How to Use the Windows Registry Editor?
Here in this article, we try to give you more information about how to use the Windows Registry Editor safely. Windows is a system that can be customized in different ways and many individuals like configuring it in their own unique ways. The majority of these adjustments actually involve Registry modifications. But Microsoft itself is not more talked about Regedit even the Help feature does not provide instructions on how to use it, and it is not included in the All Programs menu. In Windows, Vista/7 Microsoft gives a few details about Regedit but it is still not that much helpful to understand how to use it.
Before doing anything in the registry editor you must follow the steps given below:
- The first thing you have to keep in your mind is that the registry editor is unchangeable so before making any changes you must first back up the Registry. For backup, you can create System Restore Point first.
- If you want a complete backup of the Registry, open Regedit, click on Computer and right-click on it, and select the Export option. Name the file and specify where you want it to be saved.
- Try to modify one Registry at a time at first. Observe that the system functions as it did before you edited the registry. Remember that a lot of Registry adjustments need you to log off or reboot for them to take effect.
- Roll it back before attempting another approach if there are numerous options and the first one doesn’t work.
- Don’t alter the registry numerous times at once.
- If there are any registry-related tasks you need to perform, take them one at a time so you can immediately identify the source and culprit if a problem arises.
- You must ensure that the source you are using to edit the Registry is a trustworthy one. Due to the fact that information offered online is frequently unreliable and sometimes hazardous to your system.
How to Open Regedit?
To open the Windows registry follow the steps:
- Regedit can be found by typing it into the taskbar search box on Windows. If not, you can launch the Run window by hitting the Windows key and R and typing regedit.
- Press the Ok or Enter button.
- Click Yes to launch the Registry Editor if User Account Control asks you to.
The registry’s organizational structure and the many types of information it contains must be understood in order to gain a deeper understanding of the registry. Let’s go to the learning phase now.
Types of Information in the Registry
Basically, information is divided into two main sorts that computer system requires. One category provides information related to computers. These are settings that affect the entire system, including the system hardware, and are named Local Machine. Listed under the heading Users, a different category provides information on the user and includes details particular to each user account. Current User refers to the user who first signed on.
Registry’s Organisational Structure
The information in the Registry is given in tree structure form. Informational storage units are referred to as “keys” in the Registry. Keys have folder and subfolder which is referred to as “value”. The actual data may be a number, a string, or a set of numbers, and it can be in any one of several different forms. The next point is root keys.
For example, just as computers have files and folders, the Registry also has a folder called root keys that appears at the top of the hierarchy of keys and values. As was already mentioned, there are two categories in the Registry which together make up two root keys. The root keys are referred to as “hives” and go by the name “HKEY”. There are five root keys; two are primary keys and the other three are either single subkeys or groups of subkeys.
- HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT- COM registration and file association.
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER- Information about the logged-in account.
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE- System information.
- HKEY_USERS- Information about each account.
- HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG- Profile information about the system.
How to Use Regedit in Windows 10?
The Regedit has a two-pane user interface on the left side there is a “key pane” and on the right side there is a “value pane”.
The first step is to open the registry editor by going Windows search box type “registry” and on the search result click on Registry Editor or Run as administrator.
Now you have to navigate a key by the search bar above. You can paste the directory of the key to navigate for editing.
If you don’t the location of the key you can use the Find option. Go to the Regedit menu click on Edit then select the Find option otherwise you can use the shortcut key Ctrl+F. Click “Find Next” to get better results while searching for something with two words, select “Match complete string only” to get a more accurate result.
Whatever entry in the Windows Defender key or folder can be double-clicked to reveal its value and modification options.
If you want to create a new key or value you have to right-click on the anywhere in the blank space and click on new then key or nay value options. If it’s a key, you should give it the proper name. You ought to refer to a mentor for values.
When you are doing any changes in the registry and you need a backup. You can export a registry key go to the File menu and clicking on the Export option. If you reinstall it you can import the registry by going File menu and clicking on the Import option. Select “Selected branch” and then hit “Save” after giving the file a memorable name. The convenience of doing a backup in this manner.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed how to use the registry editor safely. Registry Editor is complex but it is just a database of configuration settings for Microsoft Windows OS. It stores information and settings for hardware devices, software programs, and operating system configurations. Here we learn how to open Regedit, what are information’s stored in the Registry, and information about the structure of the Registry. We hope this article will be helpful to you know more about the Registry.