How to Change Your Mac's Name (Computer Name, Hostname & More)

Your Mac actually has multiple names it uses in different contexts — and changing "the Mac's name" means something different depending on where that name appears. Understanding which name does what helps you update the right one without accidentally disrupting your network connections or file sharing setup.

Why Your Mac Has More Than One Name

macOS assigns your computer several identifiers:

• Computer Name — the friendly, human-readable label shown in Finder, AirDrop, and on your local network
• Local Hostname — a version of the computer name used for local network discovery (ends in .local)
• Bonjour Name — closely tied to the local hostname, used by Apple's zero-configuration networking
• Remote Login Name (hostname) — used when connecting via SSH or Terminal

Most people asking how to change their Mac name are looking to update the Computer Name, which is the one visible to other devices on your Wi-Fi. But if you're working in Terminal or managing a fleet of Macs, the hostname matters more.

How to Change the Computer Name on a Mac 💻

This is the most common change and takes about 30 seconds.

1. Open System Settings (macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences (macOS Monterey and earlier)
2. Navigate to General → Sharing (Ventura+) or directly to Sharing (older macOS)
3. At the top of the Sharing panel, you'll see a field labeled Computer Name
4. Click into that field, delete the existing name, and type your new one
5. Close the window — the change applies immediately

macOS will automatically generate an updated Local Hostname based on whatever you typed, replacing spaces with hyphens and stripping special characters.

How to Change the Local Hostname

If your Mac's local hostname (the .local address) didn't update the way you wanted, or you need it to match a specific format, you can edit it directly.

In System Settings → General → Sharing, look just below the Computer Name field for Local Hostname. Click Edit to modify it independently. This is useful when your computer name includes characters that don't translate cleanly into a hostname, or when you want the network-facing name to differ from your friendly display name.

How to Change the Mac Hostname via Terminal

For those managing Macs remotely, running scripts, or administering multiple machines, Terminal gives you direct control using the scutil command.

To change all three name types at once: