What Is The Windows Registry Editor & How Do I Use It? [MakeUseOf Explains]
The Windows registry can be scary at first glance. It’s a place where power users can change a wide variety of settings that aren’t exposed elsewhere. If you’re searching for how to change something in Windows, you’ll occasionally find articles telling you to edit the registry and change certain settings. These changes are often referred to as registry hacks or registry tweaks.
If you need to edit the registry, don’t worry – making a few quick changes is easy as long as you know what setting you’re modifying. However, you do need to be careful when editing the registry.
What Is The Windows Registry?
The Windows registry is a database that stores a wide variety of configuration settings. Nearly all configuration settings included with Windows are stored here. Third-party programs can also use the registry to store their settings, although they can also store settings in configuration files – the choice is up to each program.
Many of the options exposed in the registry are not accessible elsewhere in Windows. A wide variety of advanced settings can only be changed by directly editing the registry. Some other settings may be accessible through Group Policy – but the Group Policy editor is only included on Professional editions of Windows. The registry allows you to change most settings that can be accessed through Group Policy.
The Registry Editor is a graphical application that allows you to view and edit the Windows registry.