How to Open Windows Registry Editor

There are a few ways you can use to open the Windows Registry Editor. This article provides instructions for opening the Registry Editor, more commonly referred to as ‘regedit’, in Windows 7, Vista, XP, and Windows 8.

We may also need to run the editor As administrator, in order to edit the registry.

Windows key + ‘R’ Method

1. Open a Run dialog by executing the following hotkey: Windows button + ‘R’
2. Enter ‘regedit’
3. Click the OK button, or press the keyboard ‘Enter’ key

Open the Editor Directly from The Directory

When you already have a Windows Explorer window open, simply navigate to ‘C:\Windows\regedit.exe’

Open the Editor from Windows Task Manager

1. Open Task Manager
• Execute the hotkey, Ctrl+Alt+Del; in Windows 7, click on Task Manager in the menu to open it
• Right-click the Taskbar and select Task Manager
2. Click the ‘File’ drop-down menu, select New Task (Run)
3. Enter regedit and click the OK button, or press Enter

Open The Registry Editor from a Shortcut

Navigate to ‘C:\Windows\regedit.exe’, right-click it,  and select ‘Send to desktop’ from the ‘Send to’ content menu

Move the shortcut wherever you would like, such as the Taskbar, for example

Windows 8 Home Screen Method

Exclusively in Windows 8 when using the default Metro UI.

On the Home screen, you can simply just start typing ‘regedit’ for it to appear in a list. You can double-click on it, or press the Enter key to open the editor on the Desktop.