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How to open the Windows Registry Editor. How to open the Windows registry: all the ways Where is the windows 8.1 registry

Today the topic is dedicated to the eight. As you already know, the graphical interface has been greatly changed in this OS, and it was difficult for even experienced users to find familiar elements. For example, due to the reworking of the start menu, not everyone could, and many such situations arose. To facilitate user actions, consider in detail, how to enter the Windows 8 registry in several ways.

Remember, any changes made through the registry editor may negatively affect the stable operation of your computer. Before editing, make a system restore point, through which, in case of an error, you will return the PC to a working state. You can also make a copy of the registry key you are editing. After all the preparations, you can start running regedit.

Ways to open the registry editor in Windows 8

The first method uses search. Click "start", then you will be taken to the home screen. In this area, move all the way to the right, then click the magnifying glass icon, which is located near the power control (shutdown) button.

Note: You do not need to go to the start screen, just press Win + W where you are now.

You will see a panel with a search form, where you need to enter regedit.exe. After successful entry, click the Enter key or select Registry Editor from the list that appears below.

If you see the UAC window click "yes". Thus, you will be able to enter the registry on Windows 8.

In order not to enter the name of the editor file every time, I propose to move the shortcut of the regedit file to visible places. While entering the file name, when regedit appears in the list, right-click on it and select one of the following:

Pin to Start Screen - Windows 8 Registry Editor is pinned as a tile to the start screen workspace.
Pin to taskbar - The most productive of the two, a registry shortcut is placed on the taskbar.

The second method is to click on the context menu item. Windows 7 does not provide this function, so in the previous article we added this item manually. On an empty space on the desktop, right-click. In the open menu, select an item called "Registry Editor".

In the third way it is necessary. This is done with the Windows + R keyboard shortcut, after which the familiar regedit.exe construction is entered into the line, then Enter or OK is pressed.

After completing 1 of 3 recommendations, you can enter the Windows 8 registry in a convenient way for you. All the described recommendations can be used equally, and there is no clear leader. Sometimes a picture emerges that after trying all the steps, the Windows 8 registry editor does not open, showing an error, which, follow the link to fix the problem.

It has been a long time since I wrote to the section "For beginners", so I think that's enough phony. After thinking a bit about the topic of the article, I decided to write about ways to enter the Windows Registry Editor. Although I write in each of the articles how to enter the registry. I'd rather describe all the possible methods available in Windows operating systems by default. So what is a registry?

The Windows registry is a database containing all the settings and parameters required for the operating system to work. It contains both hardware and software settings. Most changes to Control Panel, Group Policy Editor, and advanced system settings are written to the registry.

So how do you enter the Windows Registry Editor?

Login through the "Run" utility

This is the method I use in my articles, since, in my opinion, it is the fastest and most convenient. We carry out three simple steps.

Search in the Start menu

First, let's take a look at Windows 7 as an example, since it has an old version of the Start menu and this option is suitable for older operating systems.

For Windows 7, Vista and earlier

For Windows 8 and Windows 8.1

Opening via Windows Explorer

A very simple way: you just need to find the desired file in the system folder. To do this, follow the path:C: \\ Windows.We are looking for a file, run it.

Windows Registry is a database of operating system parameters containing information and settings for all computer components: PC hardware, software, system parameters. In many cases, when working on a computer, the user needs to open the Windows registry to configure the operating system, change the OS settings or installed applications.

The system registry, or Windows registry, contains all the data you need to manage settings and system parameters. The state of the registry affects the normal functioning of the Windows operating system.

After making modifications to the registry settings, the configuration and settings of the system or programs installed on the computer are changed. To make changes or fix some parameters, you must enter the operating system registry. The question arises: how to open the registry editor on the computer? How do I enter the Windows registry?

The Windows operating system has a special Registry Editor application (regedit.exe) for working with registry data. The built-in system tool, the Registry Editor program, is well suited for working with registry branches (the registry is tree-like). Individual registry files have different locations in the operating system. Therefore, to make changes to the system registry, you should run the Windows Registry Editor on your computer.

