All computers and other network devices have a name. This name is often in addition to the computer/device IP address or the hardware address (MAC Address). In order to find the name of your computer the process varies by Operating System. Below are several examples divided by Operating System Type:
Windows 10
- Click on the Window icon in the lower left corner
- Select the Settings gear icon.
- Next select the System
- Then select About
- Your computer name is listed under Device specifications/Device name.
Windows 7
- From the Start button (usually in lower left of screen), select Computer, then right click the mouse to select Properties.
- Your computer’s name is in the third section “Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings.”
Alternatively, go to Computer | Control Panel | System.
macOS
- Start from the Apple Menu (top left) and select System Preferences.
- Select Sharing from the System Preferences Menu
- The computer’s name is shown at the top of the Sharing screen.
Linux
The prompt on a Linux machine is the current user@machine-name. For example “unitedpc@lnx015:~$” is on the Linux workstation “lnx015”.
Using the graphical user interface (GUI) you can find the machine name from the Terminal app. Simply open the Terminal app from your Application Menu (this varied by distribution). The Terminal prompt reads just like above (user@machine-name:).