How to Change HWID on Windows 10 and 11: What Can Change

A Windows PC carries at least nine identifiers, and only two of them change through a documented Windows or vendor method: the MAC address and the volume serial number. The rest come from firmware or silicon and change only when the part does, or, like MachineGuid, have no documented way to change them at all. That is the firmware wall, and most "how to change HWID" questions run straight into it. This guide, checked against Microsoft, Intel and NVIDIA documentation in November 2026, shows each identifier, where it comes from and the official way to change it where one exists.

What is an HWID on a Windows PC?

An HWID on a Windows PC is a set of identifiers, not a single number, that Windows and the software running on it read from the motherboard firmware, the drives, the network adapter, the graphics card, the monitor and the TPM.

Windows reads the system UUID from the System Information structure, SMBIOS Type 1, which the motherboard firmware supplies. A UUID is a 128-bit value, and Windows reports all zeros when the firmware supplies none.

Windows also builds its own computer hardware IDs. A computer hardware ID, or CHID, is a GUID hashed with SHA-1 from SMBIOS fields such as the manufacturer, family, product name, SKU, BIOS vendor, BIOS version and baseboard product. Windows generates CHIDs every time the system boots. On Windows 10 and later there are 15 of them, HardwareID-0 to HardwareID-14, from most to least specific. ComputerHardwareIds.exe, a tool in the Windows Driver Kit, prints them.

The "Hardware Ids" in Device Manager are a third thing. Microsoft defines a hardware ID as a vendor-defined string that Windows uses to match a device to a driver package, so it names a product and revision rather than your individual unit.

For the longer HWID primer, read our explainer on what hwid means and where windows reads it from. When a game issues an hwid ban, it attaches the penalty to device identifiers like these instead of a login.

Before changing anything, list what your PC reports. Device Manager shows the device strings under Properties, Details, Hardware Ids.

Which hardware IDs can you change in Windows?

Windows lets you change two hardware-linked identifiers through documented methods: the MAC address your network adapter uses and the serial number of a formatted volume.

Everything else sits behind the firmware wall. The system UUID, the disk serial, the GPU UUID, the monitor serial and the TPM endorsement key come from the hardware itself, and Windows only reads them. The Win32_ComputerSystemProduct UUID property is read-only.

MachineGuid is the odd one out. It is a Windows registry value under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Cryptography, so it belongs to the Windows installation rather than a chip. Microsoft documents no supported way to change it, so treat any tool that edits it as unsupported.

That gives "how to change HWID permanently" a short answer. For a firmware or silicon ID, the permanent change is a new part.

How do you change your MAC address in Windows 10 and 11?

Windows changes the Wi-Fi MAC address for you through a setting called random hardware addresses. Microsoft gives privacy as the reason: a random address makes a device harder to track while it scans for and joins networks.

On Windows 11, for every network:

1. Open Settings and go to Network & internet, then Wi-Fi.
2. Turn on Random hardware addresses.

For one network only, go to Network & internet, Wi-Fi, Manage known networks, pick the network and turn on Random hardware addresses there. On Windows 10 the switch is called "Use random hardware addresses" under Network & Internet, Wi-Fi. Microsoft's Wi-Fi connection guide has both versions.

That covers Wi-Fi. Ethernet is messier, because wired adapters depend on the driver. Intel's Ethernet driver has a Locally Administered Address setting on the adapter's Advanced tab in Device Manager. You type a 12-digit hexadecimal address, which must be unicast: Intel rejects multicast, all-zero and all-F addresses. To go back, delete the value or select Use Default. Other vendors' drivers may label it differently, so check your adapter's Advanced tab.

Intel also says to make sure no other device on your network uses the address you pick, so check before you save it.

Does reinstalling Windows change your HWID?

Reinstalling Windows gives the system volume a new serial number and leaves the hardware identifiers alone.

Windows assigns a volume serial number when it formats a drive, so a clean install that formats the system partition gives that volume a new serial. The disk serial number is different: the drive manufacturer assigns it, and Windows reports it through the SerialNumber property of Win32_PhysicalMedia. Formatting does not change it.

The system UUID, the CHIDs, the GPU UUID, the monitor serial and the TPM endorsement key all survive a reinstall, because none of them is stored on the drive.

Back up your files before you format anything, because a format wipes the volume.

Can you change the motherboard UUID or the disk serial number?

You can't change the motherboard UUID or the disk serial number from Windows. Both come from the hardware, and Windows exposes them as read-only values.

The system UUID lives in the UUID member of the SMBIOS System Information structure. Win32_ComputerSystemProduct reports it, and Microsoft lists the property's access type as read-only. The motherboard firmware supplies it.

A BIOS update does move some Windows IDs, though. The BIOS version and release fields feed the most specific CHIDs, HardwareID-0 to HardwareID-2 on Windows 10 and later, so those three can change after a BIOS update. The system UUID is not one of the CHID fields.

