This article applies to PRTG Network Monitor 13.2.4.2288/2289 or later

Disabling Automatic Numbering of Groups, Devices, and Sensors

When adding objects to your device tree in PRTG, an incrementing number is automatically attached to the names of new groups, devices, and sensors. The same is true for new objects added by PRTG’s auto-discovery.

However, it might be the case that you do not want these numbers within your object names. For this concern, there is a registry key option to centrally disable automatic numbering of objects in PRTG altogether. If you apply this registry hack, numbers are not attached to sensor names anymore when using the auto-discovery, for example.

Caution: Please back up your system before manipulating the Windows registry!

Steps to Go

1. Open the registry editor and navigate to the following key:
   1. On a 64-bit Windows system, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Paessler\PRTG Network Monitor\Server\Webserver
   2. On a 32-bit Windows version, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Paessler\PRTG Network Monitor\Server\Webserver
2. Create a new DWORD: in the current path, right-click, choose New | DWORD Value, and name the new value AutonumbersOff
3. Set the value of AutonumbersOff to 1: right-click on AutonumbersOff and select Modify…. In the value field, enter 1. Confirm with Ok.
4. Reboot the server to activate the settings.

With this registry key option, new groups, devices, and sensors will not be automatically named with numbers any more. Setting the value of the DWORD to 0 will enable auto-numbering again.

Note: The result of the registry edit described above is the default behavior for new installations as of PRTG version 15.3.19. As of this version, PRTG does not have an automatic object numbering anymore. If you add new sensors, reports, maps, or libraries, the object name will not get a number appended.

To switch on automatic numbering for new installations, follow the instructions above and use 0 in the value field.