Microsoft updated its PowerToy, which brings the ability to enable the Registry preview feature in Settings with a modern design and an easy-to-use interface. This update made the design feel more native for the Registry with Mica Material and rounded corners. It is based on the WinUI.
The registry still needs to be replaced with the legacy Registry editor at this point. Still, it offers similar functionality with a few more options, like the ability to check the changes with an Edit and Preview option so users can check the effect in real-time for the changes made. Despite this, it comes in handy as a tool to create or modify the registry files to make changes in your Windows. You can change several Windows behaviours, like removing the Bing Discover Icon, enabling Classic Context Menu, and more.
PowerToys update includes Registry Preview feature for previewing and editing in Windows 11.
Microsoft recently added a Host File editor and the Monitor tool to check what process uses a specific file. Despite this being designed for Windows 11, Windows 7 or higher can use this feature with PowerToy.
Microsoft PowerToy
Users can install the PowerToy from Microsoft Website or use the “winget install –id Microsoft.PowerToys” command to install the app from CMD. Alternatively, you can check the Microsoft Store or GitHub. To update, you can check for updates in PowerToy to update your PowerToy to V0.69.
If you are unfamiliar with the PowerToy, then it’s an open-source project by Microsoft that brings experimental features that Windows lacks by default, several updates, and components which can later debut with the Windows stable, such as the Snap from the Fancyzone. Apart from this, there are a lot of features like PowerRename, Pin Window on top, Focus on Mouse Cursor, Text Extractor, Keyboard Manager, Image Resizer, Color Picker, and more.
PowerToy Registry Preview
It is a GUI/Applet designed to launch the Windows Registry (.reg files), allowing users to preview the registry file before importing the registry and modifying the Windows Registry. Commonly, it has a database that stores system and application settings. As we mentioned, you can make and import to make changes for Registry files to modify the Windows behaviour like appearance, performance, security, and compatibility. It will be available on PowerToy V69 or later, and it is under development so that it might have significant bugs or limitations.
This is one of the most complex features while making changes to customize your Windows, but making editing could be challenging when you get familiar with the fundamentals. The
What New PowerToy Registry Preview Feature
This new feature allows users to view the registry and edit the .reg file easily. Users can use any text editor to display the content in simple text better. Registry preview can be used to preview them in style, which often has a .reg file in the style of Registry Editor.
It does have a lot of handy editing capabilities. As we often get the .reg file from an unknown source, it is better to check the registry for which we previously needed to apply those files, and then later, we can use it, but it does have a significant disadvantage. But now you can check to preview what .reg has effect before making changes.
To manage files and make modifications to the registry, you can also have the ability to create, edit, and preview registry files in an editor section on the left side. It has a virtual tree view on the right side for each patch of the registry settings with a string and DWORDS with a respective value at the bottom. With the new Graphical User Interface (GUI), users can view the contents of registry files without opening them in a text editor or importing them. Users can also compare the file’s content with the current registry value.
How to use New PowerToy Registry Preview on Windows
This feature is not enabled by default on PowerToy. Users need to enable this from the PowerToy settings, and the steps for this are quite straightforward. Here are the following instructions mentioned below.
Registry Files are available with an extension .reg, which you can create and share with the registry without requiring you to open Registry Editor. To edit a file, you can also use Ctrl + E to edit the .reg file within the Registry preview and to write to the registry, use Ctrl + W.
- Open PowerToy and then head over to Registry Preview from the left sidebar.
- Use the toggle to enable the Registry Preview option.
- Click on Launch Registry Preview to open it, and then you can start using the new registry on your Windows.
This new Registry preview has four different areas to work with, starting with a toolbar that you can use to manage and make changes to the Registry files. On the left side panel, you have an editing section, and on the right, you have a virtual tree and the file’s DWORDs with a respective value at the bottom.
- If you want to open any file, head over to the file and then use the Open file button from the toolbar or right-click on the file to open the Reg files.
If you want to open any Registry file from a File Manager, right-click on the reg. File, there is a Preview option within the Show More option in the context menu. To use the Preview before saving the file, follow the following instructions.
- Next, choose the Preview option, and then you can modify the registry. Users can now write settings to preview, which means even before saving the changes, you can check the effect for which you need to use “[]” Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 in the first line and at last use the “[]” followed by settings and its value.
- Once you finish making changes, you can save the file.
Apart from this, there is a new Reload from the file that you can use to open the file in another text file. The Write to Registry option also allows you to make changes to the computer’s registry, for which you need to click on Confirm to verify your changes. However, Open Registry Editor will open the legacy Registry editor in Windows 11.
