How to Find Your Computer’s Hostname on a Mac (3 Quick Ways)

Eric DawsonByEric Dawson Computers & Software

The fastest way to find your Mac’s hostname is to open Terminal and type hostname, then press Return. This single command shows the network hostname immediately, usually in a format such as Username-MacBook-Pro.local. Readers who prefer a visual method can find the same information in System Settings on macOS Ventura and later, or in System Preferences on macOS Monterey and earlier. Apple splits hostname information into two labels on newer systems: a full computer Name and a separate local hostname used for network discovery. Every method below takes less than a minute and works whether the Mac runs Apple Silicon or an Intel processor.

Why You Might Need Your Mac’s Hostname

Most people look up their Mac’s hostname to fill in a support ticket, join a school or workplace network, or troubleshoot file sharing with another device. IT help desks often ask for the exact Computer Name or hostname before they can locate a Mac on a managed network, since that name is how Active Directory and similar systems tell devices apart. Home users typically need the local hostname to set up AirDrop, screen sharing, or a network printer that asks for the Mac by name instead of by IP address.

Network troubleshooting is another common reason. When a router’s device list shows an unfamiliar name, matching it against your Mac’s hostname confirms which entry belongs to your computer. Remote access tools, including screen sharing and file sharing over a local network, also rely on the hostname to locate the right Mac among several devices on the same Wi-Fi network.

Multiple Macs in one household or office is another common trigger for checking a hostname. A distinct name for each device, such as “Alex-MacBook-Air” or “Front-Desk-iMac”, makes it easier to pick the right computer when sharing files, printing, or setting up remote access, instead of guessing between several similar-looking entries in a device list.

How to Find Your Hostname on a Mac Using Terminal

Terminal shows your Mac’s hostname the instant you run one command, with no menus to search through. Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities, or press Command-Space and search for “Terminal” with Spotlight. Type hostname at the prompt and press Return. Your Mac’s network hostname prints on the next line, ready to copy.

  1. Open Terminal. Go to Applications > Utilities, or search for “Terminal” with Spotlight.
  2. Type the command. Enter hostname exactly as written, with no capital letters.
  3. Press Return. The hostname appears on the next line of the window.

What the Terminal Output Means

The output usually looks like a short device name followed by a domain suffix, such as Username-MacBook-Pro.local for a home network. On a managed network, such as a university or workplace, the result can look different: a plain string like TAG200620.css.txstate.edu identifies both the device and the network domain it belongs to. Either format is your Mac’s hostname, the name macOS uses to identify itself to other devices and services. Copy the output exactly as shown, including capitalization and punctuation, since network systems generally treat hostnames as case-sensitive strings.

How to Find Your Hostname on macOS Ventura and Newer

On macOS Ventura and later, your Mac’s hostname appears in System Settings under General, split between the About screen and the Sharing screen. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings, then click General in the sidebar and select About. Your computer’s full name is listed next to “Name” near the top of the page.

  1. Open System Settings. Click the Apple menu, then choose System Settings.
  2. Click General. It sits near the top of the sidebar.
  3. Select About. Your Mac’s full name is listed next to “Name”.

Viewing the Local Hostname in Sharing Settings

The Sharing screen shows a second identifier, the local hostname, separate from the full computer name shown in About. From General, click Sharing instead of About. Scroll to the bottom of the window, where the local hostname is listed, typically ending in .local. Use this value when a device on your home network, such as a printer or smart TV, asks for your Mac’s network name.

How to Find Your Hostname on macOS Monterey and Older

On macOS Monterey and earlier, your Mac’s hostname is shown in System Preferences, inside the Sharing pane. Open the Apple menu and choose System Preferences, then click the Sharing icon, described by Michigan State University’s help desk as a blue folder with a walking road symbol. Your computer’s name appears at the top of the Sharing window, and that same name functions as the hostname other devices on the network use to identify your Mac.

  1. Click Sharing. Look for the icon showing a folder with a road-like symbol.
  2. Read the Computer Name. It appears at the top of the Sharing window.

