The Windows registry is a sprawling, usually impenetrable settings file covering just about every aspect of the operating system and applications running on a computer. A lot of these settings are hidden from the user, but if you know what you’re doing, you can don your tweaking and customize Windows in a variety of ways. Here’s how to get started.
To edit the registry, type “regedit” into the search box in the taskbar and launch the application listed. It’s important to note that you carry out these edits at your own risk. While you shouldn’t run into problems with the tweaks listed below, playing around with the registry has the potential to cause Windows some serious problems.
The Regedit utility is pretty simple to use. Double-click on folders to open them or values to change them, and right-click to create new keys and values when required. It’s a good idea to make a backup of the registry before you start attempting any of these tweaks, which you can do by selecting File and then Export from the Regedit menus.
