Change Computer Name / Hostname in Ubuntu 17.04

This quick tutorial is going to show you how to change the computer name or hostname in Ubuntu 17.04 Zesty Zapus.

While installing Ubuntu Desktop, there’s a step to create user and setup computer name in the install wizard. If you want to change this name later, follow the steps below one by one:

To change Hostname temporarily:

Open terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or searching for “Terminal” from start menu. When it opens run command:

sudo hostname NEW_NAME_HERE

Type in your password (no visual feedback due to security reason) and hit Enter.

The command in following picture sets hostname to ubuntu1704-desktop temporarily until next reboot.

Change Hostname permanently:

To permanently change your computer name, edit both /etc/hosts and /etc/hostname files via following steps:

1. Open terminal and run command to install gksu if not installed:

sudo apt install gksu

2. Edit the /etc/hosts file via command:

gksudo gedit /etc/hosts

3. Edit the /etc/hostname file via command:

gksudo gedit /etc/hostname

NOTE: In both step 2 and step 3, change the name marked via red box to a NEW hostname.

4. After saving the changes, restart your computer to apply changes.