The system registry in Windows is a hierarchical database, where we find all the configuration settings of the operating system, as well as all the applications that we have installed. Using its own editor, more advanced users can correct any type of error or change some system configuration. However, this editor has not undergone many changes in recent years and perhaps many users may miss other useful options.
Registy Explorer Features
For this, a tool like Registy Explorer was born. This application that has been released with an open source project on GitHub and whose objective is focused on modernize registry editor integrated into Windows including new features that may be useful to us. That is why it is a replacement for the integrated Regedit.exe tool included in Windows, which includes the following improvements:
- It shows the actual record, not just the standard.
- Allows you to sort the list view by columns.
- Use key icons for inaccessible keys, hives, and links.
- Allows full searches (Ctrl + Shift + F)
- It has a hex editor for binary values.
- It is capable of displaying MUI and REG_EXPAND_SZ expanded values.
- Allows you to connect to the registry remotely.
- With undo and redo functions.
- Allows you to copy and paste both keys and values.
- Shows the time of the last write, as well as key numbers and values.
Once we have tested the application, we can set it as our default registry editor for the .reg file, and thus completely forget about the one that comes by default in Windows.
How does it work
Once we run the application, its main menu will appear immediately, where we can see a view of each and every one of the registry sections. The interface will be very familiar to us, although yes, it is entirely in English, so it can be a significant handicap for some users. At the moment it does not seem that there is a possibility of passing it to Spanish. As in the default Windows editor, we can expand each section to see both its subkeys and its values in a tree view, organizing in tables that contain name, type, size and value, date of last modification and additional data such as MUI and REG_EXPAND_SZ values.
Advanced key finder
In the section where we will find its greatest utility is in its ability to search the registry for keys. It also has various options for managing permissions and its import and export capabilities, just like the default editor. It also stands out for its ability to copy and paste both keys and values in different locations, as well as the ability to undo or redo any operation and perform advanced searches.
The search capacity of Registry Explorer is another of its key values. This is much more advanced and efficient than the one we can find in Regedit. From it we can search and see the results within the same window and automatically open any registry key or value by just double clicking on it. This explorer also has a read-only mode aimed at more inexperienced users, which prevents them from making changes that could end up negatively affecting system performance.
Various options for its use
Within the Options section that we find its upper toolbar we find some interesting features. For example, we have the possibility of keep the app always in the foreground (Always on Top). This allows us that, even if we work with other applications, the editor remains always visible. It also has its own dark mode (Dark Mode) so it is ideal if we usually use the system in this way. Also, let us use it to replace Regedit and use it as our default registry editor, as well as change the font and size of the letters it uses for better readability.
Conclusions: is Registry Explorer worth using?
Registry Explorer is a good alternative to the default Windows editor, in case we need an application with which to obtain additional functions. If we generally have to make registry modifications, export configurations or search for certain values, this application will be of great help to us. In addition, it does not require installation so it can be saved and used from an external storage device for greater convenience.
Of course, although it may seem a very simple tool to use, we must be clear about its use. And is that this application is intended for advanced usersas well as system administrators. This is because any bad changes we make can cause instability problems in the PC, so we should only use it if we really know what we are doing.
Download Registry Explorer free
Registry Explorer is an open source alternative to the Windows Registry Editor that we can download for free from this link to its repository on GitHub. Your version 0.91 which was launched on October 9, 2021. It is a very recent application since it was released last August, so it is receiving updates very periodically.
In order to use it, you do not need any type of installation or go through any configuration process, since we are facing a portable application. It will only be necessary to double click on the file that we downloaded to work. As we can imagine we are talking about a very light software, which hardly consumes system resources and weighs only 1.69 MB.
Other alternatives to the Windows Registry Editor
If we are looking for an alternative to the Registry Editor that Windows incorporates by default and Registry Explorer does not convince us, we can try one of the following options:
RegCool Portable
It is a very complete registry editor that can be a good alternative to Regedit. As its name suggests, it is a portable application so it does not require installation. It has support for multiple tabs and keep them open at the same time. Thanks to that. we can easily navigate through the different parts of the registry. It has an integrated search engine with filters and the possibility of taking snapshots and capturing the current configuration of our registry. If we wish, we can download RegCool Portable for free.
Registry Workshop
We are talking about an advanced editor that we can also use as a replacement for the classic Windows Regedit. Along with all the standard functions of this, Registry Workshop allows us to add a wide variety of options that allow us to work more quickly and efficiently. It has redo and undo functions, as well as the ability to quickly manipulate the registry, values, and keys during system development. We can download Registry Workshop for free from this link to the developer’s website.
