How to Get Computer Name in C#

1. Use the Environment.MachineName Property to Get the Computer Name in C#
2. Use the GetHostName() Method to Get the Computer Name in C#
3. Pass the "COMPUTERNAME" String to the System.Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable() Method to Get the Computer Name in C#
4. Use the SystemInformation.ComputerName Property to Get the Computer Name in C#

There are different ways a developer can get the computer name in C#. The technical term for computer name is NetBIOS name assigned by Windows to communicate over networks.

There are four different methods to find and get the computer name in C#.

Use the Environment.MachineName Property to Get the Computer Name in C#

Environment class is useful for getting various operating system-related information, including the computer name. MachineName property is predefined in the Environment class and can get the computer name.

Environment.MachineName method returns a string that contains the computer name. It throws InvalidOperationException when this property does not get the computer’s name.

using System;

class GetComputerName {
  static public void Main() {
    string ComputerName = Environment.MachineName;
    Console.WriteLine("Computer Name: " + ComputerName);
  }
}

The Environment class is inherited from the System.Object and provides information about the current platform of the executable C# code.

Use the GetHostName() Method to Get the Computer Name in C#

The GetHostName() method of the Dns class is present in the System.Net namespace. Use System.Net namespace and define the GetHostName() method to retrieve the computer name.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Net;

namespace GetComputerName {

  class ComputerName {
    static void Main(string[] args) {
      string Name = Dns.GetHostName();
      Console.WriteLine("Computer Name: " + Name);
    }
  }
}

The NetBIOS name of the computer is restricted to 15 characters, and this method helps get the complete computer name. When resolving the local computer name, it can throw a SocketException error.

Pass the "COMPUTERNAME" String to the System.Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable() Method to Get the Computer Name in C#

The Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable() method is useful for getting the computer name in C# for the current user. The environment variable contains the path of the Windows directory.

using System;

namespace GetComputerName {

  class ComputerName {
    static void Main(string[] args) {
      string Name = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("COMPUTERNAME");
      Console.WriteLine("Computer Name: " + Name);
      Console.ReadLine();
    }
  }
}

GetEnvironmentVariable() method is equivalent to calling the GetEnvironmentVariabble(String, EnvironmentVariableTarget) method with a target value of EnvironmentVariableTarget.Process.

Environment variable names are not case-sensitive on Windows but can be extremely critical and sensitive on macOS and Linux.

Use the SystemInformation.ComputerName Property to Get the Computer Name in C#

It gets the local computer’s NetBIOS name, limited to only 15 characters. It gets the computer name of the current computer displayed to other users on a network.

using System;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

class ComputerName {
  public static void Main() {
    Console.WriteLine("Computer Name: " + SystemInformation.ComputerName);
  }
}

ComputerName method is only executable after inserting System.Drawing and System.Windows.Forms namespaces in your Solution Explorer containing all your project files.

In conclusion, these are the four methods to get the computer name in C#. Each method is unique and can be executable under specific circumstances or conditions.