Note:

Changing the registry settings incorrectly or incorrectly can lead to malfunctions in the operating system. Because of this, the user will have to perform a system restore or reinstall Windows. Before editing the registry, take steps to restore the system to work in case of unsuccessful actions: make a backup copy of the registry, create a system restore point, back up the system partition.

How do I open the Registry Editor in different versions of the Windows operating system? There are several universal ways to enter the Windows Registry Editor in the same way in all versions of the operating system. In this article, we will additionally analyze how to enter the Windows 10 registry, how to enter the Windows 8.1 (Windows 8) registry, how to open the Windows 7 registry editor, for each system.

You can open the registry editor in Windows in the same way for different versions of the operating system using 5 methods:

login using the Run dialog box
launching the "regedit" file from the "Windows" folder in Explorer
open using command line or Windows PowerShell
find an application by searching on the taskbar or from the start menu
launching the registry editor using a previously created shortcut

First, we will consider the universal methods applicable to different versions of Windows, and then we will look separately at additional methods for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7.

How to enter the system registry from the "Run" dialog box

Using the Run dialog box to launch the Registry Editor works in all modern operating systems: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP.

In the Windows operating system, do the following:

Press simultaneously on the keyboard on the keys "Win" + "R".
In the "Run" window in the "Open" field, enter the expression: "regedit" (without quotes), and then click on the "OK" button.

After that, the Registry Editor application window will open on the computer.

How to enter the registry on a computer from the Windows folder

Another way to enter Registry Editor is to launch the application directly from the Windows system folder on your computer. This method can be used in Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP.

The only caveat: you need to be careful in your actions, since you will enter the folder with the operating system. Be careful in your actions.

Follow these sequential steps:

Open File Explorer on your computer.
Enter the "C:" drive, open the "Windows" folder.
Find and then double-click the left mouse button on the "regedit" application.

The system Registry Editor will open on your computer.

How to open the registry using the command line

You can start the registry editor from the command line.

Do the following:

Run Command Prompt as Administrator.
In the command line interpreter window, type "regedit" (without quotes), and then press the "Enter" key.

How to enter Registry Editor using Windows PowerShell

Registry Editor is launched from Windows PowerShell in a similar way:

Run Windows PowerShell as administrator.
In the PowerShell window, type “regedit” (without quotes), and then press “Enter”.

Create a shortcut to launch Windows Registry Editor

If the user is not ready to take several steps each time to launch the system application, this task can be made easier. To do this, you need to create a shortcut with which the registry editor will be launched on the computer.

Follow the sequential steps:

Start the file manager Windows Explorer.
Open Local drive "C:".
Go to the Windows folder.
Find the "regedit" application, right click on it.
From the context menu, first select "Send" and then "Desktop (create shortcut)".
A shortcut to launch the Registry Editor system tool will appear on the computer desktop.

Now, you can easily open the registry editor by double-clicking the left mouse button on the application shortcut.

How to open the registry in Windows 10

Let's take a look at how to enter the Windows 10 registry in a different way using search. We will first locate the application on the computer and then run the system tool.

To open Registry Editor in Windows 10, do the following:

On the Taskbar, click on the search icon, or left-click on the "Start" menu.
Enter the expression on the keyboard: "regedit" (without quotes), and then run the command.

Windows 10 Registry Editor is open and ready to make changes to the appropriate keys.

How to enter the Windows 8.1 registry (Windows 8)

Windows 8.1 (original version) and Windows 8 do not have a Start menu, so some users find it difficult to find the desired application on their PC.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 has a built-in Start menu, so you can run the search for Registry Editor on your computer in this way:

Right click on the Start menu.
Select "Find".
In the Search box, enter “regedit” (without the quotes).
Run the application.

Another generic way for Windows 8.1 and Windows 8:

Move your mouse cursor down from the top right edge of the screen.
In the sidebar that opens, click on the "Search" icon.
In the search box, enter the expression: "regedit".
Run the command.

