Network Interface Friendly Names Registry Location

Windows assigns human-readable “friendly names” (such as “Ethernet” or “Wi-Fi”) to every registered network adapter on the system. This article identifies the exact Windows Registry key path where these friendly names are stored and explains how to view or modify them using the Registry Editor (regedit).

The Registry Path for Interface Friendly Names

Windows stores the friendly names of all network interfaces under the SYSTEM control set inside the primary Network Class GUID key.

The exact path is:

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

How to Locate the Specific Interface Name

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Network\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
3. Expand this key. You will see several subkeys with unique Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIDs), such as {A1B2C3D4-...}. Each GUID corresponds to a specific physical, virtual, or logical network adapter.
4. Expand a GUID subkey and select the Connection folder.
5. In the right pane, look for the Name string value (REG_SZ). The data assigned to this value is the friendly name displayed in the Windows Network Connections control panel and Settings app.

Key Value Details

• Class GUID: {4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} designates the network adapter device setup class.
• Key Name: Connection
• Value Name: Name
• Data Type: REG_SZ
• Example Data: Ethernet, Wi-Fi 2, or Local Area Connection

Editing the data in the Name value directly renames the network adapter interface across the operating system.