How Do I Rename a Vultr Compute Instance or Change Its Hostname?

1 min readUpdated 26 October 2026

Renaming changes only the Vultr label; changing the hostname there reinstalls the server and erases data.

You can rename your Vultr Compute Instance to update how it appears in the Vultr Console. If you want to change the actual hostname inside the server's operating system, you’ll need to update it from within the instance.

Note

Changing the hostname using the Vultr Console triggers a full server reinstall because it uses cloud-init to set the hostname during provisioning. This process erases all data on the server, including the operating system and files.

Rename a Vultr Compute Instance

To change the instance name in the Vultr Console:

Log in to the Vultr Console.
Navigate to the Products > Compute section.
Click the instance you want to rename.
Under the instance Overview, click on the name of the instance to change it's name.
Enter the new name and save.

This changes the display name os a instance.

Change the Hostname of the Instance

To change the system-level hostname inside your instance without reinstalling the server, follow the guide on How to Change the Hostname of a Vultr Cloud Server.

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Rename a Vultr Compute Instance and Change Its OS Hostname | Vultr Docs