Editing Registry Values

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 25, 2021)

You change information in the Registry by using the Registry Editor to change the contents of a value. Here's the simplest way to make your changes:

  1. Start the Registry Editor, as you normally would.
  2. Locate the value you want to change. (You can look for it manually by drilling down through keys and values or you can use the Find feature in the Registry Editor.)
  3. Either double-click the value name at the right side of the Registry Editor or highlight the value and press Enter. You'll see a dialog box that allows you to change the value's contents. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Registry Editor allows you to change Registry values.

  5. Make your changes, as desired.
  6. Click OK.

Remember that when you change values in the Registry, the effect of those changes may not be immediately apparent. In many cases, you'll need to restart Windows—and thereby force it to reload the Registry—in order to see the results of your change.

 This tip (10956) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Visually Showing a Protection Status

Need to know if a worksheet or workbook is currently protected? Excel provides some tell-tale signs, but here are some ...

Discover More

Rounded Corners for a Text Box

Text boxes are great for positioning information the way you want it to appear in your page layout. Fortunately, you ...

Discover More

Searching for All

When you are working on a worksheet (particularly a large one), you may want to search for and possibly copy information ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Finding Information in the Registry

The Registry is the central depository of configuration information used by Windows and by programs running on your ...

Discover More

How the Registry is Organized

There may come a time when you need to view or even modify the registry. In such a case, it's good to know how the ...

Discover More

Hiding Folders Under This PC

File Explorer is a virtual necessity when it comes to navigating the file system. If you find it a little too verbose, ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 3 - 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips