How Do I Open Registry Editor? 7 Possible Ways

The Windows registry is basically a database structure that manages various settings and configurations in Windows. Your system stores all settings as individual registry entries in the appropriate registry path.

Whenever the system needs to check the current configuration of any process or activity, it looks for the appropriate registry entry and acts accordingly.

Registry entries are stored in encrypted hives to prevent random processes from making any changes to them. So, Windows comes with a special program, the Registry Editor, to be able to access and modify these entries.

I’ll cover all the different ways to open this program. You can use either of these methods according to your preference.

Using the Run Shortcut

The easiest way to open Registry Editor is via the Run dialog box. Here are the steps.

Press Windows key + R to open Run. Type regedit and press Enter to open Registry Editor.

Using the Search Bar or Start Menu

You can also search for Registry Editor in the search bar and open it. The search bar also provides the option to pin apps so you can easily find them later.

Press the Windows key to open the Start Menu or Windows + S to open the search bar. You can also click the Start or Search icon on the Taskbar. Type Registry Editor and click on this application from the results to open it.

If you need to open Registry Editor frequently, you can also select Pin to start menu or taskbar to pin programs to these locations. Then, you will be able to open it with one click whenever you want.

Via Windows Tools

Windows uses multiple deep links to group applications in various categories so that users can access them even far from their source location. One example is the Windows Tools application where you can access many of the administrative tools on your system, including the Registry Editor.

You can open Windows Tools in many ways, but I will only provide the easiest method, which is using the Start menu and Control Panel.

On the Start Menu

Go to the Start Menu and open it All applications Scroll down to Windows Tools and click on it. Search, and open it Registry Editor.

In Control Panel

Go to Run. Type control and press Enter to open Control Panel. Set View by to Big or Small icon to change the view to Classic mode. Click Windows Tools. Search, and open it Registry Editor.

Through File Explorer

Another possible way to open the Registry Editor is to go to the actual location on your storage device via File Explore and then open it.

Press Windows + E to open File Explorer. Navigate to This PC > C: > windows. Locate, and double click on regedit.exe to run Registry Editor.

Via Another Command Line Interface

You can also use the regedit command on a command line interface other than Run to open the Registry Editor. For example, you can open Command Prompt or PowerShellthen type regedit and press Enter to run this program.

Apart from that you can also, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), open Run new task or Files > Run a new task and use this command in the Create new task window.

It is also possible to open Registry Editor by entering regedit in your File Explorer address bar.

By Adding the Registry Editor to the Context Menu

It is also possible to add the Registry Editor to the content or right-click menu of the Desktop. In such cases, you will be able to easily open programs from your desktop in the future with just two or three clicks.

First you need to open Registry Editor and make some changes to the key. So open Editor using one of the other steps. Navigate to Computer\HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell Right click on shell and choose New > key. Set the name as Open Registry Editor or any other name you want. This is the name of the option that will appear in the Context Menu. Now, right click on this key and select it New > Key. Set its name to command and enter into this key. Double click on (Default). Set the Value data to regedit.exe and click it OK.

Now, whenever you right-click on the Desktop (you may need to select Show more options first), you will get an option to open the Registry Editor.

By Creating Shortcuts

You can also create a desktop shortcut for Registry Editor for easier access. This method also allows you to define shortcut keys or hotkeys for the shortcut. So, you will be able to easily open it either by double clicking on your Desktop or pressing a hotkey on your keyboard.

Right click on Desktop and select it New > Shortcut. Type regedit in the text box Type in the item’s location and click Furthermore. Use whatever name you want but preferably set it to Registry Editor or something similar for convenience. Click Finished. To associate it with a hotkey, right-click the shortcut and select it Property. Open tabs Shortcut. Click the text box Shortcut key. Press the key for the unused shortcut you want, such as Ctrl, Shift, and R. The shortcut key will appear in a text box. Click apply And OK.