I'm running into an issue with device naming in Jamf School (not Jamf Pro) and could use some clarification.
Setup:
Device: Mac mini (2024), macOS 26.6.2 Enrollment: Automated Device Enrollment (User Approved Enrollment) Device Details > Name field shows "Set by policy"
Issue: The Mac's local computer name was changed after enrollment (directly on the device), but this change is not reflected in the Jamf School console — the inventory still shows the old name. I tried the "refresh" button next to Details on the device page, but it does not pull in the updated name.
Questions:
What exactly does the "Enable Renaming Devices" checkbox under Organization > Settings > Enrollment do — does it affect already-enrolled devices, or only new enrollments/Setup Assistant? Since this device's name is "Set by policy" (likely from the ADE naming scheme/template), is there a way to sync the device's current local name into Jamf School's inventory, or does Jamf School always treat the naming policy as the source of truth (i.e., it would push the policy name back to the device rather than pick up the local rename)? Is there a supported way to force-refresh/re-sync a single device's name after a local rename, short of unenrolling and re-enrolling it?
Any guidance on the correct workflow here would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Best answer by GregBobbett
Hey Klaus,
Hopefully I can answer your questions.
According to Jamf’s docs, "Enable Renaming Devices" to automatically rename devices without a placeholder name or a name specified in an Automated Device Enrollment profile, select the Enable Renaming Devices checkbox and enter the new name in the Rename to... field. Basically if you don’t already have a pre-set name nor an automatic naming convention in your ADE it will use what you put here. In my case I use ADE automatic naming with variables [typically, %LocationName% - %LastName%, %FirstName,1%.] to capture the User’s name and the assigned location.
Now how to get the new name on the device info page after it’s been renamed locally. Since the settings are to use the ADE or the ‘Enable renaming devices’ setting and the Device info ‘Name’ is ‘Set by Policy’ it should actually rename the device to whatever the policy sets. To get it to match the local, on the device’s inventory page > click Edit Details button. Then under the device name click ‘Manually Change’. You should see the name set on the device populate. Click Save and you should be set. If you didn’t change, it’s possible the device was automatically renamed to the ADE setting before you tried this step. I tested this on both a Mac Neo and an iPad with good results.
You can also use the ‘Manually Change’ to change the name of the device locally. Just type in what you want the local device to be named and it’ll rename the device locally too.
According to Jamf’s docs, "Enable Renaming Devices" to automatically rename devices without a placeholder name or a name specified in an Automated Device Enrollment profile, select the Enable Renaming Devices checkbox and enter the new name in the Rename to... field. Basically if you don’t already have a pre-set name nor an automatic naming convention in your ADE it will use what you put here. In my case I use ADE automatic naming with variables [typically, %LocationName% - %LastName%, %FirstName,1%.] to capture the User’s name and the assigned location.
Now how to get the new name on the device info page after it’s been renamed locally. Since the settings are to use the ADE or the ‘Enable renaming devices’ setting and the Device info ‘Name’ is ‘Set by Policy’ it should actually rename the device to whatever the policy sets. To get it to match the local, on the device’s inventory page > click Edit Details button. Then under the device name click ‘Manually Change’. You should see the name set on the device populate. Click Save and you should be set. If you didn’t change, it’s possible the device was automatically renamed to the ADE setting before you tried this step. I tested this on both a Mac Neo and an iPad with good results.
You can also use the ‘Manually Change’ to change the name of the device locally. Just type in what you want the local device to be named and it’ll rename the device locally too.
