Windows 10: Switch Between HKCU and HKLM Keys in Registry Editor in Windows 10

How to: Switch Between HKCU and HKLM Keys in Registry Editor in Windows 10

How to Switch Between HKCU and HKLM Keys in Registry Editor in Windows 10


System configuration information is stored centrally in a hierarchical database called the registry. You can use Registry Editor to add and edit registry keys and values, restore the registry from a backup or to default values, and to import or export keys for reference or backup.

In Windows 10, you can quickly switch between registry keys in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch and HKEY_CURRENT_USER branch if the key exists in both branches. This makes it easy to modify values at both branch locations as needed.

This tutorial will show you how to quickly switch between keys in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch and HKEY_CURRENT_USER branch of Registry Editor in Windows 10.



Here's How:

1. While you have Registry Editor (regedit.exe) open, right click or press and hold on a key (ex: "Software") in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch or HKEY_CURRENT_USER branch, and click/tap on Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER to go to the same key (ex: "Software") in the other branch. (see screenshots below)

*note Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER will only be available in the context menu if the key exists in both branches.








That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Change the Registry Editor Font in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Registry Editor Address Bar in Windows 10
• How to Export and Import Registry Keys in Windows

:)

 

Registry Change For All Users - HKCU vs HKLM

If the app itself only reads HKCU keys (i.e. does not even attempt to read the HKLM keys) then adding settings under HKLM will never function.

A solution would be to add the relevant keys in HKCU for the "Default" user account - immediately after installing Windows. Thus, any users "added" after installation would have those keys in their registry under HKCU. Or, prepare a custom installation image which contains those keys in the "Default" user profile (registry).

Neither approach may satisfy your needs if you are trying to address a system that is already populated with multiple accounts. In that case, perhaps a simple registry script that can be manually run for each existing user account is the direction you would need to go in. A script would package all the registry keys and be relatively efficient...but, it would still require manually logging in and running the script for each account individually.

There are other script solutions that can be run against accounts without logging in to each account. However, such approaches are more apropos to domains and enterprise solutions.

 

Registry Change For All Users - HKCU vs HKLM

I have a very simple utility I found that has a few settings. If you make changes those settings are stored in HKCU\Software and then the product name\Settings. I want to install the utility so that anyone on the machine that logs on has those same settings, so I installed the settings under HKLM instead, using the keys generated from HKCU when using the program and making setting changes. But it looks like that's not working, at least for some users. If a program needs to access its settings in the registry and they're not there in HKCU won't it look and grab them from HKLM, or is that a programmatic decision?

Any ideas how to get the settings to take effect for all logged on users?

 

Modded Registry. Want Old Back....

did you try this

To restore the registry
Open Registry Editor.
Click Options, and then click Print to print these instructions. (If you are using the Help and Support Center, click Print above the topic area.) They will not be available after you shut down your computer in step 2.
Click Start, and then click Shut Down.
In the list, click Restart, and then click OK.
When you see the message Please select the operating system to start, press F8.
Use the arrow keys to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER.
NUM LOCK must be off before the arrow keys on the numeric keypad will function.

Use the arrow keys to highlight an operating system, and then press ENTER.
Caution

Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making changes to the registry, you should back up any valued data on your computer.
Notes

To open Registry Editor, click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
Choosing Last Known Good Configuration provides a way to recover from problems such as a newly added driver that may be incorrect for your hardware. It does not solve problems caused by corrupted or missing drivers or files.
When you choose Last Known Good Configuration, Windows restores information in registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet only. Any changes you have made in other registry keys remain.

 

Invalid root in registry key "HKCU\software\wtjtpfxoogfjh" .

What is this?

Invalid root in registry key "HKCU\software\wtjtpfxoogfjh" .

 

Accidentally delete wrong in the registry editor

Hmmm. Those entries look fine. So I'm guessing your issues are with permissions under:
Code:

as HKCR is the synthesis of HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes and HKCU\SOFTWARE\Classes: