O&O RegEditor is a free Windows Registry editor for inspecting and changing the settings held in registry keys and values. It brings together direct value editing, searches that return a list of matching entries, and tools for copying or exporting selected registry data. Its tree and value views let administrators, developers and support users work with both system-wide and user-specific registry areas.
Editing the registry with O&O RegEditor
The registry tree shows the relationship between hives, keys and subkeys. Selecting a key exposes its values, including their names, data types and contents. O&O RegEditor can create new keys and values, rename existing entries, change value data, or delete a key together with its descendants. Individual values can also be deleted without removing their parent key.
Supported data types include strings, expandable strings, DWORD and QWORD numbers, binary values and multi-string values. The editor handles large binary contents and the separate lines stored in REG_MULTI_SZ entries. Pressing Enter on a value opens its editing dialog; Tab moves focus between the tree and the value list.
Copying values or whole branches
Copying can operate on an individual value or an entire branch. A copied value retains its type and contents when pasted into another key. Copying a complete key includes its subkeys and their values, preserving the hierarchy at the destination.
Live search
O&O RegEditor searches key names, value names and value contents. The search can cover a subsection or a whole registry hive, with matches appearing as the query is typed. Search modes include whole-word matching, exact terms, substrings and regular expressions.
Results appear in a list with their registry paths. Selecting a hit takes the user to that entry for inspection or editing, so several related matches can be examined without repeating the query. The result set can also be exported as a REG file or tab-delimited TXT file. REG output preserves the found registry entries for reuse, while TXT makes the search findings available for documentation or further processing.
REG file import and export
Selected keys, individual values and complete branches can be exported to REG files. Importing a REG file applies its registry changes, including the supported value types. The importer skips semicolon comment lines and handles quoted text and escaped backslashes. O&O RegEditor also offers an XML export of the entire registry.
A REG export can preserve the affected entries before they are changed and provide data to import again later. O&O RegEditor has no general undo command covering every registry change; recovery through import depends on having exported the relevant data beforehand.
Shortcuts to registry keys
The address bar accepts complete registry paths pasted from technical instructions, including paths prefixed with Computer or My Computer. Its history keeps recently visited locations, and the editor reopens the last key used when the application starts again.
Favorites provide persistent shortcuts to chosen keys alongside preset entries for commonly used registry areas. Users can rename favorites, select several entries, reorder them, or import and export a collection. Printing the favorites list provides a separate record of those saved locations.
Portable setup, themes and Windows builds
O&O RegEditor keeps its application preferences in a portable configuration file. This carries the working setup between computers, including the display language, tree-to-value-list layout and last-opened registry path. English and German interfaces are available.
The interface can follow the Windows light or dark setting or use a fixed theme. High-DPI support scales icons and toolbars for higher-resolution displays. Separate Windows builds cover 32-bit and 64-bit systems; ARM-based Windows devices are supported through compatibility rather than a native ARM build.
