How to Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10


Hyper-V enables running virtualized computer systems on top of a physical host. These virtualized systems (aka: guests) can be used and managed just as if they were physical computer systems, however they exist in a virtualized and isolated environment.

You can rename a Hyper-V virtual machine anytime you like.

When you rename a Hyper-V virtual machine, it will only change its name in Hyper-V Manager. It will not change the name of the folder or virtual hard disk (.vhdx) file(s) for the virtual machine.

This tutorial will show you how to rename a Hyper-V virtual machine on your Windows 10 PC.


 CONTENTS:

  • Option One: Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Hyper-V Manager
  • Option Two: Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in PowerShell





OPTION ONE

Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Hyper-V Manager


1. Open Hyper-V Manager (virtmgmt.msc).

2. Select the Hyper-V virtual machine (ex: "W10 RP") you want to rename, and perform one of the following actions: (see screenshot below)
  • Click/tap on the virtual machine in the Name column.
  • Press the F2 key.
  • Click/tap on Rename in the Actions pane on the far right.
  • Right click or press and hold on the virtual machine, and click/tap on Rename.

Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10-rename_virtual_machine_in_hyper-v_manager-1.jpg

3. Type a new name (ex: "W10 Release Preview") you want for the Hyper-V virtual machine, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10-rename_virtual_machine_in_hyper-v_manager-2.jpg

4. When finished, you can close the Hyper-V Manager if you like.






OPTION TWO

Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in PowerShell


To see more usage options for the Rename-VM command, see: Rename-VM

1. Open an elevated PowerShell.

2. Type Get-VM into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. Make note of the Hyper-V virtual machine name (ex: "W10 RP") you want to rename. (see screenshot below)

Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10-get-vm.png

3. Type the command below into the elevated PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

Rename-VM "<Current VM name>" -NewName "<New VM name>"

Substitute <Current VM name> in the command above with the actual virtual machine name (ex: "W10 RP") from step 2 you want to rename.

Substitute <New VM name> in the command above with the name (ex: "W10 Release Preview") you want to rename the virtual machine.

For example: Rename-VM "W10 RP" -NewName "W10 Release Preview"

Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10-rename-vm.png

4. When finished, you can close the elevated PowerShell if you like.


That's it,
Shawn


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