How can I link a device in hand to one in the account?
The names in my account are all things like PC-QWEWQE
However the device name in it’s settings not this, they all have sensible names.
I was expecting to be able to open up norton on each device and see what name it’s reporting itself as, however that doesn’t seem to be the case.
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bjm
August 22, 2026, 11:29am
2
wcndave:
How can I link a device in hand to one in the account?
Hello @wcndave
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fwiw ~ by my experience, Norton initially picks up a device name/identifier provided by the OS — on Windows, the msinfo32 “System Name”; on Android, in my case, the device/Model name
fwiw ~ I did a test with one device whose identity I already knew. I renamed it on the My Devices page, restarted the PC, and the new name then appeared under Norton Settings → About. So there does appear to be a way to use the Norton client itself to correlate a physical PC with its My Devices entry.
That said, I’m not suggesting this is a definitive 19-device solution — I’ve only tested it once, and I started with a device I already knew. It would need to be repeated on the other machines to establish whether this is consistently practical.
Note: the My Devices entry for my test machine originally was the Windows System Name (HPW11). I then renamed it to HPW11TEST on the My Devices page. The Windows System Name remained HPW11. After restarting the PC, Norton Settings → About showed HPW11TEST. So, at least in this case, the Norton device name appears to have initially been populated from the Windows System Name, but thereafter exists independently of it.
This is hardly an elegant 19-device solution, but perhaps there’s a useful breadcrumb here. Since my test device’s Norton name originally matched its Windows System Name, you could try renaming one of the PC-QWEWQE entries to something like PC-QWEWQE-01 in My Devices, then restart that particular PC and check Norton → Settings → About . If it reports PC-QWEWQE-01, you’ve at least identified that machine without having to change the Windows System Name. From there, rinse and repeat — admittedly not a very attractive prospect 19 times.
Here’s how I’d approach it, although I wouldn’t call this an elegant 19-device solution.
First, I’d try to match the Windows System Name to the name shown under My Devices . I found the System Name easily with msinfo32 → System Information → System Name .
If there’s a match, open Norton on that physical PC and check Settings → About → Device Name to confirm it.
If the My Devices entry is one of the generic PC-QWEWQE names, you could use it as a breadcrumb: rename that Norton entry to something like PC-QWEWQE-01 , restart the suspected PC, and then check Settings → About . In my test, the new Norton-side name appeared there even though the Windows System Name itself had not changed.
That’s only one test on a device whose identity I already knew, so I’m definitely not claiming this is a proven 19-device solution . But it might provide a reasonably painless way to work through them and establish which Norton entry belongs to which physical PC.
Unless someone has a better idea, I’d start with the known Windows System Name . You can find it with msinfo32 → System Information → System Name.
If that name appears under My Devices , I’d rename the Norton entry to something convenient/obvious for tracking — perhaps HPW11-01 — and then check Norton → Settings → About → Device Name on the physical PC to confirm the association.
If the My Devices entry is instead one of the generic PC-QWEWQE names, I’d try the same breadcrumb approach: rename it to PC-QWEWQE-01, restart the suspected PC, and check Settings → About. That’s the one part I’ve actually tested, and the renamed Norton device name appeared there even though the Windows System Name hadn’t changed.
Not claiming this is an elegant 19-device solution — it’s just the most practical way I can see to establish the mappings without reinstalling anything.
At least this way I’m not messing with the Windows System Names. I’m using the existing System Name to establish the starting point, and only changing the Norton device name for identification/convenience. That seems a lot less disruptive than renaming the PCs themselves just to make the Norton list usable.
At least this approach leaves the Windows System Names completely untouched. I’m using the existing System Name as my starting point and, if necessary, changing only the Norton-side device name for identification. That way, if I ever stop using Norton, the PC’s identity isn’t tied to whatever naming scheme I happened to use in Norton.
If OP owns/controls all 19 PCs, then the simplest chronology is:
Windows machines originally have whatever System Names they had.
Norton is installed/registered and picks up those names.
OP later gives the PCs “sensible” names.
Norton retains the original device-record names.
But if those 19 Norton seats are distributed among other people , all bets are off. The PC-QWEWQE names could reflect the machines’ names at the time each person/device was enrolled , and OP may have little knowledge of what those names originally were.
In that case, the phrase “they all have sensible names” tells us almost nothing about the historical Norton names.
And there is another possibility: OP may have inherited an existing Norton account/device list . Some of those 19 entries could have been created years ago, on machines that no longer exist or have since been renamed/replaced.
So my revised post is not assuming the chronology . The msinfo32 → System Name check can give us evidence about the current machines, while my Norton-side rename test provides a way to establish the mapping when the names don’t match.
Were PCs renamed?
At this point, 19 devices is almost a data-management problem rather than a Norton problem. The interesting question is how those 19 devices got into the account in the first place.
Are all 19 devices PCs you personally manage?
Were they originally named PC-XXXXXX, or were they renamed later?
What does msinfo32 → System Name
Were all 19 Norton installations performed by you?
Are some Norton seats being used by other people?
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