Rename a Bluetooth Device in 24H2?

OS v. 26100.6584

Is there anyway to do this? All I want to do is give a Bluetooth device a more meaningful name than "DY05".

I tried a half dozen "None of the other solutions work, but this one does" answers found with Google, but none of them work. even the page here is out of date: They all refer to options and features / tabs that no longer exist. I tried this tutorial page here but it has the same issues: Rename Bluetooth Device in Windows 11

I'll be happy with a registry hack if that will do it.

glasskuter said:

Rename Bluetooth Device in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to rename a connected Bluetooth device in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Bluetooth is a short range wireless technology which enables wireless data transmission between two Bluetooth enabled devices located nearby each other. When you connect (pair) a Bluetooth...

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

Unfortunately that's the thread I referenced in my post. When you do Steps 1 & 2 in 24H2, you end up on the Settings page shown above in the same post i.e. https://www.elevenforum.com/attachments/rename_bluetooth_device_before-png.89016/

There's no properties tab there.

A myriad of "answers" on the web will also suggest that there's a Rename option available from said Setting page, but there isn't.

Levitate11 said:

Steps 1 & 2

Click to expand...

Steps 1 & 2 are done in the Control panel not in Settings.
1 Open Devices and Printers.
Follow that link then its Step 3 More devices & printer settings takes you through to the Control panel, Devices & printers dialog [despite having started in Settings].
It's that Control panel, Devices & printers dialog that has the Properties option.

The method in the tutorial used to work in Windows 10 but no longer does [the new name does not hold, the system keeps using the original device name].
I just tried it in Windows 11 and the system rejected the renaming attempt without any explanation.


Denis

Try3 said:

Steps 1 & 2 are done in the Control panel not in Settings.
1 Open Devices and Printers.
Follow that link then its Step 3 More devices & printer settings takes you through to the Control panel, Devices & printers dialog [despite having started in Settings].
It's that Control panel, Devices & printers dialog that has the Properties option.

The method in the tutorial used to work in Windows 10 but no longer does [the new name does not hold, the system keeps using the original device name].
I just tried it in Windows 11 and the system rejected the renaming attempt without any explanation.


Denis

Click to expand...

Thanks... that couldn't possibly be more convoluted... and you're right: it doesn't do the rename. Just ignores it. I guess that brings me back to "Is there a registry hack?". Obviously the device name isn't inherent to Windows, so it's either stored in the registry or some configuration file that Windows writes (seems unlikely).

Regardless though, I'd go 50/50 on Windows just rewriting over any changes when it actually hooks up to the device and reads it again.

MS is a seriously frustrating company. Not as bad as Apple, mind you, but right up there in the top two.

Anyone has any hacks, feed away!

EDIT: Did a search in the Registry for the stock device name. It's in quite a few places. I could do a global substitution, but where it's being fed to the BT programs as a parameter... it might need to match to make the device work.

Try this suggested answer:
How to rename bluetooth devices in Windows, persisting after reboot

Levitate11 said:

you're right: it doesn't do the rename

Click to expand...

@Brink

Rename Bluetooth Device in Windows 11- ElevenForumTutorials
The tutorial did not work for this user.
It does not work for me either.
Any ideas?

Denis

Try3 said:

@Brink

Rename Bluetooth Device in Windows 11- ElevenForumTutorials
The tutorial did not work for this user.
It does not work for me either.
Any ideas?

Denis

Click to expand...

Hello Denis,

Unfortunately, not all Bluetooth devices will have a new name saved and remembered.

Curiouser and Curiouser, said Alice...

So, I had some success. But because MS has Bluetooth settings stuck somewhere in between the old Control Panel and the new Settings interfaces, it's a little weird.

What you need to do is to use what @Try3 posted to actually get to the Properties, merged into what @garlin posted, with a twist.



Part 1, changing the name of your device (from @Try3's post, but most detail):

0. Have your Bluetooth device powered on. If you have not previously connected it, discover it, connect it and verify it's working before starting.
1. Go to Settings >Bluetooth and Devices
2. Scroll down and click on Devices
3. Scroll down and click on More Devices and Printer Settings
4. Right Click on your BT device
5. Choose Properties and then the Bluetooth panel
6. Change the name of the device in the top line then Click OK

Now, the twist:

a. Power your device off
b. Close the More Devices and Printer Settings window
c. Reopen the More Devices and Printer Settings window
d. Turn your device back on. It should show the new name you gave it.

Part 2, preserving the name of your device through reboot (from @garlin's post):

7. Right click on the device again and click "Remove Device"
8. Pair your device to your computer again
9. At this point, in the device selection window it should show the new device name that you just chose
10. If it does not show your new device name that you picked then it didn't work.
11. If it DID show the name you picked then finish the pairing and connect to your device. Go to settings and bluetooth and make sure the name is still changed
If the device still has the new name, restart the computer and after booting, check the device name again to make sure it stuck.
If the device name is still changed then congrats, it worked.

You should be all set.

Part 3, the "other" Bluetooth device name.

0. Make sure your device is powered on and connected
1. Go to Settings >Bluetooth and Devices
2. Scroll down and click on Devices
3. Scroll down and look for your device
4. Click the Drop Down Arrow on the right side.
5. Choose Advanced Sound Properties
6. At the top of the page;
- observe your slightly different generic device name next to the little icon/illustration
- note that it still has the old generic name under it, but ignore that
- Click Rename just below that and rename your device

This rename of the alternative name will stick through reboot without any additional work. The original device name will always be displayed below it and will not change.

There may be some other hoops to jump through and/or alternative paths... but it's late here and I'm done poking around for the night. I'm going to try my own procedure (above) with some additional devices tomorrow. I'll report back.

Patting myself of the back for posting above... have a new BT device to rename and the dozen steps is not cemented in my mind (yet).

Need to set a bookmark for this

Levitate11 said:

Patting myself of the back for posting above... have a new BT device to rename and the dozen steps is not cemented in my mind (yet).

Need to set a bookmark for this

Click to expand...

I copied it into OneNote. Bookmarks can go stale.