How to Change Device Name in Android Nearby Share on Windows 11

How to change your device name

The change takes a few seconds. In short: open the Nearby Share app on your Windows 11 PC, click the gear icon to open the settings, and type a new name in the device name box. The steps below walk through each click and show what you should see.

1. Click the Start menu⊞ and find the Nearby Share icon in your app list, then click it. The app window opens. This is where you update your PC’s identifier.

If you don’t see Nearby Share in the list, type its name into the Start menu search box. If it doesn’t appear there either, the app isn’t installed on this PC yet, so install it first.

2. Click the Settings button (the gear icon) at the top right of the app window. The settings⚙️ page opens inside the app.

3. Find the Device name tile. It shows the name your PC currently broadcasts to nearby devices.
4. Click the Rename link on that tile. The name becomes editable.

5. Type your new name, then save your changes. The Device name tile should now show the new name.

Pick something short and easy to recognize on a phone screen, such as “Office-Desktop” or “Anna-Laptop”. Avoid names that look like the default ones. To undo the change, repeat the same steps and enter the old name. You don’t need to restart Windows for this change.

Troubleshooting: When the Name Does Not Update

Windows network profiles and discovery services sometimes hold on to old cached data instead of showing a changed device name right away. If your PC still shows the outdated name, work through the fixes below in order. Start with the first one, since it only takes a minute.

Restarting Discovery Services (Admin Required)

1. Open the Start menu⊞, type Services, and press Enter. The Services window opens with an alphabetical list.
2. Find Function Discovery Resource Publication in the list.
3. Right-click it and select Restart. This forces Windows to broadcast your updated name to nearby hardware.

Restarting a service needs an administrator account, so Windows may ask you to confirm. If Restart is greyed out, you are probably signed in with a standard account. This works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro. If the new name still doesn’t show, restarting the PC clears the same cache.

Clearing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Cache

If the name is still wrong, the problem is usually on the Android side: your phone is holding onto the old PC name. Try this:

1. Turn Bluetooth🔷 and Wi-Fi📶 off on your phone.
2. Wait a few seconds, then turn both back on.
3. Start a share and check the list of nearby devices. Your PC should appear under the new name.

Toggling these clears the local device cache and triggers a fresh scan for nearby hardware. Keep the PC awake and close to the phone while you test.

Registry and System Name Sync

Nearby Share pulls its identity from your Windows system name. This name lives inside the Windows registry at 🗝️HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoftcopy. Keeping both names identical prevents confusion during file transfers.

You don’t need to edit the registry to do this. If you want the Windows name to match, rename the PC in Settings › System › About, using the Rename this PC option, and restart when Windows asks. Then set the same name in Nearby Share using the steps above. Renaming the PC also changes how it appears on your network, so check that nothing like a shared folder shortcut depends on the old name.

Summary

A custom device name in Nearby Share keeps your transfers organized and makes your computer quick to spot in the list. If the name doesn’t update, restart the discovery service, refresh the connections on your phone, and make sure the Windows system name matches.