As a result, the Windows 8.1 Registry Editor (Windows 8) will start on the computer.

How to open the registry in Windows 7

Now we will try to enter the Windows 7 registry. In addition to the universal methods described above, there is one more way to enter the registry editor.

In Windows 7, do the following to open the Registry Editor:

Enter the Start Menu.
In the Find Files and Programs box, enter regedit (without the quotes).
Start the Registry Editor application.

Conclusion

If necessary, the user can enter the Windows Registry Editor to make changes to the system registry settings. You can enter the Windows Registry in several ways: using the Run dialog box, launching a system tool from a previously created application shortcut, opening the registry editor at the command prompt or entering Windows PowerShell, launching an application from the Windows system folder, searching for and launching the editor registry in different versions of the operating system.

In my articles, tips and notes, I often refer the reader to the Windows Registry Editor. Many of them involve intensive work with registry keys and values. I suddenly realized that not all of my readers got their hands on when working with this program, and some had never started the Registry Editor at all. So I decided to write a little tutorial on this program.

Table of contents:

What is Registry Editor

Registry Editor has historically been created as a tool for users who need to change Windows settings that do not appear in the user interface. The main function of this program is to view and change settings in the system registry, that is, in a set of special binary files that contain information about the Windows configuration and about almost all programs that are installed on your computer. Windows OS and many programs (with the exception of those that are so-called "portable", portable, in other words, do not require installation) store their settings in the registry.

How to start the Registry Editor

Method 1
Regardless of the version of Windows installed on your computer, this method will work:

Method 2
The Registry Editor executable is located in C: \\ Windows, which means you can open that folder in Explorer and click to launch regedit.exe.

Alternatively, you can create a shortcut to Regedit.exe and place it in the Start Menu / Windows 8.x Application List, in the folder

% ProgramData% \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ Start Menu \\ Programs

This will make Registry Editor visible in Windows search results, and will also allow you to launch the application with a single mouse click.

General view of the Registry Editor

The Registry Editor looks like this:

As you can see in the picture above, it consists of two panels:

the left one displays a hierarchical view of the data structure, it is called sections (or keys);
the right panel displays parameters... They are name \u003d data pairs and are stored inside keys.

What Registry Editor Shows

As I mentioned above, the editor shows us the sections and options.

Sections are a virtual representation of data from several files that form registry database... You can see exactly which files represent the registry on your computer if you go to this section here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SYSTEM \\ CurrentControlSet \\ Control \\ hivelist

Here you can see a list of files on your hard drive that store registry data. The data within them, as mentioned above, have a hierarchical structure, and the registry editor shows them in the form of a "tree". The roots of a tree (master keys) generally represent a specific file, the data of which is accessed.

However, there are also virtual keys that appear in the registry editor as regular files, but in fact are a representation of several files or even separate registry branches. They usually exist for backward compatibility. For example, HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG is a virtual view, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is also a virtual view that combines the current user's registry keys and system keys.

Note that some registry files do not appear in the Registry Editor window. For example, you will never see what is stored inside the SAM (Security Accounts Manager) file. In the registry editor, it is represented by the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SAM \\ SAM branch and is supposedly empty there. This is for security reasons.

Registry parametersare used by Windows OS and many third-party applications to store various configuration parameters and part of user data. Parameter values \u200b\u200bcome in various types, but in general they are text values \u200b\u200b/ strings, numeric values, or binary values.

How to create a new registry key

To create a new key, right-click on the parent section in the left pane and select the command Create -\u003e Section from the context menu.

You must give the created section a name according to the requirements of the program for which you are creating it.

How to create a new parameter

To create a new parameter, you need to right click

on the current section to the left
or
in an empty space in the right pane.

Select the appropriate type for the new parameter and enter its name. Double click on the parameter name to set its value.

