Three ways to open the Windows Registry Editor. How to open the registry How to open the game registry

The latter, storing the complete configuration of the hardware and software of the device, plays a key role in the operation of the entire system.

In order to open the Windows registry, a special editor is used. Let's look at several ways to launch regedit.

Through the start menu search.

Click on the "Start" button of the same name and simply write the word "regedit". We click on the shortcut that appears in the search results, thereby launching the editor.

Using the "Run" command

Press the Win+R key combination or use the Start menu to open the Run window. In the "Open" field, type the same word as in the first method and click the "OK" button.

Using Explorer

Both the built-in file manager and a similar third-party program will do. Launch Explorer, go to the system drive, open the Windows folder and click on the regedit executable file.

Through the command line

Not suitable for everyone, but useful in extraordinary situations. Open the console with Administrator rights and use it to run the regedit command.

It is worth warning that ill-conceived manipulations in the registry of the Windows OS can lead to a complete inoperability of the system.

In this guide, I will show you several ways to quickly open the registry editor in Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows 10. Despite the fact that in my articles I try to describe all the required steps in great detail, it happens that I am limited only to the phrase “open the registry editor”, which a beginner has the user may need to look up how to do this. At the end of the instructions there is also a video demonstrating how to launch the registry editor.

The Windows Registry is a database of almost all Windows OS settings, which has a tree structure consisting of "folders" - registry keys, and variable values \u200b\u200bthat determine a particular behavior and property. To edit this database, a registry editor is required (for example, when you need to remove programs from startup, find malware that starts “through the registry” or, say, remove arrows from shortcuts).

The second (and for some, the first) convenient way to launch is to use the Windows search functions.

In Windows 7, you can start typing "regedit" in the Start menu search box, and then click on the found registry editor in the list.

In Windows 8.1, if you go to the Start screen and then just start typing "regedit" on your keyboard, a search box will open where you can launch the Registry Editor.

In Windows 10, in theory, you can find the registry editor in the same way through the "Search the Internet and Windows" field located in the taskbar. But in the version that I have now installed, this does not work (for release, I'm sure they will fix it). Update: In the final version of Windows 10, as expected, the search successfully finds the Registry Editor.

Run regedit.exe

The Windows Registry Editor is a regular program and, like any program, it can be launched using an executable file, in this case regedit.exe.

You can find this file in the following locations:

C:\Windows\
C:\Windows\SysWOW64 (for 64-bit OS versions)
C:\Windows\System32 (for 32-bit)

In addition, in 64-bit Windows, you will also find the regedt32.exe file, this program is also a registry editor and works, including on a 64-bit system.

Additionally, you can find the registry editor in the C:\Windows\WinSxS\ folder, for this it is most convenient to use the file search in Explorer (this location can be useful if you did not find the registry editor in the standard places).

How to open Registry Editor - video

In conclusion - a video that shows ways to launch the registry editor using Windows 10 as an example, but the methods are also suitable for Windows 7, 8.1.

There are also third-party programs for editing the Windows registry, which in some situations can be useful, but this is a topic for a separate article.

Good day.

System registry- it is in it that Windows stores all data about the settings and parameters of the system as a whole, and individual programs in particular.

And, quite often, with errors, crashes, virus attacks, fine-tuning and optimization of Windows, you have to go into this very system registry. In my articles, I myself repeatedly write about changing some parameter in the registry, deleting a branch, or something else. (Now you can link to this article :)) …

In this help article, I want to give some simple ways to open the registry editor in Windows operating systems: 7, 8, 10. So…

1. How to enter the registry: several ways

1.1. Through the "Run" window / "Open" line

This method is so good that it always works almost flawlessly (even if there are problems with the explorer, if the START menu does not work, etc.).

In Windows 7, 8, 10, to open the "Run" line - just press a combination of buttons Win+R (Win is a button on the keyboard with an icon, like on this icon :) .

Note! By the way, I want to recommend you an article with a list of commands for the Run window. The article contains several dozen of the most necessary commands (when restoring and configuring Windows, fine-tuning and optimizing a PC) -

1.2. Through the search line: run the registry on behalf of the admin

First, open a regular explorer (well, for example, just open any folder on any drive :) ) .

1) In the menu on the left (see Fig. 3 below), select the system hard drive on which you have Windows installed - it is usually marked special. icon: .

By the way, in Fig. 4 shows how to run the editor as an administrator (to do this, right-click on the found link and select the appropriate item in the menu).

1.3. Create a shortcut to launch the registry editor

Why look for a launch shortcut when you can create it yourself?!

To create a shortcut, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select from the context menu: " Create / Shortcut"(As in Fig. 5).

By the way, the shortcut itself, after creation, will not become faceless, but with the registry editor icon - i.e. it is clear what will be opened after clicking on it (see Fig. 8) ...

Rice. 8. Shortcut to launch the registry editor

2. How to open the registry editor if it is blocked

In some cases, it is not possible to enter the system registry (at least in the ways described above :)) . For example, this can happen if you have been infected with a virus and the virus managed to block the registry editor ...

What to do in this case?

I recommend using the AVZ utility: it can not only check your computer for viruses, but also restore Windows: for example, unlock the system registry, restore explorer and browser settings, clear the Hosts file, and much more.

To restore and unlock the registry, after starting the program, open the menu file/system restore (as in Fig. 9).

Rice. 9. AVZ: Menu File / System Restore

Rice. 10. Unlock the system registry

In most cases, such recovery allows you to enter the registry in the usual way (described in the first part of the article).

Note! You can also open the registry editor in AVZ if you go to the menu: service / system utilities / Regedit - registry editor .

If the above didn't work for you , I recommend that you read the article about restoring Windows OS -

3. How to create a branch and a setting in the registry

When they say to open the registry and go to such and such a branch ... this simply baffles many (we are talking about novice users). The branch is the address, the path that you need to go through the folders (green arrow in Fig. 9).

Registry example: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\exefile\shell\open\command

Parameter - these are the settings that are in the branches. To create a parameter, simply navigate to the desired folder, then right-click and create a parameter with the desired settings.

By the way, the parameters can be different (pay attention to this when you create or edit them): string, binary, DWORD, QWORD, multiline, etc.

Rice. 9 Branch and parameter

The main sections in the registry: