When you first pull a new Mac out of the box and run through the setup wizard, Apple automatically generates a network name for your computer based on your user profile (for example, “John’s MacBook Pro” or “Jane’s iMac”).
While this is convenient, it can become a significant privacy issue if you are working in a crowded coffee shop. Anyone scanning the local Wi-Fi network or searching for an AirDrop target will immediately see your real first name broadcasted across the room. Additionally, if you own three different MacBooks, having them all named “MacBook Pro” makes it impossible to figure out which one you are connecting to over the network.
You can change the name of your Mac to something more anonymous or more descriptive in less than a minute.
How to Change Your Computer Name
The computer name is controlled entirely within the system’s sharing settings.
- Click the Apple Logo in the very top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings from the drop-down menu. (If you are running an older version of macOS, this will be called System Preferences).
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on General.
- In the main panel, click on About.
- At the very top of the About screen, you will see a field labelled Name containing your current computer name.
- Click directly on the text box and delete the old name.
- Type your new preferred name (e.g., “Studio Mac”, “Travel Laptop”, or “Alpha Node”).
- Press the Return key on your keyboard to save the change.
Your Mac will immediately broadcast this new name to the rest of the network. The next time someone tries to AirDrop you a photograph, or the next time you try to connect to your Mac via Bluetooth, the new name will appear flawlessly.
A Note on the Local Hostname
When you change the main computer name, macOS automatically changes your “Local Hostname” to match it. The Local Hostname is the specific network address used by other Apple devices to communicate with your machine (e.g., Studio-Mac.local).
If you are a web developer or a systems administrator who relies on a highly specific local hostname for SSH connections or local server testing, be aware that changing the main computer name will break those established network paths, and you will need to update your scripts to reflect the new `.local` address.