How to Find Network Interface Names in Regedit

Windows assigns friendly alias names, such as “Ethernet” or “Wi-Fi,” to every network adapter installed on your system. These names are cataloged within the Windows Registry alongside their unique Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIDs). This guide outlines the exact registry key path where these friendly network interface names are stored and explains how to locate them using the Registry Editor.

The Registry Path for Network Interface Names

To find the list of registered network interface friendly aliases, navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

How to Locate the Friendly Names

Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Navigate to the path above. The GUID {4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} corresponds to the Network Adapters class in Windows.
Expand this folder. You will see several subkeys represented by unique adapter GUIDs (e.g., {12345678-ABCD-1234-ABCD-1234567890AB}).
Expand each individual GUID subkey and select the Connection folder.
In the right-hand pane of the Connection folder, locate the string value named Name.

The Data column for the Name value contains the friendly alias assigned to that interface (for example, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Local Area Connection). You can double-click this value to view or edit the friendly name directly.