There are so many reasons one would like to rename a SharePoint 2010 web application, whether for consistency sake, cosmetics or even to correct misspellings, now with the power of PowerShell it’s just a walk in the park. It is true, the following script would not rename the IIS site and the Application pool, but if to manually rename the IIS site is pretty easily done I would definitely not recommend touching the Application pool.

So, let’s get down to the business of renaming the web application by creating a new PowerShell (.ps1) file using Notepad and by pasting the following code into it:

$rwa=Get-SPWebApplication | where {$_.Name -match "Your Old Web Application Name"}
$rwa.Name
$rwa.Name="Your New Web Application Name"
$rwa.Update()
Get-SPWebApplication | where {$_.Name -match "Your New Web Application Name"}

Give it a name, like RenameWebApp.ps1 and save in under C:\ on your SharePoint 2010 server.

Open SharePoint 2010 Management Shell, make sure you are under C:\ (use “CD..” to move under C:\)and type or Copy and right-click Paste this command ./RenameWebApp.ps1

Hit Enter and your web application has a new name.

Go to SharePoint 2010 Central Administration >> Application Management and click on “Manage web application” to see that you web application has a new name.