How do I open and edit the Windows registry?

Updated: 12/05/2021 by Computer Promise

Fixing Windows errors, tweaking Windows features, or completely removing a programme can sometimes require you to edit the Windows registry. This page provides aid with opening and viewing the Windows registry, editing, and deleting registry values.

How to open the Windows registry

To open the Windows registry, follow the steps below for your version of Windows.

Note

If you have restricted access to the Windows computer you're logged in to, you may not be able to access the Windows registry.

Windows eleven

  1. On the Windows taskbar, click the magnifying glass icon.

Search icon on Windows 11 taskbar

  1. In the text field at the top of the search window, blazon regedit and press Enter.
  2. If prompted past User Account Control, click Yes to open the Registry Editor.
  3. The Windows Registry Editor window should open and wait similar to the example shown beneath.

Microsoft Windows 11 Registry Editor

Windows 10

  1. Type regedit in the Windows search box on the taskbar and press Enter.
  2. If prompted by User Account Command, click Yes to open up the Registry Editor.
  3. The Windows Registry Editor window should open up and look similar to the example shown below.

Microsoft Windows 10 Registry Editor

Windows 8

  1. Type regedit on the Start screen and select the regedit option in the search results.
  2. If prompted by User Business relationship Control, click Yeah to open up the Registry Editor.
  3. The Windows Registry Editor window should open and look similar to the example shown beneath.

Microsoft Windows 8 Registry Editor

Windows seven and earlier

  1. Click Get-go or press the Windows primal.
  2. In the First menu, either in the Run box or the Search box, type regedit and press Enter. In Windows 8, you tin can type regedit on the Start screen and select the regedit choice in the search results. In Windows 10, type regedit in the Search box on the taskbar and press Enter.
  3. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yeah to open up the Registry Editor.
  4. The Windows Registry Editor window should open up and look like to the example shown below.

Microsoft Windows 7 and earlier Registry Editor

How to browse the Windows registry

When well-nigh users edit their registry, they're given the location or path of where the registry value is located and what to modify. Below is an example path for a commonly accessed registry subkey. To browse this location, y'all first kickoff past opening the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE central (folder). In this key, yous come across the SOFTWARE folder, so Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion, and finally the Run folder.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Tip

Each backslash ("\") in a registry path represents another folder in the registry, with the proper name of that binder following the backslash.

After navigating to the registry path above, you lot see a window similar to the example below. In this instance, you can see four different string value keys, which indicate to the programs that run each fourth dimension the figurer is turned on or restarted.

Windows registry edit screen

How to edit a Windows registry value

To edit a registry value, double-click the name of the value you want to edit. For instance, if we double-click the 'IntelliPoint' value in the example above, a new window appears that would allow united states of america to change the data value. In this example, we could change the file path of where the "ipoint.exe" file is located for the IntelliPoint driver.

How to delete a Windows registry value

To delete a registry value, highlight any registry Name and press the Del key on the keyboard. For example, if we did not desire the IntelliPoint programme to load each time Windows starts, nosotros could highlight IntelliPoint and printing Del.

Windows registry autograph and abbreviations

In some documentation and online forums, the registry values may be abbreviated. For example, instead of saying "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE," information technology is easier to say and write "HKLM." For a listing of registry terms and shorthand, see our registry definition.