How To Use Regedit Easy Windows Registry Editor Guide

If you aren’t an administrator on your current computer, you won’t be able to open the Registry Editor. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

You may have to scroll up to the top of the sidebar to see this icon. This step will allow you to back up the entire Registry, but you can do this with a specific folder or set of folders in the Registry as well. You should always make a new backup of the entire Registry before editing it. [2] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source

Be sure to save the backup somewhere you can revisit easily. You can save a copy of the backup on a flash drive for redundancy. If you’re looking for a new flash drive, check out our coupon site for Office Depot discount or our coupon site for Staples.

Make sure the “Export range” at the bottom of the window is set to “All”. If you are backing up only a section of the registry, set the range to “Selected branch” and ensure the field contains the appropriate key(s).

If Computer already shows several folders below it, it is already expanded.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT - The most complex of your Registry’s five main folders, it contains many of the applications used to open or read other files. HKEY_CURRENT_USER - This folder contains info unique to the logged-in user, such as your personal folders and Control Panel settings. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - This folder contains info that applies to all users on the computer, including driver and OS settings. HKEY_USERS - This folder contains the info within HKEY_CURRENT_USER, as well as info for all other users on the computer. HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG - This folder stores your computer’s current configuration, which is also located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, alongside any other configurations on your computer.

For example, if you click the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder, you should see at least one icon on the right side of the page with the name (Default).

You can also double-click folders to expand them. Some folders (e. g. , HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT) contain hundreds of subfolders, meaning that expanding them will result in the left-hand sidebar becoming flooded with subfolders. The Registry can be hard to navigate when this happens, but all folders are arranged alphabetically.

File - Import or export a Registry file, or print a selected item. Edit - Change aspects of a selected Registry item, or create a new one. View - Enable or disable the Registry address bar (not all versions of Windows 10 have this feature). You can also view the binary data for a selected Registry item. Favorite - Add a selected Registry item to your computer’s Favorites folder. Help - View Microsoft’s help page for the Registry.

String Value - These are things that control system functions (e. g. , keyboard speed or icon size). DWORD Value - DWORD values work with string values to dictate how certain system processes work. Key - A Registry “Key” is just a folder. There are several variations of DWORD values and string values that you might select depending on the instruction you’re given.

Key names cannot include a backslash (). [3] X Research source If you want to edit the item, you’ll have to double-click it to open its contents and then modify them as needed.

Before proceeding, create a backup of the Registry. Keep in mind that doing this for any item other than the one you just created may permanently damage your computer.

Revisit the Registry Editor at any time to restore your backup (and therefore the deleted item).

Only restore a backup if you are certain it is a functioning copy of the Registry, and not one that can cause damage to your computer.