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I just can't figure a way to change my Bluetooth device name.

Is there any command?

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11 Answers 11

89

It seems the option was removed from the Bluetooth control panel, but you should still be able to change the name via the command line:

sudo hciconfig hci0 name 'Device Name'

Once you run the command, you should be able to verify the change by bringing up the Bluetooth control panel again and checking the device name.

10
  • Useful Answer! Helped Me Thank You Very Much! :)
    – Gaurav
    Nov 19, 2012 at 15:24
  • 1
    this is the safest and right way to do it, thx! Oct 1, 2013 at 16:40
  • working ubuntu 13.10 Jun 9, 2014 at 19:02
  • 5
    It works, but the name is reset after reboot. I use Ubuntu 14.04. Can it be set permanently?
    – fikr4n
    Sep 4, 2014 at 2:49
  • 6
    As @BornToCode points out, the change doesn't persist. Restarting the service with service bluetooth restart will show that the name change is reverted. Jan 22, 2015 at 0:40
73

You can't change bluetooth device name from control panel in ubuntu yet. Here is the bug report, which provides this workaround:

If you want to change the bluetooth device name permanently, you have to create a file called /etc/machine-info which should have the following content:

PRETTY_HOSTNAME=device-name

After this, restart the Bluetooth service:

sudo service bluetooth restart

Or reboot.

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  • 1
    No need to restart. service bluetooth restart does the trick.
    – ArunasR
    Oct 21, 2014 at 15:23
  • In Ubuntu 20.10 you have to edit the value Alias in /var/lib/bluetooth/*/settings and call sudo hciconfig hci0 name '[email protected]' - see my answer below: askubuntu.com/a/1326338/34298
    – rubo77
    Mar 26, 2021 at 17:41
22

What I did (on 12.04):

  1. device name is stored in /var/lib/bluetooth/XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX/config
  2. delete it
  3. restart (~# service bluetooth restart)
  4. device name is rewritten in config (according to /etc/bluetooth/main.conf ?)
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  • If you don't like the bluetooth version of the device name, i.e. hostname-0, you can replace the line "Name = %h – %d" to simply "Name = %h" in step 4 above, which will get rid of the numbering suffix, as I just did in 13.04.
    – Sadi
    Jul 10, 2013 at 17:31
  • this works on 15.04
    – Mark
    Jun 17, 2015 at 14:27
6

I am using Blueman Bluetooth Manager. There is an option to change a computer's BT name in:

Adapter → Parameters

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  • 1
    Thank you very much! This is more like the Ubuntu-way ( more user-friendly ;-) than other answers, and the latest version 1.23 has this feature via menu Adapter → Preferences → Friendly Name. Further info: github.com/blueman-project/blueman
    – Sadi
    Sep 21, 2014 at 8:02
6

To change the bluetooth host name permanently, on Ubuntu 14.04 or later:

Open a terminal with CTRL-ALT-T

  1. Edit /etc/bluetooth/main.conf replacing "%h" with the computer name you want. "%h" always seems to represent "ubuntu" on my systems for some reason.

    gksudo gedit /etc/bluetooth/main.conf

    For example change Name = %h-%d to Name = gruber-%d `

  2. Remove /var/lib/bluetooth/xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx/config to make your system forget the old name. The xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx has a hexadecimal value unique to your bluetooth hardware.

    sudo rm /var/lib/bluetooth/xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx/config

  3. Restart the bluetooth service

    sudo service bluetooth restart

    (Under 15.04 or later:)

    sudo systemctl restart bluetooth.service

You can check the new name by opening the Bluetooth settings. The last two steps are from Marx's answer.

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  • This is my preferred answer, but rather than delete the config file I would rather edit it, as in dreis nineoneone's answer. Incidentally, the service command still works in 15.04.
    – AFH
    Dec 6, 2015 at 16:01
3

The default Bluetooth package (bluez) comes with a command-line utility bluetoothctl that can set/reset the broadcast name (the "controller alias").

To change the broadcast name to new-name:

bluetoothctl system-alias new-name

To remove the alias, setting the broadcast name back to your computer's name:

bluetoothctl reset-alias

This will modify the appropriate settings in /var/lib/bluetooth automatically. MakeUseOf has a nice introduction on what you can do with bluetoothctl.

1
  • Works like a charming
    – daparic
    May 9, 2023 at 15:12
2

You can change the name of a bluetooth remote device on your PC :

  1. check the MAC adress of the device in the bluetooth settings. It looks:

    XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
    
  2. open the Terminal and type:

    sudo gedit /var/lib/bluetooth/XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX/config/info
    
  3. if it asks for the password, type it (you won't see it)

  4. the gedit will open up with that file.
  5. modify (only) the value corresponding to 'Name'

    Name=modified_name_as_you_like_it
    

The change will not be instantaneous !

  1. Restart the service (or the PC), using the command:

    sudo service bluetooth restart
    
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  • 1
    If your adapter has an alias, also edit /var/lib/bluetooth/XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX/settings, and change that.
    – Mr. B
    Jun 20, 2016 at 22:30
  • 1
    This doesn't appear to work in Ubuntu 18.04. When you restart the bluetooth service, the device isn renamed successfully but is not connected yet. When you connect, a new info file is written which overwrites your chances and the device name is therefore reset.
    – AlainD
    Oct 8, 2019 at 9:44
  • in Ubuntu 20.10 you have to edit the value Alias in /var/lib/bluetooth/*/settings
    – rubo77
    Mar 26, 2021 at 17:34
1

On Ubuntu 20.04 you can do this from the settings.

Settings > About > Device Name

Reboot your computer for the changes to take effect.

0
sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install -y nano
sudo nano /var/lib/bluetooth/*/config
sudo service bluetooth restart

Update the value for “name”. In my case, it was: Ubuntu-0

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  • 2
    This answer provides the same solution as many others, but with much less detail. Mar 17, 2016 at 18:12
0

In Ubuntu 20.10 look at

sudo grep Alias /var/lib/bluetooth/*/settings

edit the value Alias with

sudo gedit /var/lib/bluetooth/*/settings

For example call it [email protected]

Then call

sudo hciconfig hci0 name '[email protected]'`

No need for reboot or bluetooth restart.

Alternatively you can do this from the settings:

Settings -> Info -> Gerätename

I guess in english it is:

Settings -> About -> Device Name
0

In Ubuntu 22.04, the following GUI option allows renaming in the Bluetooth Manager:

  1. Bluetooth Manager
  2. Right click on BT device
  3. Rename device
  4. Enter new name

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