How do you rename a printer device in Windows 7 64 bit

I am trying to rename a Printer Device and cannot see how to do it. In XP it was easy?

Roy Price

Posted 2010-11-23T20:34:29.213

Reputation: 101

can you select the printer and press F2? – Xantec – 2010-11-23T20:37:07.800

Answers

Took a few minutes to figure out why I couldn't set the printer name. When you right-click a printer (in Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Devices and Printers), there are two similar options: 'Printer properties' (in the middle of the right-click options) and 'Properties' (at the bottom). Just make sure you select 'Printer properties'.

Daniel Bennett

Posted 2010-11-23T20:34:29.213

Reputation: 71

Easiest way - right click on the device, open "Printer Properties" and then type in the name you prefer in the top section of the dialog box.

Click OK, it should disappear very briefly then reappear with the correct (new) name for you.

northirid

Posted 2010-11-23T20:34:29.213

Reputation: 336

1I had the same problem with the uneditable field. It's crucial to know the difference @Daryn has pointed out. – Tomáš Zato - Reinstate Monica – 2014-09-08T22:33:11.550

Yes, as Daryn and Tomas said, it's the "Printer Properties" option, not the "Properties" option on the bottom. http://i.imgur.com/EowNCbP.png

– JackAce – 2014-11-10T17:22:31.050

Also: click the "Change Properties" button in the bottom left corner of the "Printer properties" dialog ( vs just "Properties" dialog). This makes the name field edtiable. (Hey Microsoft: there should have been a tooltip or something) – Matt S. – 2015-03-30T19:42:57.700

3Does not work. The name is not an editable field, even though I have "manage printer" privileges. – Adrian McCarthy – 2011-07-03T13:08:58.113

@Adrian McCarthy that's odd - seems OK for me here. Is it a local printer or a networked one that you're trying to change? – northirid – 2011-07-13T11:47:34.960

2@Adrian Check whether you're clicking "Printer Properties", or doing like I did and clicking "Properties" at the bottom of the right click menu – Daryn – 2011-12-15T06:15:04.993

neither of the above two answers worked for me. selecting the printer properties gave me a read-only dialog box.

instead I had to double click the printer to "open" it. then a load of buttons/icons appear one of which is called "customize your printer". that brings up the proper printer properties dialog box

this was for a samsung ml-1910 printer. I couldn't find any way to rename a samsung ml-1630w

Andy

Posted 2010-11-23T20:34:29.213

Reputation: 725

-> Open Devices and Printers by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, and then, on the Start menu, clicking Devices and Printers.

-> Right-click a printer, and then click Printer properties.

-> Click the General tab, and then type the new name in the text box.

Please make sure "To rename a printer, you must have permission to manage the printer."

Sagar Khetia

Posted 2010-11-23T20:34:29.213

Reputation: 128

Does not work. The name is not an editable field, even though I have manage privileges for the printer. – Adrian McCarthy – 2011-07-03T13:09:45.633

I had a scanner named "Brother MFC-8440 #2", so it must have kept some legacy settings after a re-install. The printer was named "Brother MFC-8440". So I used regedit.exe to edit the registry. I used the "find" function to search for my multi-function device by name, "MFC-8440" and where I saw #2 I renamed it and deleted the 3 extra characters. I figured that if it went wrong, I'd just re-install the device and perhaps end up with #3. To my relief, the scanner no longer carries the suffix #2. Yay! You can always create an image of your main hard drive before trying this.

Kentucky Wildcat

Posted 2010-11-23T20:34:29.213

Reputation: 1

If all GUI-related solutions fail (which happens rarely, but it does), get this script: Prncnfg.vbs - Command-Line Reference

and use command prompt for the rename

cscript prncnfg.vbs -x  -p <current Printer name> -z <New Printer Name>

Overmind

Posted 2010-11-23T20:34:29.213

Reputation: 8 562

"Applies To: Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, Windows Vista" - do you see Windows 7 in that list? – DavidPostill – 2015-01-28T08:24:37.403

I have tested on windows 7. Do not worry, CSCRIPT is included in W7. – Overmind – 2015-01-28T08:59:00.810

-1

Yes, When you right-click the text box is read only. I just did double-click which opens print jobs. Then clicked on the printer drop-down menu and clicked on properties. There the text box for the "printer name" is not read only and you can change it.

Assad Salehi

Posted 2010-11-23T20:34:29.213

Reputation: 1