How to Change Your VPS Hostname — VPSGrid Knowledge Base
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Client Area

How to Change Your VPS Hostname

KB-092, VPS Management, VPSGrid, unmanaged 0 found helpful

What a VPS hostname is

A hostname is the name the operating system (and related tools) use to identify your server — for example web01.example.com. It is separate from your public IP address and separate from DNS records that point a domain to that IP.

Safe hostname examples: server1.example.com or web01.example.com. Avoid spaces. Prefer letters, numbers, and hyphens. Use a valid hostname or FQDN where your software expects one.

Changing the hostname does not change your public IP, billing identity, or erase server data. It can affect applications that were configured around the previous name — update those configs if needed.

Change hostname from the VPSGrid Client Area

The Client Area Change Hostname control is available only on:

  • Blaze Linux
  • Blaze Windows

It is not available on Spark, Flame, or WordPress VPS products. On those plans, change the hostname inside the guest operating system (sections below).

Blaze only — Client Area steps

  1. Sign in to the VPSGrid Client Area.
  2. Open Services → My Services → your Blaze VPS.
  3. In the service information area, use the Edit control (shown when hostname change is enabled for the product).
  4. In the Edit Server dialog, update the Hostname field.
  5. Confirm to save.

Important: This updates the hostname associated with your service in the Client Area. It does not reliably replace setting the hostname inside the guest operating system. After using the Client Area control — or if you do not have that control — use the Linux or Windows method below so the OS hostname matches what you intend.

This Client Area action does not create DNS records, change reverse DNS, or change your public IP.

Change hostname on Linux

Use this on all Linux VPS plans (including Spark, Flame, Blaze, and WordPress VPS when you have SSH access). VPSGrid Linux templates use systemd-based distributions (Ubuntu 24, AlmaLinux 10, Debian 13, Rocky Linux 10), where hostnamectl is supported.

  1. Connect with SSH. See How to Connect via SSH to Your VPSGrid Linux VPS.
  2. View the current hostname:
hostnamectl
  1. Set a new hostname (replace new-hostname with your chosen name, for example web01.example.com):
hostnamectl set-hostname new-hostname
  1. Confirm with hostnamectl again.

You do not need to edit configuration files for a basic hostname change when hostnamectl succeeds. A reboot is usually not required for the new hostname to take effect in the OS, though some applications may need a restart to pick up the new name.

Change hostname on Windows

Use this on Windows VPS plans (Spark, Flame, and Blaze Windows). VPSGrid offers Windows 10, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2022.

  1. Connect with Remote Desktop (RDP).
  2. Open Settings → System → About.
  3. Select Rename this PC (wording may vary slightly by Windows edition).
  4. Enter the new computer name and confirm.
  5. Restart the VPS so the new name takes effect. You can reboot from Windows or use How to Reboot Your VPS from the Client Area.

Do not use registry edits to rename the computer.

Hostname vs DNS

Changing the VPS hostname does not automatically:

  • Create DNS records
  • Point a domain to the VPS
  • Change an A record
  • Configure reverse DNS (rDNS)
  • Change the VPS public IP

To point a domain at your VPS IP, follow How to Point a Domain to Your VPS IP and Pointing Your Domain to Your VPS. For background on hostnames, see What Is a Hostname?.

WordPress VPS

WordPress VPS products do not include the Client Area hostname-change control. Change the underlying Linux hostname over SSH with hostnamectl as described above. The browser noVNC console is not available on WordPress VPS products.

Troubleshooting / contact support

  • If you do not see an Edit control next to service information, your plan does not include Client Area hostname change — use the OS method instead.
  • If software still shows the old name after a change, restart that service or reboot the VPS.
  • Hostname issues do not change your IP or DNS by themselves; check DNS separately if a domain is not resolving.

Open a support ticket with your service ID, primary IP, plan (Spark / Flame / Blaze / WordPress), and whether you changed the Client Area hostname, the OS hostname, or both. See How to Open a Support Ticket for VPS Issues.

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