Searching Multiple Hostnames in SCCM: How to Actually Do It Without Losing Your Mind

You've been there. A security vulnerability drops, or maybe a department-wide hardware refresh is looming, and suddenly you have a spreadsheet with 150 computer names. Your boss needs to know which ones have a specific version of Chrome or enough disk space for an upgrade. If you’ve spent any time in the Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM) console—most of us still call it SCCM because old habits die hard—you know the "search" bar is, well, underwhelming. It’s great for finding one PC. It’s a total nightmare when you need to search up multiple hostname in sccm.

Seriously, why is there no "paste list" button in the standard search bar? It’s 2026, and we’re still jumping through hoops to do basic bulk lookups. But look, you aren't stuck. Whether you want to use the console's built-in criteria, dive into the WQL (WMI Query Language) backend, or just let PowerShell do the heavy lifting, there are ways to get this done fast.

The "Criteria" Trick Most Admins Forget

Most people click the search bar, type a name, and hit enter. When that doesn't work for a list, they give up. But if you look at the top of the console when you're in the Devices node, the Search tab opens up. There is a button called Add Criteria.

Here is the secret. You can add "Device Name" as a criteria multiple times, or better yet, use the is in or is like operators.

Honestly, the "is in" operator is a bit of a tease because it doesn't always handle a copy-paste from Excel very well. If you have five names, sure, type them in separated by semicolons. But if you have fifty? The console UI starts to lag, or it just truncates your string. It's clunky. It works in a pinch for three or four machines when you're too lazy to open up a script, but it’s definitely not the "pro" way to handle a bulk request.

Why the standard console search fails you

The SCCM console is essentially a skin over a SQL database. When you search, you're asking the provider to run a query. The problem is that the UI is designed for single-string matching. It’s looking for one value in one column. When you try to search up multiple hostname in sccm using the basic bar, you're fighting the way the tool was built.

The Query Builder: WQL for the Rest of Us

If you need a list that stays updated, you need a Query. This is different from a search. Queries live in the Monitoring workspace, but you can also use them to build a limited-time collection.

When you create a new query, you’re writing WQL. Don't let the name scare you. It’s just SQL’s slightly weirder cousin. To find multiple hostnames, you're going to use the IN operator.

Instead of writing Name = 'PC01' OR Name = 'PC02', you write something like this:

select * from SMS_R_System where SMS_R_System.Name in ("PC01","PC02","PC03")

It’s cleaner. It’s faster. But you still have to format that list. You can’t just dump a column from Excel into those parentheses; you need quotes and commas. I usually just use a quick Notepad++ find-and-replace (replace \r with ",") to wrap my list in the right syntax.

Why Queries are better than Searches

Queries are persistent. If you're chasing a list of machines that are failing a specific task sequence, you can just keep that query open. Refresh it. Watch the machines disappear as they're fixed. You can’t do that with a search result. Plus, you can export the results of a query directly to a CSV, which we all know is the "universal currency" of IT reporting.

PowerShell is the Real Answer

Let’s be real. If you’re doing this more than once a week, you should be using PowerShell. The ConfigurationManager module is... let's call it "particular." It can be slow. It can be finicky. But it is powerful.

To search up multiple hostname in sccm via PowerShell, you don't even really need the SCCM module if you have read access to the SQL database, but let’s stick to the "official" way first.

# The quick and dirty way
$CompList = Get-Content "C:\temp\pcs.txt"
foreach ($Name in $CompList) {
    Get-CMDevice -Name $Name | Select-Object Name, ClientVersion, LastLogonUser
}

This script is simple. It reads a text file. It loops. It finds. The downside? If you have 500 names, it’s going to take a while because it’s making 500 separate calls to the SMS Provider.

If you want speed, you use the Where-Object filter on a larger set, though that can hit your memory hard if your environment has 100,000+ objects. The middle ground is usually a filtered WMI query via Get-CmwmiObject.

A Note on Wildcards

Sometimes you aren't searching for exact hostnames. You're searching for a pattern. Maybe all the PCs in the London office start with LON-. In the SCCM search bar, you can use % as a wildcard, not *. It’s a common mistake. People type LON-* and wonder why nothing comes up. Switch to LON-% and suddenly the results flood in.

Creating a Temporary Collection

Sometimes the "search" isn't the end goal. Usually, you search because you need to do something to those machines. You need to deploy a script, push a piece of software, or force a restart.

In this case, don't bother searching. Just create a Direct Membership Collection.

1. Create a New Collection.
2. Limit it to "All Systems" (or a more specific parent if you're being responsible).
3. In the Membership Rules, choose Direct Rule.
4. When the wizard pops up, you can actually paste a list of names if you use the "Resource ID" or "Name" search, but it’s still one by one.

Wait, there's a better way. Use the "Import Objects" feature or a PowerShell snippet to add them to the collection in bulk.

Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule -CollectionName "Emergency Patching" -ResourceId (Get-CMDevice -Name "PC01").ResourceID

Wrap that in a foreach loop, and you've just turned a spreadsheet of 200 names into a functional SCCM collection in about 15 seconds. This is how you handle "the boss is standing over my shoulder" situations.

Common Pitfalls and Why You Can't Find Your PC

You've typed the name. You've checked the query. The machine is sitting right in front of you, but SCCM says it doesn't exist. Why?

• Obsolete Records: If you have aging out configured aggressively, the record might be gone.
• Discovery Issues: If the PC hasn't talked to Active Directory lately and you only use AD System Discovery, SCCM doesn't know it exists.
• Duplicate GUIDs: This is the silent killer. If you imaged a bunch of PCs but didn't strip the SMSID, they'll fight over a single record in the database. One appears, the other disappears.
• RBAC Permissions: Are you sure your administrative scope allows you to see these specific machines? If they moved to a new OU that you don't have rights to, they'll vanish from your search results.

Troubleshooting the "No Results" Mystery

If you're absolutely sure the hostname is correct, try searching by MAC address or Serial Number (SMBIOS GUID). Sometimes the hostname in the database is "Unknown" or stuck on an old name because the Heartbeat Discovery hasn't run since the rename.

📖 Related: Digital audio out optical: Why that glowing red port still beats HDMI for some setups

I’ve seen cases where a laptop was renamed in the field, but because it never connected back to the VPN, the SCCM record still reflected the name it had six months ago. Searching by the last 6 digits of the serial number is a much more reliable way to find a specific piece of hardware.

Actionable Next Steps for Faster Searching

Stop doing things manually. If you want to master the art of searching multiple hostnames without the headache, here is your roadmap:

• Clean your data first: Before searching, put your list into Excel or VS Code. Remove trailing spaces. One hidden space at the end of a hostname will break a WQL IN statement or a PowerShell lookup every single time.
• Build a "Scratch" Collection: Keep a empty collection named "Admin Sandbox." Use PowerShell to dump hostnames into it whenever you need to perform actions. It's much faster than using the search UI.
• Learn the SQL View names: If you have Read-Only access to the SQL database (via SQL Management Studio), search there instead. It is infinitely faster than the SCCM Console. Use v_R_System. A simple SELECT * FROM v_R_System WHERE Name0 IN ('PC1', 'PC2') will return results in milliseconds, even in massive environments.
• Standardize your Wildcards: Remember that SCCM uses SQL syntax. % is your friend for partial matches, not the asterisk.

Searching shouldn't be the hardest part of your job. By moving away from the basic search bar and embracing WQL or PowerShell, you turn a twenty-minute chore into a five-second script.