Registry Guide for Windows Registry Guide for Windows
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Registry tweaks, tricks & hacks to optimize, enhance and secure Microsoft Windows.

Disable Registry Editing Tools (All Windows)
Category: Home > Windows > Accessories > Registry Editor

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This restriction disables the ability to interactively run the standard Microsoft registry editing tools such as REGEDIT and REGEDT32.

Warning: Be careful with this setting because once you enter this key into the registry you will not be able to use Regedit to undo the change. Consider wisely before using this modification so that you do not lock yourself out of the registry.

Open your registry and find the key below.

Create a new DWORD value named 'DisableRegistryTools' and set the value to '1' to disable registry editing functions. This can also be enabled on a user-by-user basis by putting the same value in the [HKEY_CURRENT_USER] hive.

Restart Windows for the change to take effect.

If you have inadvertently locked yourself out of your registry you can use usually use WinGuides Tweak Manager to unlock it. Please don't abuse this by trying to circumvent system administrator policies.

Note: This setting will disable all standard Microsoft registry editing tools, but not WinGuides Tweak Manager.

Registry Editor Example
|NameTypeData|
|(Default)REG_SZ(value not set)|
|DisableRegistryToolsREG_DWORD0x00000001 (1)|
-
|HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System|
-

Settings:
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
System]

Name: DisableRegistryTools
Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value: (0 = allow regedit, 1 = disable regedit)

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. We cannot guarantee that problems resulting from modifications to the registry can be solved. Use the information provided at your own risk.

Last Modified: May 7, 2003

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