Your Mac insist on calling itself “Malwida’s Mac”––and you’re not even Malwida? Wish it were easier to recognize your MacBook in “Find My” or AirDrop? Find out here how to change the name on an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Air or other Mac ⤓.
First, a Sun Made of Sugar
Before Philipp Reis demonstrated his latest invention (a telephone) to the public, he did so in private at home. A fellow teacher recounts the inventor’s brother-in-law reading into the phone on one occasion.
Reis understood every word… of a book he probably knew. So, the friendly teacher took matter and telephone in his own hands and started sounding nonsensical phrases into the earpiece, among them:
The sun is made of copper.
Reis understood every word… almost. He thought, as the story goes, the sun was made of sugar.
Think your Mac’s current name is a slight mishearing as well? Let’s change it:
How to Change the Name of Your MacBook, iMac, or Other Mac
Got an iPhone as well? How to Change the Name of an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch
Time needed: 2 minutes
To change the name for a MacBook or other Mac computer using macOS:
- Open System Settings on the Mac.
- Go to the General category.
- Select About.
- Type the name you want to use for the computer under Name.
No “Edit…”: Simply type over the existing name.
Their word: Apple include rudimentary information on naming a Mac in the User Guide.
Mac’s a “Mac” again?
Tips help fuel these email and tech how-tos.
Change the Name Using macOS Monterey 12 and Earlier:
To change the name for a MacBook Air, iMac, etc. using macOS Monterey 12 and earlier:
- Select the Apple menu ().
- Choose System Preferences… from the menu to open macOS preferences.
- Open the Sharing category.
- Type the desired name under Computer Name:.
No “Edit…”: You need not click Edit… to change the name; this is where you change the computer’s name in the local network.
How to Change the Name of a MacBook, iMac, or Other Mac: FAQ
Where will the changed name appear?
This changes the name that appears for
- synchronized browser tabs in Safari
- AirDrop
- backups
- the computer in Find My
and more.
Can I use special characters and emoji in my Mac’s name?
Yes.
You can add emoji and special characters to your Mac’s name using the emoji and special characters panel.
Note that not all emoji can be used, especially those combining multiple Unicode characters often do not work.
(Tested with macOS Tahoe 26.0–26.3, Sequoia 15.1–15.4, Sonoma 14.1–14.3, Ventura 13.4, Monterey 12.3 and Big Sur 11.3; first published May 2021, last updated March 2026)