Hostname vs Local Hostname: What Is the Difference

A hostname and a local hostname refer to the same Mac, but they serve different purposes depending on which network is asking. Newer macOS versions label the full computer name “Name”: this is the name your Mac presents on a corporate or school network, including Active Directory systems. A separate local hostname, carrying a .local suffix, is what your Mac announces to nearby devices for local network discovery, such as printers, smart TVs, or other computers sharing the same Wi-Fi network.

Older macOS versions do not draw this distinction as clearly. On Monterey and earlier, the single Computer Name shown in the Sharing pane covers both roles, serving as the network hostname for Active Directory and for local network discovery alike. IT help desks usually mean the Active Directory hostname when they ask for it, while a printer or smart speaker usually wants the local hostname ending in .local.

Consider a MacBook Pro set up for a design student. In System Settings, the Name might read “Jordan’s MacBook Pro”, the label a school’s Active Directory system uses to enroll the device. The local hostname on the same Mac could read “Jordans-MacBook-Pro.local”, the value a nearby printer or smart TV looks for on the studio Wi-Fi network. Both point to the same physical computer, just for different audiences.

Mac Computer Name, Hostname, and Local Hostname

On a Mac, Computer Name and hostname overlap in some screens, but they are not treated as identical labels in every macOS reference. Apple uses “computer’s name” and “local hostname” as separate terms, and its documentation distinguishes those labels.

Sharing provides a practical graphical check for the machine’s Computer Name. Otis College calls that Computer Name “Hostname,” and Michigan State University identifies the Computer Name displayed in Sharing as the Mac host name. Carnegie Mellon, however, presents a Terminal hostname check separately from a Sharing-window Computer Name check.

Screen location depends on the macOS generation. For macOS 13 Ventura or newer, use the About route described above to view the computer name. On older System Preferences-based Macs, open Sharing and read the displayed Computer Name. Terminal remains the separate method for checking the hostname directly.

Use the label shown by the method you choose rather than assuming every name-related term means the same thing. Computer Name is the label shown in the graphical Mac screens described here, while Apple separately uses the term “local hostname.”

How IT Support and Network Admins Use Your Hostname

IT support teams and network administrators use your Mac’s hostname to identify the device on a shared network, especially in Active Directory environments common at universities and employers. Texas State University’s support documentation describes the Terminal output as the network hostname used for Active Directory and network identification, the same value IT usually asks for first. Michigan State University’s help desk documentation makes the same point about the Computer Name shown in Sharing settings on Monterey and older systems.

Matching the hostname you report to what the network actually expects speeds up support tickets. A mismatch, such as reporting the local .local name when IT wants the Active Directory name, is a common reason a help desk cannot find a device on the first attempt. Reading both values, the Name field and the local hostname, before contacting support can avoid a second round of questions. Writing both down before a call or a chat with support saves time on either end of the conversation.

Comparing All Three Hostname Methods at a Glance

The table below lines up all three hostname methods so you can pick the fastest one for your macOS version and confirm the exact menu path before you start.

macOS Version Method Location Steps
Ventura (13) and newer System Settings General, About Apple menu, System Settings, General, About; read “Name”
Ventura (13) and newer System Settings, local hostname General, Sharing Apple menu, System Settings, General, Sharing; read local hostname at bottom
Monterey (12) and older System Preferences Sharing Apple menu, System Preferences, Sharing; read Computer Name at top
All versions Terminal Command line Open Terminal, type hostname, press Return

Terminal wins for a fast one-line answer or when copying the hostname straight into a form or support ticket. System Settings and System Preferences work better when a visual confirmation matters, or when other nearby details, such as the macOS version or available storage, are worth checking at the same time. Either route works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs alike, since hostname settings live in software rather than in the processor.

Paper receipts become much less mysterious once they pass through the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1300 I have owned since 2023, although the machine mainly confirms my talent for postponing filing. For comparing hostname methods at a glance, Terminal supplies the exact one-line hostname, while Sharing gives the visual confirmation for the separately listed local hostname.

Avoid Windows Steps When Finding a Mac Hostname

Windows instructions are not needed to find a hostname on a Mac. Keep the task within macOS, where the relevant labels and screens use Mac-specific terminology.

Start from the Apple menu at the top-left of the screen when using the graphical route. Otis College directs Mac users to System Preferences or System Settings to find the Computer Name, which its instructions also call “Hostname.” For Ventura or newer, follow the About route described above.