How to take ownership of a section and get full access to it

Just as the concepts of "permissions" and "owner" apply to files and folders in the NTFS file system, they also exist for registry keys. From the era of Windows Vista to the present day, most of the registry keys that store OS settings are protected by access restrictions so that they cannot be easily deleted or changed by the user. Sometimes you may need to change the data in such sections, and for this you need to be able to change the owner of the section and get full access to it. This is quite easy to do.

How to restore TrustedInstaller as partition owner

Almost all system registry keys in Windows Vista, 7 and 8 have the TrustedInstaller account as their owner. After editing the partition permissions, you need to return the ownership of this account, otherwise the operating system may not work correctly. To restore the TrustedInstaller property in Windows Vista, 7 and 8, enter NT Service \\ TrustedInstaller in the Enter the object names to select box. Click OK.

How to change permissions on a registry key

After changing the owner of a registry key, you almost always have to change the permissions, otherwise you will not be able to change the parameter values. To do this, you must switch to the Permissions tab in the Advanced Security Settings dialog box.

Subsections can have so-called inherited permissions from its parent section. Alternatively, subkeys can also have explicit access rights other than the parent key.

In the first case, that is, if permissions are inherited from the parent key, you must disable inheritance and copy the parent section's permissions to the current key in order to be able to change them. To do this in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP, uncheck the Add permissions inherited from parent objects check box and click the Add button in the confirmation dialog box.

After disabling inheritance, select the appropriate user account and click the button Edit to change access rights.

Windows 8 has a dedicated button to disable inheritance:

Permissions can be set in two ways: after disabling inheritance, you can set them only on the current key, or you can set permissions for the current key, and then apply them to all of its subsections. To do this, check the box Replace all child object permission entries with inherited from this object... This will push the permissions you specify down the key hierarchy for all subkeys.

Registry Editor Command Line Keys

Go to the desired registry key with one click

Option number 1

Some time ago I created the RegOwnershipEx utility that allows you to get full access to a registry key with one click. In addition, it allows you to go to the desired registry key. I recommend that you familiarize yourself with it.

RegOwnershipEx allows the following:

take ownership and full access to the selected registry key. There is a registry browsing window for easy key selection.
favorites - for quick access to your favorite registry keys. It is integrated with the Favorites menu of the Registry Editor.
restore the permissions and owner that you changed earlier. those. the program allows you to return the rights to their original state.
function "open in regedit" - you can open the selected key in the registry editor. This is a very handy option to quickly jump to a section by simply copying its name.
shortcuts for root partitions - you can use HKCU instead of HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKLM instead of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and so on.
getting the registry path from the Windows clipboard.
command line argument "/ j" to extract the path to the registry key from the Windows clipboard and quickly go to the registry editor.

It's all damn convenient!

Option 2

I sketched out a simple script that will get the contents of the clipboard, write it to the registry, and open the registry editor. The following scenario is assumed: You are reading an article, it says - "go to the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER \\ Software \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ CurrentVersion". You highlight the path to the section, press CTRL + C and run the script. Registry Editor opens in the desired location. ...

The registry is a large database that stores all the parameters necessary for the normal operation of the operating system. You can view it through the registry editor, which is available in Windows. Any user can enter it if his account has administrator rights.

And if you made any changes, or the computer turned off by itself, for various reasons, or you accidentally pressed the wrong key and deleted a parameter or a whole registry branch, then this may not have the best effect on the computer's operation.

And yet, if this happened, let's figure out what are the ways to restore the Windows 7 and Windows 8 registry for normal computer operation.

Using a backup

As you probably guessed, this method is not for everyone. If you previously created backup copies of the registry through "File" - "Export" - read on, if not - go to the next method.

So, you have a backup copy. Press the combination Win + R, the "Run" window will open. In the "Open" field, write regedit and click "OK".

The Registry Editor window should appear. In it, go to the "File" tab and select "Import" from the menu.

File Explorer will open, find the previously created backup and click "Open".

Wait for the files to be copied.

