These Windows 11 registry hacks will turn you into a PC pro

Windows and most purposes save their configuration within the registry database — or registry, for brief. Whenever you modify a setting, this impacts the corresponding worth within the registry, however there are additionally values within the registry for which there isn’t any equal in a configuration software.

Many tech-savvy Windows customers most likely have some settings that they modify instantly after they set up Windows. Other changes are made roughly repeatedly — for instance, to supply selection within the desktop design or as a result of sure duties require it.

A search within the “Settings” helps to search out the out there choices. However, it’s nonetheless tedious to configure all the things as desired. In addition, you generally should dig via subcategories, and generally even use the Control Panel below Windows 11 or navigate via a number of tabs.

All this makes it fairly tough to use the acquainted settings after a brand new set up of Windows or on different computer systems. However, some settings may be saved in case you are logged in with a Microsoft account.

This article describes the fundamentals of working with the Windows registry and precautionary measures that allow restoration within the occasion of defects. We additionally introduce readers to different instruments that make it simpler to work with the registry or customise a particular set of settings, for instance for extra privateness.

See additionally: How to clean your Windows registry and speed up your PC

First orientation within the Windows registry

The commonplace program for enhancing the registry is the Windows Registry Editor. You begin it by urgent the Win-R key mixture,

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and make sure with “OK.” The software shows the contents of the registry information in a tree view.

The registry really consists of a number of information, that are situated within the folder “C:WindowsSystem32config,” plus the file “Ntuser.dat” with the consumer’s information, which is situated within the consumer profile below “C:Users[username].”

The 5 branches of the registry:

1. “Hkey_Current_User” comprises the configuration of the logged on consumer.
2. “Hkey_Local_Machine” comprises the worldwide settings for Windows and purposes, which may solely be modified with administrative rights and apply to all customers. Changes on this department often solely take impact after a Windows restart.
3. “Hkey_Users” comprises keys with consumer IDs of system profiles. The two longer IDs are these of the present consumer and correspond to the content material of “Hkey_Current_User.”
4. “Hkey_Classes_Root” comprises file identify extensions and the related program shortcuts in addition to keys for registered Windows parts.
5. “Hkey_Current_Config” is a hyperlink to the keys under “Hkey_Local_MachineSystemCurrentControlSetHardware ProfilesCurrent.” This permits packages to entry the values by way of a shorter path.

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Keys and values: Registry branches include subkeys, much like folders within the file system. They include values which can be similar to information. There are worth varieties, for instance “string” for textual content content material or the “DWORD value (32-bit)”, which may maintain 4 bytes.

Change the content material of the registry: Select a key within the tree on the left-hand facet. Use the “New” context menu to create subkeys or values. On the right-hand facet of the window, you may see the info {that a} key comprises. Double-click on an entry to open an editor that can be utilized to alter the info.

Create a backup copy of the registry

For an entire copy of the registry, use the Registry Backup Portable software. First go to “Settings” and specify a storage location below “Backup Location.”

If this system doesn’t work accurately with the default settings, go to “Help & Support” and click on on the icon below “Online Help & FAQ’s.” In the assistance you will see that directions on learn how to restore the VSS service. Then go to the “Backup Registry” tab and click on on “Backup Now.”

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Restore the registry: In the occasion of an issue, restart Registry Backup, go to the “Restore Registry” tab, and choose the final backup utilizing the choice subject on the prime of the window. Click on “Restore Now.” You should then restart Windows.

Using Process Monitor to investigate the registry

You can discover out which registry worth belongs to which setting within the tips about quite a few web sites. You can use the Process Monitor from Microsoft Sysinternals to find out which registry keys are written when a setting is modified.

When you begin Process Monitor, the “Process Monitor Filter” window seems. Select “Operation” after which “is.” Enter “RegSetValue” within the enter subject or choose the worth from the listing. Click on “Add.” Accordingly, you may set the filter “begins with” and “HKCU” (Hkey_Current_User) for “Path.”

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Without a sensibly set filter, the window instantly fills up with hundreds of entries and it’s virtually not possible to find out the related worth. Click on “OK” to start out recording.

Change an possibility within the “Settings,” for instance. End the recording as shortly as attainable utilizing the Ctrl-E key mixture. You will see a chronological listing of accesses with “RegSetValue” within the window.

The tedious job now could be to fish out the corresponding registry key and worth from the nonetheless quite a few strains utilizing a plausibility examine.