Older System Preferences-based Macs use Sharing for this check. Michigan State University directs users to open System Preferences, select Sharing, and use the displayed Computer Name as the Mac host name. That route gives Mac users a graphical alternative to entering a Terminal command.

Terminal and Sharing should also not be treated as interchangeable labels without context. Carnegie Mellon separates a Terminal “hostname” check from a Sharing-window “Computer Name” check, while Otis College and Michigan State University connect the Sharing Computer Name with the host name. Following the macOS method keeps the result tied to the Mac labels used on screen.

How to Find Your Mac’s MAC Address After the Hostname

The same Terminal session can also reveal your Mac’s MAC address right after you look up the hostname. Type ifconfig and press Return, then look for a line labeled “ether” followed by six pairs of characters, such as ether 3c:22:fb:a1:9e:04.

That string is your Mac’s MAC address, a separate identifier from the hostname, used by routers and network administrators to recognize the physical network hardware rather than the device name. Unlike the hostname, which you or an administrator can edit through System Settings, the MAC address is tied to the network hardware itself and does not change when you rename the Mac.

What to Do if the Hostname Command Doesn’t Work

If Terminal returns nothing useful, blank output, or an error, the fix usually lives in the Sharing settings rather than in Terminal itself. Double-check that you typed hostname exactly, since Terminal commands are case-sensitive and a stray space from a pasted command can break them. Confirm you are working on the Mac itself and not through a remote session, since a remote connection can return the hostname of the wrong machine.

Open System Settings or System Preferences and check the Sharing pane directly if the command line result still looks wrong. A blank or generic result can mean the Mac’s network name was never set, in which case the Name or Computer Name field in that same pane usually accepts a new entry.

Restarting the Mac after any change refreshes the hostname the network sees, since some apps and routers cache the old name until the next reboot. Anyone connecting over screen sharing or file sharing from another computer should double-check the exact hostname value first, since a mistyped name can connect to the wrong device or fail silently.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does a Typical Mac Hostname Look Like?

A home Mac usually shows a friendly name such as Username-MacBook-Pro.local, built from the account name and device model. On a managed network, such as a university or employer’s system, the format can look more technical, like TAG200620.css.txstate.edu, combining a device tag with the network’s domain. Both formats are valid hostnames; the style just depends on who configured the network.

Which Method Is Fastest for Finding a Mac’s Hostname?

Terminal is the fastest method, since typing hostname and pressing Return returns an answer in under five seconds. The System Settings and System Preferences routes work just as reliably, but they involve two or three extra clicks through menus. Choose Terminal when speed matters most, and choose the settings app when a visual confirmation is more convenient.

Can I Find My Mac’s MAC Address at the Same Time as the Hostname?

Yes, Terminal can show both in the same session. After checking the hostname, type ifconfig and press Return, then look for the line starting with “ether” for the MAC address. Doing both together saves a trip back to System Settings if a network administrator or support form asks for both identifiers at once.

Do I Need an Internet Connection to Find My Mac’s Hostname?

No, an internet connection is not required for either method. The hostname is a local setting stored on the Mac itself, so Terminal and the System Settings or System Preferences routes all work offline, including in Airplane Mode. Connectivity only matters if a managed network’s domain suffix needs looking up separately.

Does Restarting My Mac Change Its Hostname?

Restarting does not change the hostname on its own. The Name or Computer Name you set in System Settings, System Preferences, or Sharing stays the same across restarts unless someone edits that field directly. A restart mainly clears any cached copy of the old name that another device on the network might still be holding onto.

Finding a Mac’s hostname takes less than a minute with any of the three methods above, and Terminal remains the quickest option when only a quick check is needed. Save the System Settings or System Preferences route for moments when a visual confirmation, or a look at the local hostname, is more convenient than the command line.

References

Sources read in September 2026.

Eric Dawson

I'm Eric Dawson, and I write The Money Watch from north Columbus, Ohio. Most of what I cover comes from my own life: renting, a 2014 Honda Fit, parking, computers, food and the bills behind all of it. I spent four years in an apartment-property office and eleven on a distributor's operations desk, reading leases and invoices. Where you need real information, I research the maker's or agency's own page and independent sources and report what they publish. I don't give tax, investment, legal or medical advice.