To see your own UUID, run this in PowerShell: Get-CimInstance Win32_ComputerSystemProduct | Select-Object UUID.

Do the GPU and monitor have their own IDs?

The graphics card and the monitor each carry identifiers of their own, and neither changes without new hardware.

NVIDIA describes the GPU UUID as "the globally unique immutable alphanumeric identifier of the GPU". Its board serial number matches the serial printed on the card. Run nvidia-smi -L to list each NVIDIA GPU with its UUID.

A monitor reports itself through EDID. WmiMonitorID, a Windows WMI class, reads the manufacturer, product code, serial number and year of manufacture from the VESA E-EDID block the monitor sends.

A new card or a new screen brings new values. No Windows setting edits either one.

Does clearing the TPM change your hardware ID?

Clearing the TPM does not give it a new identity. Microsoft says the TPM endorsement key is unique for every TPM, can identify it, and can't be changed or removed.

Clearing the TPM does something else. It resets the TPM to an unowned state and deletes the keys created on it, along with data those keys protect, such as a sign-in PIN or a virtual smart card. Windows then takes ownership again.

If you clear it for a legitimate reason, such as before a clean install, use Windows Security (Windows Defender Security Center in Microsoft's steps): Device security, Security processor details, Security processor troubleshooting, Clear TPM. Microsoft says to clear it from the operating system rather than from UEFI, and not on a work or school PC unless your IT administrator tells you to.

To read the endorsement key's public half, run Get-TpmEndorsementKeyInfo in an elevated PowerShell window. For the TPM itself, including TPM 2.0 requirements in games, see our guide to what tpm 2.0 does on a gaming pc.

What happens to Windows activation after a hardware change?

Windows activation can fail after a big hardware change, because the digital license is tied to the PC's hardware.

Microsoft says that after a significant change, such as replacing the motherboard, Windows no longer finds a license that matches the device. The fix is the Activation troubleshooter. On Windows 11 it appears only while Windows is not activated:

1. Sign in with an administrator account.
2. On Windows 11, open Settings, System, Activation, Troubleshoot. On Windows 10 it is Settings, Update & Security, Activation, Troubleshoot.
3. Select "I changed hardware on this device recently", then Next.
4. Sign in with the Microsoft account linked to your license.
5. Tick the device you're using now and select Activate.

Microsoft's page on reactivating Windows after a hardware change has the full steps for both versions. Link your license to a Microsoft account before you swap a motherboard.

Can you change your HWID to get around a game ban?

Changing or masking your HWID to get around a game ban breaks the terms of games that issue hardware bans, as Riot's and EA's own terms show.

Riot Games' Terms of Service list hardware bans among the penalties in section 7.1. The same section prohibits "circumventing any technological measure". EA's User Agreement lets EA ban a device or machine in section 8, and section 7(A) says an attempt to circumvent, disable or tamper with its technical protection measures terminates your license.

Riot is not alone, as our roundup of which games ban hardware shows, and the anti-cheat software behind those bans differs from game to game; our comparison of how easy anti-cheat, battleye and vanguard handle bans lays the differences out.

A spoofer does not change the hardware. It reports different values to the software that asks, which is the kind of circumvention those clauses prohibit. Before you weigh one, read our page on hwid spoofer safety and our explainer on spoofing that survives a reboot.

Disclosure: sync.top sells the sync hwid spoofer, a tool of that kind. It cannot guarantee anything, and using it to return after a ban runs against terms like those quoted above. If you want to see how it behaves on your own PC first, you can try the spoofer free.

If you think a ban is a mistake, the publisher's appeal is the official route. Our notes on how long bans last and how appeals go cover the common cases.

HWID change FAQ

Does a VPN change your HWID?

A VPN does not change your HWID. It changes the IP address that remote servers see, while the system UUID, disk serials, GPU UUID and TPM endorsement key stay exactly as the hardware reports them.

Does updating the BIOS change your HWID?

A BIOS update changes some Windows computer hardware IDs but not the system UUID. The BIOS version and release fields feed CHIDs HardwareID-0 to HardwareID-2, while the SMBIOS system UUID sits outside the CHID fields.

How do I check my system UUID in Windows?

Run Get-CimInstance Win32_ComputerSystemProduct | Select-Object UUID in PowerShell. The value comes from SMBIOS Type 1, and Windows shows all zeros if the firmware supplies no UUID.

Can changing a MAC address cause problems?

Changing a MAC address in Windows causes trouble when the new address breaks the vendor rules. Intel requires a unicast address that no other device on the network uses, and rejects all-zero and all-F values; select Use Default to undo the change.

Rules change. Check Microsoft's and the publisher's official pages before you act on anything here.