How exercise I open and edit the Windows registry?

Updated: 12/05/2021 past Estimator Hope

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

How to open up the Windows registry

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

Note

If yous have restricted access to the Windows computer you're logged in to, you may non be able to access the Windows registry.

Windows xi

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

Search icon on Windows 11 taskbar

  1. In the text field at the top of the search window, type regedit and printing Enter.
  2. If prompted by User Business relationship Command, click Yes to open the Registry Editor.
  3. The Windows Registry Editor window should open and await similar to the instance shown below.

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 and look like to the example shown below.

Microsoft Windows 10 Registry Editor

Windows 8

  1. Type regedit on the Start screen and select the regedit selection in the search results.
  2. If prompted past User Business relationship Control, click Yes to open the Registry Editor.
  3. The Windows Registry Editor window should open and look like to the example shown below.

Microsoft Windows 8 Registry Editor

Windows seven and before

  1. Click Offset or press the Windows fundamental.
  2. In the Start card, either in the Run box or the Search box, type regedit and press Enter. In Windows viii, yous can blazon regedit on the Offset screen and select the regedit option in the search results. In Windows 10, type regedit in the Search box on the taskbar and press Enter.
  3. If prompted past User Account Command, click Yeah to open the Registry Editor.
  4. The Windows Registry Editor window should open up and look similar to the case shown beneath.

Microsoft Windows 7 and earlier Registry Editor

How to browse the Windows registry

When most users edit their registry, they're given the location or path of where the registry value is located and what to change. Below is an example path for a unremarkably accessed registry subkey. To browse this location, yous first beginning past opening the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE cardinal (folder). In this key, y'all see the SOFTWARE binder, then Microsoft, Windows, CurrentVersion, and finally the Run binder.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Tip

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

After navigating to the registry path to a higher place, y'all come across a window similar to the example below. In this example, you can come across 4 dissimilar cord value keys, which point to the programs that run each time the calculator 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 yous desire to edit. For instance, if we double-click the 'IntelliPoint' value in the example above, a new window appears that would allow us to alter the data value. In this case, we could modify 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 whatsoever registry Name and press the Del cardinal on the keyboard. For example, if we did not desire the IntelliPoint programme to load each fourth dimension Windows starts, nosotros could highlight IntelliPoint and press Del.

Windows registry shorthand and abbreviations

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