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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Now, right-click on the Enum folder on the sidebar and select Find.
Paste the Driver Key you copied earlier into the Find dialog box and click Find Next.
As soon as you do that, the registry will find the relevant key that’s responsible for the hardware device.
Here, find and right-click on the 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).
Replace the default name in the Value Data field with the name of your choice and click OK.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. After restarting, you will see that the device is renamed in the Device Manager.
And there you have it! It’s that simple to change device names in Device Manager. I hope that helped you.