The Windows 10 system registry is a hierarchical database in which all the configuration settings and options that the operating system and all installed applications need to function are stored. Regedit is the tool that Microsoft provides together with the operating system and that allows you to consult or modify the aforementioned system registry.
The system registry arrived with Windows 3.1. Before, each application saved its settings in a .INI file inside its own installation folder or in some other path on the storage system. This limited each user to have a configuration and, in addition, made it more difficult to locate problems as these files were distributed throughout the storage system.
The arrival of the registry was a big change in this regard. Since its arrival, this information is categorized following a more logical order and in a standardized way, so that the detection of problems or solution of problems is much easier. That’s where Regedit.exe comes into play.
How to access?
To access Regedit or Registry Editor we have three simple ways:
The first is the fastest and you simply have to go to the Windows icon in the lower left corner of your computer screen and in the search bar type regedit. Tap on the result and a pop-up will appear asking for permission to make changes. Confirm and you will have entered correctly.
The second is probably the most common and is done from the run tool on the computer in Windows 10. The first thing we do is simultaneously touch the Windows keys and the R key so that the Run advantage will open on our computer. You will have seen some time. Here you have to type REGEDIT and press Enter or tap on the OK button. The registry will automatically open.
Another option, although less common than the previous ones, is to search for the file. Imagine that the keyboard does not work for you and none of the above works because you cannot type in Run or in the search box. Just go to the Windows folder on your computer and here you can find the file regedit.exe
What is Regedit?
Thanks to this application, Regedit, system administrators and other people with advanced computer skills, can review the configuration of different system parameters from the editor. The regedit interface shows a sidebar with the entire directory tree that stores the different system configurations, installed applications and also the configuration made by each of the users (from desktop backgrounds, custom icons, fonts, etc., tec…).
From regedit, you can easily navigate through these directory trees and check the keys and their values in a very visual way . Keys are identified with folders and in turn can have as many subkeys as necessary, thus forming a hierarchy with a certain structure. The values are responsible for setting the configuration of each function of the operating system or application and are located within the keys or subkeys.
In addition, the application also allows you to manually modify these values. Of course it is very important to know what you are doing before modifying any value, but with the necessary knowledge this is very useful to repair errors in the system, eliminate values that are sometimes orphaned when uninstalling applications, change user settings globally , etc etc…
More common uses
Another common use of regedit is to export the entire registry as a backup . Doing this on a regular basis can save you from a disaster, either due to a modification that you make manually or due to a specific failure caused by an application installed on the computer or even some malware. Of course, just as it can be exported, it can also later be imported and recover the state it had initially.
In short, regedit.exe is the software with which you can view and modify the database that stores all the settings and configurations of Windows 10, installed applications and user accounts of a computer.
