Windows 10: Change Workgroup in Windows 10

How to: Change Workgroup in Windows 10

How to Change Workgroup in Windows 10


Information If your PC is on a large network at a workplace or school, it probably belongs to a domain. If your PC is on a home network, it belongs to a workgroup and might also belong to a homegroup.

When you set up a network, Windows automatically creates a workgroup and gives it the name WORKGROUP. You can join an existing workgroup on a network or create a new one. Workgroups provide a basis for file and printer sharing, but they don't actually set up sharing for you.

A workgroup is a group of PCs that are connected to a home or small office network and share resources, such as printers and files. When you set up a network, Windows automatically creates a workgroup and gives it a name.

• All PCs are peers; no PC has control over another PC.
• Each PC has a set of user accounts. To log on to any PC in the workgroup, you must have an account on that PC.
• There are typically no more than twenty PCs in a workgroup.
• A workgroup isn't protected by a password.
• All PCs must be on the same local network or subnet.
• All PCs in the workgroup must have a different computer name.
• If your PC was a member of a domain before you joined the workgroup, it will be removed from the domain and your computer account on that domain will be disabled.

This tutorial will show you how to change the workgroup on your Windows 10 PC to join an existing workgroup on a network or create a new one.



Note If your network includes PCs running Windows XP, you might need to change the workgroup name on those PCs to match the workgroup name on the PCs running later versions of Windows so that you can see and connect to all PCs on your network.

It is recommend that you use only Internet-standard characters in the workgroup name. The standard characters are the numbers 0 through 9, uppercase and lowercase letters from A through Z, and the hyphen (-) character. PC names cannot consist entirely of numbers, nor can they contain spaces. The name also cannot contain special characters, such as the following:

` ~ @ # $ % ^ & ( ) = + [ ] { } | ; : , ‘ “ . < > / ?


CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Change Workgoup in System Properties
• Option Two: To Change Workgoup in Command Prompt
• Option Three: To Change Workgoup in PowerShell

EXAMPLE: Workgroup name displayed in Control Panel









OPTION ONE [/i] To Change Workgoup in System Properties
1. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the System icon.


Note If you like, you can also open Run (Win+R), type sysdm.cpl, click/tap on OK, and go to step 3 below to open System Properties.



2. Click/tap on the Advanced system settings link on the left side, or click/tap on the Change settings link on the right side. (see screenshot below)



3. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes.

4. Click/tap on the Computer Name tab, and click/tap on the Change button. (see screenshot below)



5. Select (dot) Workgroup under Member of at the bottom, and then do one of the following: . (see screenshot below)

• To join an existing workgroup, enter the name of the workgroup that you want to join, and then click/tap OK.
• To create a new workgroup, enter the name of the workgroup that you want to create, and then click/tap OK.

6. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)



7. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This does not restart the computer yet.



8. Verify your new workgroup name, and click/tap on Close. (see screenshot below)



9. Click/tap on Restart now to restart your PC and apply the workgroup name. (see screenshot below)

WARNING: This will restart your PC immediately. Be sure that you save and close anything you have open first.








OPTION TWO [/i] To Change Workgoup in Command Prompt
1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. Type the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

Code:

Note Substitute Workgroup-Name in the command above with the actual name of the workgroup you want to join or create within quotes.


3. When successfully finished, close the elevated command prompt, and restart the computer to apply.








OPTION THREE [/i] To Change Workgoup in PowerShell
1. Open an elevated PowerShell.

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

*Arrow Add-Computer -WorkGroupName "Name"



Note Substitute Name in the command above with the actual name of the workgroup you want to join or create within quotes.

For example: Add-Computer -WorkGroupName "BRINKGROUP"


3. When successfully finished, close the elevated PowerShell, and restart the computer to apply.





That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Rename your PC in Windows 10

:)

 

Want windows 10 machine to rejoin a workgroup and see files on XP machines

This was working but with the last Windows update my Windows 10 machine no longer sees the Workgroup it belongs to. I can find no instructions anywhere on how to get it to see the other Workgroup machines again and to be seen by them. What happened? How
do I fix it?

The Workgroup name is intact and has not changed on the Windows 10 machine but it can't find the network or the workgroup. Network Discovery is turned on. This had been working just fine for over a year such that I could share files and printers.

 

I wish to upgrade to the free version Windows 10

This forum is for Windows 10. The Windows 7 forum is at

Results in Windows - Microsoft Community

"Workgroup" is simply a collection of computers and devices connected on a home network. "Workgroup" is not the name of anything used at work. Computers at work are on a "Domain." You can change the name of the workgroup if you want as follows, but I
think you are after something else.

You change the Workgroup in Windows 7 in

Control Panel -> System and Security -> System

Look for Change Settings on the right side and click it.

What exactly are you trying to do? Your title has nothing to do with workgroups. It sounds more like you want to change the operating system. Can you post a screenshot of the window you get when you go to

Control Panel -> System and Security -> System

You can use Snip for this.

 

Hello Phil, *Smile

While a homegroup does make it easier to share files between PCs on the same network, you can also share on the workgroup. The tutorial below for Windows 8 can help show you how to. It's the same in Windows 10.

File Sharing - in Windows 8

 

You're most welcome. *Smile

 

Brink, wanted to let you know your post is applicable to multiple Win 10 peer networking issues and should be linked to multiple threads in the forums. Here's why: I've had multiple PC's on my home network using peer networking, folder and file sharing, and printer sharing ever since Win 10 was released, but this month's patch Tuesday release from MS broke my network connections on 2 of my PC's. The computers all showed connected to my workgroup, but the file browser was unable to see the PCs, mapped drives and folders and shared printers were all dead. The ONLY thing that got my connections restored was your command prompt fix for joining a workgroup. Thanks for the fix, Cheers.

 

I'm glad it could help @Bandit233, and welcome to Ten Forums. *Smile

 

I believe, option 1 isn't available anymore in Windows 10 Home v1703, Build 15063.296.
I'm wrong?

Sorry, Update:
Using the command
Code: sysdm.cpl[/quote] you can still change it.

 

Hello WTenNewbie, *Smile

Option 1 is still available to use.

 

@Brink: You are right, using the new point 1 instead of your previous steps:

*Wink