Warning

Changes made to the Windows registry happen immediately, and no backup is automatically made. Do not edit the Windows registry unless you are confident about doing so.

Microsoft have issued the following warning with respect to the Registry Editor:

“Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to re-install Windows to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.”

Note: What you see when opening the registry editor or backing it up, may vary slightly according to your operating system.

How to open the registry editor

How to back up the registry

Before you edit the registry, you should make a backup (i.e.backup the current settings).

Open the Registry editor.
On the 'Registry' drop-down menu, click 'Export Registry File'.
In the Export range panel, click 'All', then save your registry as Backup.
How to change permissions in the registry