Example: Customize the Explorer

A freshly put in Windows is configured in a method that Microsoft considers helpful for many customers. Some settings are pointless for skilled customers and will even be a safety danger for much less skilled customers.

One instance of that is the lacking show of file-name extensions in Windows Explorer. File names in Windows often include the file identify, a dot, and the file identify extension. Windows makes use of the extension to acknowledge the file sort and the appliance with which a file is opened by double-clicking.

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However, Windows Explorer exhibits an outline within the “Type” column within the “Details” view. For executable information (“.exe”) “Application” seems right here, for textual content information (“.txt”) you may learn “Text document.”

The file icons additionally present a sign of the file sort. However, information can’t be recognized in a short time if you don’t look intently or have set a view apart from “Details.”

For larger readability, go to “View” in Windows Explorer and choose the menu merchandise “File name extension” below “Show.” In Windows 10, go to “View” and tick the field subsequent to “File name extensions.”

This additionally has the extra impact of constructing it simpler to assign file identify extensions.

For instance, in case you create and save a textual content file, it’s given the extension “.txt.” If you wish to flip the textual content file right into a batch file with the extension “.bat” or “.cmd,” now you can merely change the extension in Windows Explorer by renaming the file.

If the file identify extensions are hidden in Windows Explorer, this isn’t attainable. If you append a “.bat,” the identify is “Filename.bat.txt,” which signifies that the editor stays chargeable for the file and it doesn’t develop into a Windows batch file.

The hidden file identify extensions additionally signify a possible safety danger. Windows Explorer shows “filename.txt.bat” as “filename.txt” by default. In the “Type” column, it says “Windows batch file,” however you might not discover this.

If you don’t discover the distinction within the icons for textual content and batch information, you might begin a harmful batch file as a substitute of opening a textual content file in Notepad.

The Windows Registry Editor is definitely enough for many duties. However, it doesn’t supply many handy features — a niche that different suppliers fill.

Regcool is a complicated registry editor with a fast search operate. You can use it to create bookmarks and add feedback, evaluate registry keys, and create a registry backup.

The Regshot operate creates a snapshot of the registry, which may later be in contrast with a second snapshot. This means that you can see what has modified within the meantime.

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Registry Finder shines with a really quick search and remembers the search ends in a number of tabs. Bookmarks may be supplied with an outline and extra entries similar to “Category” and “Tags.”

Reg Ownership Ex can change entry rights within the registry. Click on “Search,” enter the specified key, and click on on “Take ownership.” Click on “Restore” to revive the earlier rights.

Data that can not be modified within the registry

Microsoft is more and more making an attempt to forestall customers and in addition the producers of tuning instruments from altering values within the registry. This could also be partly for safety causes, even when this isn’t all the time recognizable.

One instance of that is “News and interesting topics” within the taskbar, which Microsoft calls “widgets” in Windows 11. The show may be hidden or proven by way of “Settings” and “Personalization > Taskbar.”

If you attempt to change the related worth within the registry, entry is denied. This is brought on by the User Choice Protection Driver (UCPD).

It prohibits write entry to registry values which have been set by consumer choices for sure settings, similar to the selection of default browser or PDF reader. This appears smart in order that malware doesn’t merely change hyperlinks to those packages maliciously, for instance to redirect to promoting websites.

As of October 2024, nonetheless, there are strategies to override the safety itself. The batch file “Switch_Taskbar_Widget_visibility.bat” along with the Powershell script “Set_Taskbar_Widget-visibility.ps1” exhibits how to do that.

The trick is basically to make use of a duplicate of “Reg.exe” — the registry editor for the command line, which UCPD doesn’t monitor. With Windows 10 it is a bit more sophisticated as a result of a hash worth should even be modified right here. Use “Switch_Taskbar_Widget_visibility.bat” to cover the widgets and present them once more when restarting.

Settings for safety and privateness

Windows always transmits diagnostic information (telemetry) to Microsoft. This is used, for instance, for the early detection of errors in Windows updates.

However, plenty of information can be collected that may have an effect on the consumer’s privateness. As quite a lot of registry keys are used for configuration, it’s higher to go away the settings to specialised instruments.

One of those is O&O Shutup10, which gives an outline of every setting. If attainable, solely use the really useful settings, in any other case you’ll have to reckon with the uncomfortable side effects described.

An different is W10Privacy, which shows many settings on a number of tabs and presents extra choices than O&O Shutup. The really useful settings are highlighted in inexperienced, the conditionally really useful settings in yellow.

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