the Device Manager to a custom name of your choosing. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to change device names in Windows Device Manager in simple steps. Let’s get started.

Note: The steps below are tested to work on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7.

Note: You need admin rights to perform the steps given below.

Caution: Changing device names in Device Manager requires editing the registry. So, back up the Registry before proceeding.

Steps to Rename Devices in Device Manager

To rename a hardware device, the first thing you need is its Driver Key. You can get this from Device Manager. To start off, press Windows key + X and choose Device Manager.

open device manager in Windows 11 using power user menu

In the Device Manager, find the device you want to rename, right-click on it, and select Properties.

Note: If you can’t find the device, scan for hardware changes.

right-click on the device you want to rename and select properties

In the Device Properties window, navigate to the Details tab, and select Driver Key from the Property dropdown menu. Next, right-click on the key value under the Value section and select Copy to copy the value to the clipboard. If necessary, paste it into a text file for safekeeping.

right-click on value and select copy to copy the driver key

Once you have the Driver Key, press Windows key + R, enter regedit in the run dialog box, and click OK to open the Windows Registry Editor.

use regedit command in run dialog box to open registry editor

In the Registry Editor, go to the following folder. For ease of use, copy and paste the path in the registry’s address bar and press Enter.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum

navigate to the enum folder in registry

Now, right-click on the Enum folder on the sidebar and select Find.

right-click on the driver key folder and select find

Paste the Driver Key you copied earlier into the Find dialog box and click Find Next.

find the driver key

As soon as you do that, the registry will find the relevant key that’s responsible for the hardware device.

driver key folder found in registry

Here, find and right-click on the FriendlyName value and select Modify.

right-click on friendlyname value and select modify

Note: If there is no FriendlyName value, right-click on the folder on the sidebar and select ‘New’ > ‘String Value’. Name the new string value as ‘FriendlyName’ (without quotes).

right-click on the driver key folder and select new and then string value

Replace the default name in the Value Data field with the name of your choice and click OK.

type a new name to rename device in device manager

Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. After restarting, you will see that the device is renamed in the Device Manager.

hardware device renamed in device manager

And there you have it! It’s that simple to change device names in Device Manager. I hope that helped you.

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