On macOS, what other Computer Name exists, apart from "ComputerName", "HostName" and "LocalHostName" and how do I change it?
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"AirPort Utility.app" on my MacBook Pro M1 Max (Sequoia) shows its ComputerName as "MacBookPro".
On my MacBook Pro 2014 (Big Sur) it's correctly shown as "MBP-M1Max", which is the name I gave it in Sequoia on the M1:
user@MBP-M1Max ~ % scutil --get HostName
MBP-M1Max
user@MBP-M1Max ~ % scutil --get LocalHostName
MBP-M1Max
user@MBP-M1Max ~ % scutil --get ComputerName
MBP-M1Max
**Where does "MacBookPro" come from and how do I change it (if at all possible)?**
PS. Big Sur's AirPort Utility:
PPS. AirPort Utility in Sequoia correctly shows the changed name of the Big Sur MacBook Pro, just not its own.
This is not new and has persisted over various upgrades.
I can only assume it comes from the same place the name in "System Settings > General > About" comes from, i.e. some default name, which could be changed in previous iterations of the new System Settings (if I remember correctly), but, for some reason, has been made ineditable with only the "Name" field underneath left for change.
The problem with that is that one won't easily be able to know the difference, when there are several notebooks ("MacBookPro") connected to the network.
Additionally, iPhones also show the correct name - "MBP-M1Max" - in their AirPort Utility apps.
**Update:** I travelled to Germany with the same computer and connected to my network there, which consists of a Fritz!Box router with an AirPort Express in cabled Bridge mode, creating its own network and the name is shown as it should be as "MBP-M1Max", if I connect to it.



Asked by Redarm
(5916 rep)
Mar 29, 2025, 10:47 AM
Last activity: Apr 4, 2025, 06:07 AM
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