Using system restore

System restore can be done using restore checkpoints. You could create them earlier, when the system worked stably and everything suited you. Or they could be created automatically by the system: when making changes to the configuration of the computer, before installing drivers, etc.

Consider first, how to restore the registry if the operating system boots... In Windows 7 go to "Start" - "Control Panel".

Here we are interested in the item "Recovery".

In the next window, click "Start System Restore".

Now you need to select a restore point. If there are several points, and you are in doubt, look at the date the point was created - did your computer work normally on these numbers ?! - choose her. By clicking Search for Affected Programs, you can see which programs will be removed as a result of recovery. Click "Next".

We confirm the rollback of the system to the selected state by clicking "Finish".

All data, including the registry, will correspond to the state that was at the time of creation of the selected restore point.

If you have Windows 8 installed on your computer, read the article: Windows 8 restore point and system rollback. There you will be interested in the second part. The actions will need to be performed the same as described above.

If the OS won't start

Repair the registry if the computer does not turn on you can too. In the Windows 7 operating system, when the computer boots up, press the F8 button at intervals of 1 second. A window will appear "Additional download options"... In it, use the arrows to select the item "Troubleshooting computer problems".

In the next window, select your language and click Next.

Select your account, it is better to have administrator rights, then enter the password, if you have it set when you log in, and click "OK".

The following window should appear, select the item "System Restore".

The recovery window will open, click "Next" in it and repeat the steps described in the paragraph above.

If you have Windows 8 installed on your computer, then you can press F8 or Shift + F8 when booting, but you will hardly see a window for additional download options. It is best to use a system recovery disc or a bootable USB flash drive. You can create them on any other computer with Windows 8 installed.

Follow the link and read the article on how to repair Windows 8. Everything is described in detail there. The following window should appear. Then follow the path: "Diagnostics" - "System Restore", and select the desired restore point.

Through the command line

In Windows, the files that are responsible for the operation of the registry are stored in the following path: C: (your system drive letter) / Windows / System32 / config. There is also the RegBack folder, which stores backup copies of all registry branches. They are updated by the system automatically, depending on the settings, every 5-10 days.

We need to do the following: delete the DEFAULT, SAM, SECURITY, SYSTEM, SOFTWARE files that are in the config folder and replace them with similar files from the RegBack folder.

We will not be able to do this in the operating system, since it will be necessary to replace the files responsible for its operation. Therefore, you need to use additional boot parameters and open a command prompt.

In Windows 7, press F8 at boot time. Then you need to do everything as described in the paragraph above. In the window System Recovery Options, select item "Command line"... As a result, the command line will be launched as administrator.

In Windows 8, you can open the command prompt using the combination. This is detailed in the article: Windows 8 Safe Mode. Read the point: enter safe mode using the Shift + restart combination. When the following window appears, select "Command line".

If the computer does not turn on at all, due to changes in the registry, then read the paragraph: go to safe mode using a system recovery disk (you can create it on any computer with Windows 8 installed).

So, we launched the command line. Now we enter the following commands line by line. Press Enter at the end of each line. First, let's create a badreg folder on the system drive, copy all the files of our non-working registry into it. Then we can safely delete the DEFAULT, SAM, SECURITY, SYSTEM, SOFTWARE files from the config folder, because we have copies of them. Finally, copy the backups from the regback folder to the config folder.

MD c: \\ badreg
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ default c: \\ badreg
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ sam c: \\ badreg
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ system c: \\ badreg
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ security c: \\ badreg
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ software c: \\ badreg

delete c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ default
delete c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ sam
delete c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ system
delete c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ security
delete c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ software

copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ regback \\ default c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ regback \\ sam c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ regback \\ system c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ regback \\ security c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\
copy c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\ regback \\ software c: \\ windows \\ system32 \\ config \\
exit

After you enter the exit command, the command prompt window will close and the computer will restart.

I hope one of the ways will help you restore the registry in the Windows 7 or 8 operating system.

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